Party in Uptown
Pat Green's massive bar, restaurant, and concert hall kicks up at Uptown Park
Renovations at Uptown Park have brought new additions such as Flower Child, Mendocino Farms, and J. Alexander's, as well as the updating of established concepts Uptown Sushi and McCormick and Schmick's (newly rebranded as M&S Seafood). With all that work, the future of the former Champps sports bar space that shuttered in 2016 remained an open question.
Now it has an answer.
The Rustic will open a second Houston location in Uptown Park, owner FreeRange Concepts announced. A combination restaurant, bar, and concert venue, The Rustic will occupy a massive 27,000 square feet that will replace Champps and several other shuttered stores in the development. Groundbreaking is scheduled for August 1, with a projected opening date of February 2020 — just in time for Rodeo season.
"We know that this new location will experience the same success [as the downtown Houston location]," FreeRange Concepts co-owner Kyle Noonan said in a statement. "You can’t go wrong with quality food, drinks, and live music seven days a week! We look forward to becoming an integral part of the Uptown Houston scene."
Noonan and his business partner Josh Sepkowitz joined with Texas country music singer Pat Green to develop The Rustic. The menu features everything from family-style taco platters with bacon-fat tortillas to shareable starters, salads, and entrees like burgers, pork chops, and seafood. To differentiate the Uptown Park location from its downtown sibling, the new Rustic will feature prime steaks, an expanded wine list, and a large selection of tequila.
“It’s really good food,” Green told CultureMap last year. “It makes me feel proud. I look at the menu and think I wouldn’t have thought of that. It’s what these guys are good at is creating a nice place. If you want to have food and some drinks, it’s your place.”
Houston's first location of the concept in downtown next to the George R. Brown Convention Center has been a hit since it opened in November 2018. Its sister locations in Dallas and San Antonio are consistently among the highest-grossing restaurants in Texas.