Tapas restaurant Oporto plans to open a new second location at 125 West Gray early next year. Owners Richard Di Virgilio and Shiva Patel, who also own British-Indian pub The Queen Vic, tell Eater that the new location will be a relatively spacious 3,500 square feet, unlike the original Oporto in Greenway Plaza that's barely wide enough for two rows of tables.
Architect Michael Hsu, whose previous Houston projects include Uchi, Sushi Raku and Artisans, will design the restaurant's interior.
As for the food, the bigger kitchen will mean an expanded menu. On the cocktail side, Di Virgilio and Patel are recruiting an out-of-state beverage consultant but declined to disclose his name until they finalize a contract.
A pioneering Houston Filipino restaurant has served its last meal. Be More Pacific is closed as of Tuesday, March 31, the restaurant announced on Instagram.
The note traces the restaurant’s evolution from an Austin food truck to an Austin restaurant and eventually to a Houston location.
“To our guests, friends, and community — thank you. Thank you for the support, the Kamayan feasts, the celebrations, the halo-halo summers, the karaoke parties, and for letting us share a piece of our culture with you,” the note reads in part. “You helped make Filipino food part of the conversation, and we’re incredibly proud of that.”
The Houston location opened in 2020. It distinguished itself with its stylish layout that includes an indoor-outdoor bar, a spacious patio, and karaoke rooms. At the time, founders Giovan Cuchapin and Mark Pascual teamed up with Houston hospitality veteran Roveen Abante (Conservatory Gallery, among others) to bring the Houston location to life. Abante referred all questions about the closure to Cuchapin, who has yet to respond to CultureMap’s request for comment.
When it opened, the restaurant quickly earned a following for its flavorful Filipino fare, including signature items such as lumpia, garlic fried rice, and chicken adobo. Groups could order a kamaya feast built around proteins such as roast pork or whole snapper.
Guy Fieri featured Be More Pacific on a 2021 episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. In this clip, he samples the restaurant’s kare kare, a curry made with brisket.
Be More Pacific was among the first ambitious Asian restaurants to open in the Heights. While it may have closed, its legacy lives on with concepts such as JŪN and Agnes and Sherman, both of which earned finalist nominations in the 2026 James Beard Awards.
