An Inn-pire

Moon Tower Inn's resurrection expands: Set to open new lounge and pizza jointtoo

Moon Tower Inn
Photo via Sel Gris
Coming soon? The where also remains a mystery.
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Remember when we said Moon Tower Inn was opening a separate lounge inside the revamped space? That wasn't exactly accurate, but the real deal is even better.

In addition to reopening the original gourmet hot dog and beer joint in September (you know, allegedly — we've heard this one before) owners Evan Shannon and Brandon Young are planning a bar in a separate location — not at Moon Tower, OK? — that will be called the Gift Horse Lounge.

"The lounge will be a small neighborhood bar with good drinks and great prices . . . as well as the best jukebox in H-Town," Young tells Katharine Shilcutt.

Shilcutt reports the duo is also planning a pizza place in Eastwood called The Slice and Foam Co. that will offer "big New York-style slices," extra-large pizzas, and craft beer on tap and by the can, plus a stage area for local and touring bands.

The concepts definitely sound cool, even if the exact locations and opening dates are still a mystery.

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Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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