New Heights Bar

Red hot Heights: Owners of popular Northside bar plan new Mexican-inspired concept

One of last year’s most satisfying new bars is opening a sister concept in the Heights. The ownership group behind Edison, near Houston's Northside neighborhood, has purchased a property on 11th Street with plans to open a new watering hole general manager Danny Kirgan tells CultureMap.

Located on the former site of a trailer park, the new concept does not yet have a name. The moniker of the new establishment will be carefully researched to avoid any potential conflicts; Kirgan confirms that Edison will soon change its name to Edison & Patton (after the streets where it's located) and drop references to Thomas Edison in its branding in response to a cease-and-desist letter from California-based company Kinetescape Holdings LLC.

Just as Edison (or Edison & Patton) doesn't connote a specific style of cuisine or service, whatever name ownership chooses will probably incorporate some sort of reference to its immediate area.

Not unlike its corporate sibling, the new project will be a bar with food that’s of sufficiently high quality, making it a legitimate dining destination.

“The owners have had (the property) for a little while,” Kirgan says. “(There are) a lot of exciting things happening there. Eight Row’s taken off in the last year — every time you drive past, it’s packed. The old post office (Heights Central) is going to be interesting. Presidio is right there. We’re really excited to be part of the synergy in the area.”

Plans are currently being finalized to submit to the City of Houston for permit approvals. Once they’re granted, construction should take 90 to 120 days. Expect an opening in late 2017 or early 2018.

The space will apply the lessons learned from the group’s experience operating Edison by providing more interior space, but still having a spacious patio. Kirgan expects it to be slightly larger than Eight Row Flint, Agricole Hospitality’s bar devoted to whiskey, beer, and tacos that won this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Bar of the Year, but not quite as spacious as Presidio, the bar-forward restaurant from former Pax Americana chef Adam Dorris, which opened on 11th Street earlier this year.

“The thing we struggle with here is that we’re set up as a contemporary ice house with food, but when people come in on a Friday or Saturday night to dine, we have limitations in terms of the amount of inside space,” Kirgan says. “The biggest learning curve for us has been learning how to accommodate the people who come for a meal, because the food holds up so well. What we want to do at the next spot is make sure we can accommodate for that.”

In a bit of a twist from Edison, the new bar will serve food inspired by Mexico with an agave-oriented selection of spirits and cocktails. Kirgan says that the owners and chef Michael Sanguinetti have yet to determine the extent to which the menu will blend both Tex-Mex and traditional Mexican cuisine, but he cites several local influences that will shape the concept’s direction.

“We want to take inspiration from places we love, like The Pastry War and all of Hugo Ortega’s places, and all the great things that they do, and bring a little taste of it the Heights, which I think there might be room for,” Kirgan says.

The group will also travel to Jalisco and Oaxaca to study the cuisines there, but the menu probably won’t hew too closely to the traditions of any specific area. Kirgan notes that part of Edison’s success has been that its menu is flexible. Diners can choose from casual fare like burgers and tamales or go more elevated with dishes like house-made pastas that reflect Sanguinetti’s French training.

One thing that won’t change is the new concept will take its cocktails just as seriously as Edison does. Originally opened with a focus on whiskey and bourbon, Kirgan says they’ve added more tequila and mezcal in response to customer's requests. The new project will build and expand on that knowledge.

“I think we’re set up to bring something cool and unique to the area,” Kirgan says. “Hopefully, it will last a long time.”

Like Edison and Patton, the new project will have a spacious patio.

Edison Heights Mexican concept 11th street rendering

Courtesy image

Like Edison and Patton, the new project will have a spacious patio.

openings the-heights

rumor no more

East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering

Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

“We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

“It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

“We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

openings news-you-can-eat pizza home slice pizza