veg out

Healthy salad chain freshens up Sugar Land with Whole 30 and keto options

Saladworks has arrived in the Houston area.

Photo courtesy of Saladworks

A successful fast-casual salad chain has made its Houston area debut. Saladworks recently opened in Sugar Land at 18802 University Blvd.

Founded in Pennsylvania in 1986, Saladworks is now a Florida-based restaurant with over 100 locations across 18 states — including one in Irving, Texas — that serves entree-sized salads. Diners may make their own custom salad using more than 60 ingredients or opt for one of the restaurant's 12 signature salads.

In addition, the restaurant serves soups, sandwiches, panini, warm grain bowls, and wraps. Choices include an avocado BLT, Buffalo chicken panini melt, Asian crispy chicken warm grain bowl, and a roasted turkey club wrap. Overall, the offerings are designed to suit vegans and vegetarians as well as those following popular diets such as Whole 30 and keto.

Saladworks comes to Houston courtesy of franchisee Venus Allana, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of Houston. She opened the restaurant to provide the area with a healthy dining option, according to a press release.

"I’m excited to open my first Saladworks location at such a young age and can’t wait to grow in the community," Allana said in a statement. "Saladworks will be a perfect fit for people in the area that are wanting to eat healthy, but have a great tasting option that is easy and convenient to get.”

Overall, the company is on a growth spurt. It expects to open 30 new locations by the end of the year and has another 50 in development.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this article.

news-you-can-eat openings

a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

news-you-can-eat openings mexican sugar