2 restaurant closings

2 classic and longtime Houston restaurants announce imminent shutters

Two classic Houston restaurants are preparing to say farewell this month. Tex-Mex restaurant Spanish Village and Gulf Coast seafood favorite Tony Mandola’s both recently announced their final days of service at their current locations.

Spanish Village will close July 17, owner Abhi Sreerama announced on Facebook. Open since 1953, the restaurant, which resides on the border of Third Ward and the Museum District, is known for its classic Tex-Mex fare such as cheese enchiladas and queso as well as its signature fried chicken.

Sreerama purchased the restaurant in 2018 and made a number of changes to improve operations, such as slimming down the menu. He worked with chef Ishita Chakravarty to introduce a number of vegan dishes.

The restaurateur cited a number of accomplishments during his tenure, including tripling revenue. Still, the historic building’s deteriorating condition prompted him to sell, he writes. However, the restaurant may not be gone for good.

“We are currently in discussions with a few potential buyers for the Spanish Village brand and recipes to hopefully keep the tradition alive,” Sreerama writes. “We are looking to keep the Little Village vegan menu going as well, but are roughing out the details there as well.’

Diners looking to sip one last margarita inside the restaurant’s Christmas light-decorated dining room will need a reservation to do so. Make one by email, phone, or OpenTable. In addition, people may also contribute to a GoFundMe that’s designed to assist employees while they find new jobs.

Turning to Tony Mandola’s, co-owner Phyllis Mandola announced on Instagram that she and her husband Tony Mandola will cease operations at their location on Waugh on July 26. Known for its combination of Gulf Coast fare like gumbo and fried seafood that’s paired with Italian-American specialities such as spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna, Tony Mandola’s has occupied its building at 1212 Waugh Dr. since 2011. It traces its roots to the Blue Oyster Bar that the couple opened in 1982.

As the Houston Chronicle notes, both members of the couple are Houston restaurant royalty. Phyllis Mandola is the daughter of legendary Houston restaurateur Ninfa Lorenzo, who popularized tacos al carbon at the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation. Tony Mandola is a member of the Houston restaurant family behind a wide array of concepts, including Carrabba’s, Damian’s, and Ragin’ Cajun.

“We are honored to be the setting for countless celebrations and milestones over the years for family and friends,” Mandola writes in her post. “We have made magnificent friends, filled many thousands of tummies, said goodbye to beloved family and guests and welcomed new family and new customers.”

Thankfully, the closure doesn’t appear to be the end of the road for the restaurant. Mandola promises that a new location will be announced soon.

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The Houston Press was first to report the closure of Spanish Village. The Houston Chronicle was first to report the closure of Tony Mandola's.

Cioppino at Tony Mandola's.

Tony Mandola's/Facebook

Cioppino at Tony Mandola's.

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spoiler alert

Houston chef Thomas Bille sounds off on his Beat Bobby Flay appearance

Courtesy of Food Network

Thomas Bille took on Bobby Flay.

Add another Houston chef to the roster of cooking competition champions. Belly of the Beast chef-owner Thomas Bille won the Tuesday, August 4 episode of Beat Bobby Flay.

Titled “Mole Mania,” Bille went head-to-head with celebrity chef Bobby Flay in a battle of duck en mole negro. Although the dish usually features more than 30 ingredients and typically takes hours to make, both Bille and Flay both only had 45 minutes to make their dishes.

“I did one trial run mole at the restaurant. I finished it in about 32 minutes,” Bille tells CultureMap. He adds that he used the same recipe on the show that he does at his restaurant, except for the restaurant’s mole mother.

During the cooking portion of the competition, Bille blends a wide array of chiles to begin making the dish. He also charred tomatoes, plantains, and tortillas before adding them to his pot. He then cooks his duck skin side down to render its fat. Bille plated the dish with a garnish of cacao nibs and almonds.

“I figured out a strategy,” Bille explains. “I had a dutch oven. I charred everything. I needed to put all the missing pieces and adding it to the pot. Charring things, adding it. So I had it all cooking right away, rather than building how I normally do it.”

The judges panel of Lourdes Castro, Alex Stupak, and Grace Ramirez hailed Bille’s dish for its depth of flavor and presentation, but they criticized him for not achieving a sufficiently crispy skin on his duck.

“I think darkness on top of darkness is a huge plus,” Stupak said about Bille’s presentation. “That’s a positive. Black on black is my favorite.”

The judges found that Flay’s duck mole negro with pomegrante, apricot, and green chile relish didn’t put enough emphasis on the mole, with Lourdes calling it too sweet. “This feels like a really great duck dish,” Stupak added.

Prior to beating Flay, Bille faced off against Austin chef Keegan Andrews to create the best dish with manchego cheese. He created a Spanish-inspired manchego tartine with herb salad, macerated dried apricots, and toasted marcona almonds. The judges stated that Andrews manchego fritters were too doughy.

Bille is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2025, he won Best Chef: Texas in the James Beard Awards. Belly of the Beast, his Mexican-American restaurant in Spring, holds a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide.

The chef joins a small roster of local Beat Bobby Flay winners. Back in 2016, Roost chef-owner Kevin Naderi won the show by making cabbage rolls. In 2023, Stanton Bundy, formerly culinary director of Traveler’s Table, won a chilaquiles battle. Last year, Top Chef winner Tristen Epps won with Trinidadian brown stew chicken. Filmed in January, the chef says he kept the secret from even his close friends, but it feels good to finally share the news.

“It’s great. I beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay,” Bille says. “Being able to go to his kitchen and beat him, he has such a high win rate.”

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