Pub Fiction Reopens

Sneak peek: After renovations, Midtown sports bar offers a bigger patio and more places to party

After three months of renovations, Pub Fiction reopens this week with new features designed to ensure it wins over a new generation of fans.

The changes to the popular Midtown sports bar resemble the transformation that turned sister concept Celtic Gardens into Irish Cowboy earlier this year. Just as the Salt N Pepper Group, the company that owns both concepts as well as 3rd Floor, Beer Market Co., and others, aimed to maintain Irish Cowboy's status as one of Midtown's most popular bars with those renovations, marketing and product director Daut Elshani tells CultureMap that the changes at Pub Fiction are designed to attract millennials who may not be familiar with the bar.

A massive, 5,000-square foot patio highlights the changes. Carved out of the former parking lot, the new space features landscaping, TVs, and a dedicated bar. The patio helps Pub Fiction match the current trend for bars to offer more outdoor space — just consider the popularity of places like the Dogwood, Axelrad, Eight Row Flint, and the recently opened Kirby Ice House — as well as establish direct connections with its sister concepts Irish Cowboy (via a new gate) and 3rd Floor (via a stairwell).

Inside, the changes are equally extensive. In place of the old bar along one wall, a brand new, U-shaped bar near the entrance provides service both inside and outside. The “private bar” in the back has been removed to open up the main room. New booths and high-top tables offer more seating options. Reclaimed wood, which has become a signature of Salt N Pepper concepts ranging from Irish Cowboy to downtown spots Boots 'n Shoots and The Moonshiners, adorns the walls and ceiling.

After the games are over on Friday and Saturday night, those new booths will allow Pub Fiction to capture a bit of a nightclub vibe. While it won’t mimic the over the top atmosphere of places like Clé and VrSI, the music will turn up and bottle service will be available.

The tiny smokers patio has been replaced with a private room that’s been opened up to allow occupants a view onto Hadley Street. Flat screen televisions, a projector, and a private bar make the space a good fit for both corporate events and private parties.

With food service until 11 pm every day, Pub Fiction could even serve as a late night dinner option during the week. A new menu offers both additional healthy items like salads and wraps and more gluttonous options like a burger that uses two grilled cheese sandwiches as buns, and a friendly peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Popular items from the old menu like the fish taco remains. The 24 beer taps that will include more craft options with the expected macro brews.

Even before it opens, the new space has won fans. An Aggie alumni group has agreed to make Pub Fiction its official game watching home for the next three years, which could bring as many as 600 people to the bar on game day. In addition, Elshani says he hopes to announce the plans for joint Pub Fiction-3rd Floor-Irish Cowboy Super Bowl-related parties soon.

With its new patio, upgraded interior, and more food, Pub Fiction looks poised to remain one of Midtown's most popular destinations.

Pub Fiction now features a 5,000-square foot patio.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Pub Fiction now features a 5,000-square foot patio.

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Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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