this week's covid closures

These Houston restaurants have closed or reopened due to COVID-19

Eunice reopened this week.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Restaurants temporarily closing after one or more employees tests positive for COVID-19 has sadly become part of Houston’s culinary landscape. Usually, the businesses are able to reopen a few days later after their other employees have been tested, and the spaces have undergone extra cleaning.

That they’re able to reopen so quickly demonstrates how seriously restaurants take requirements regarding hand washing, wearing a mask, etc. Despite working in occasionally cramped conditions, even those restaurants with an employee who tests positive don’t seem to be infecting their coworkers very often.

Once they reopen, diners should feel comfortable patronizing these establishments. They’re taking everyone’s health seriously and deserve our dollars.

Restaurants that have reopened this week after temporary closures

Daddy's Burgers: Closed June 17. Reopened July 2.
Eunice: Closed June 27. Reopened July 1.
Local Foods: Closed June 26. Reopened June 30.
Local Group Brewing: Closed June 18. Reopened July 3 (to-go only).
Pistolero’s: Closed June 20. Reopened June 30.
The Pit Room: Closed June 30. Reopened July 1.

Restaurants that have closed temporarily

Downtown restaurant Batanga closed on June 26. The tapas restaurant has not announced a reopening date.

Citing the rise of COVID-19 cases in Houston, Bosscat Kitchen closed on June 27. The restaurant’s staff will be tested for coronavirus, and the building will undergo a deep cleaning before it reopens.

Bars and restaurants that have announced a closure this week

Cane Rosso in The Heights closed temporarily on June 30 after an employee tested positive. The Neapolitan-style pizzeria will reopen “soon,” after its building has been cleaned and disinfected.

Hando temporarily closed on June 29 after an employee tested positive. The Heights hand roll restaurant will reopen “when we are confident that we can do so safely and responsibly.”

Love Buzz Pizza Pub temporarily closed on June 29 after the family member of an employee tested positive. The Montrose pizzeria expects to reopen later this week.

Rainbow Lodge temporarily closed June 28 after an employee tested positive. The luxurious restaurant expects to reopen July 1.

Taste Bar & Kitchen temporarily closed June 29. It is expected to reopen July 2 after its employees have been tested for COVID-19 and the restaurant has undergone a deep cleaning.

news-you-can-eat

steakhouse switcheroo

River Oaks restaurant fields a new menu devoted to prime and wagyu steaks

Courtesy of Fielding's Steak

The new menu includes steak and sides such as onion rings.

A River Oaks restaurant is switching things up. After a year of operations, Fielding’s River Oaks has rebranded as Fielding’s Steak with an all-new menu that will launch on Tuesday, January 27.

While the restaurant has always served steaks from Texas ranch 44 Farms, Fielding’s Steak leans more heavily into beef with more cuts and more kinds of beefs, including both American and Japanese wagyu. Similarly, diners can pair their steaks with steakhouse sides such as lobster mac and cheese, creamed spinach, and onion rings.

The new menu starts with four prime steaks — filet, ribeye, NY strip, and bavette — along with a dry-aged cuts including a 35-ounce cowboy ribeye, a porterhouse, a 12-ounce bone-in ribeye, and a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye. Those seeking the most luxurious experience may opt for a wagyu tasting that features four ounces each of Japanese, Australian, and American striploin.

Appetizers and salads include a number of familiar dishes, such as lobster bisque, wedge salad, fried calamari, shrimp cocktail, and an imperial crabcake. Non-steak entrees include maple-brined salmon, lobster risotto, lamb chops, and a grilled Kurobata pork chop with apple mostarda.

Fielding’s River Oaks opened in December 2024. Part of Fielding’s Culinary Group, The Woodlands-based hospitality company behind Fielding’s Local Kitchen & Bar and Fielding’s Wood Grill, the restaurant served a European-inspired menu that included pizzas, pastas, steaks, and seafood.

“Fielding’s Steak represents the natural evolution of who we are and where we’re going,” said CEO Cary Attar said in a statement. “We wanted to create a true steakhouse experience — one that’s chef-driven, ingredient-focused, and worthy of the River Oaks dining scene — while still feeling warm, welcoming, and unmistakably Fielding’s. This new menu allows us to showcase exceptional proteins, refined flavors, and a level of execution that reflects our passion for hospitality and culinary excellence.”

Fielding’s Steak will be open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch from 11:30 am-3 pm and dinner beginning at 5 pm. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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