line up at lyric

Downtown's newest food hall serves up 9 exciting destinations, from modern Mexican to Indian street food

Lyric Market will open this fall.

Courtesy of Lyric Market

Downtown's newest food hall is finally taking shape. Lyric Market announced the nine vendors that will serve diners when it opens this fall.

Located in the Theater District at 411 Smith St., the 14,000-square-foot space will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week with lunch and dinner available on the weekends. The facility includes a 7,500-square-foot deck, a private event space, and a mural by artist Alex Arzu. An adjacent parking garage offers hundreds of spaces, which is sure to appeal to downtown visitors.

Hospitality HQ will manage the facility. Described as a consulting and management group, the company is participating in the opening and management of 10 food halls in states. It has assembled a mix of local and national names to occupy the food hall.

They are:

Sushi Muse: a sushi restaurant from chef Hiroki Odo, who holds a Michelin star at his New York City restaurant Odo.
Mexology: a modern Mexican restaurant from chef Ivy Stark, a New York City chef known for her restaurant Dos Caminos.
Alenbi Falafel + Hummus: a plant-based Middle Eastern street food restaurant from Sof Hospitality, the company behind Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa, and Badolina Bakery.
Lottie’s Smokehouse: a food hall version of pitmaster Scott Lottie's food truck that serve Texas barbecue.
BAD CHX: a food hall version of a food truck that serves both Southern fried chicken and Nashville-style hot chicken.
1929 Po-Boy Kitchen: chef Monica Landry's Cajun restaurant serving po'boys and other dishes.
Press Waffle Co.: the sweet-and-savory Belgian waffle concept with a sister location in The Woodlands.
Kati Roll Wala: an Indian street food concept that serves kati rolls (kebabs wrapped in paratha) and rice bowls.

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of this innovative food hall in downtown Houston,” Hospitality HQ co-founder Akhtar Nawab said in a statement. “Our number one goal is to provide support for best-in-class restauranteurs and truly invest in the surrounding community. We are looking forward to becoming a part of the culturally diverse tapestry that is Houston.”

It's worth nothing that plans for Lyric Market have been scaled down significantly since it was first announced in 2018. Back then, the plans called for between 20 and 30 vendors in 31,000-square-feet. Since then, a number of new food halls have opened, including Bravery Chef Hall, Finn Hall, and Post Market.

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arrivederci

Sophisticated Houston Italian eatery quietly closes after 3 years

Photo by Brian Kennedy

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An Italian restaurant in Uptown has served its last meal. Tavola has closed, its owner The Bastion Collection announced on social media.

“To our team, who brought heart to every service, and to our guests, who filled our dining room with connection, laughter, and a shared love of Italian cuisine — grazie for being part of our story,” the statement reads in part. “As we close this chapter, we are excited for what comes next and look forward to sharing more about the future of this space soon.”

Bastion Collection COO Deleon Pinto tells CultureMap in an email that closing Tavola is part of Bastion’s long term strategy for Houston. The company also operates two concepts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston — Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant Le Jardinier and its casual sibling Cafe Leonelli — as well as Bar Moon and private events space Soleil that are both located above Tavola. All of those concepts remain open and are not affected by Tavola’s closure.

“As The Bastion Collection continues to evolve in Houston, the next phase centers on creative independence. The transition of the Tavola space has always been part of the long-term vision for the property following the development of Moon and Soleil on the second floor,” Pinto writes. “This next chapter reflects a continued investment in Houston and an opportunity to introduce concepts that further strengthen our presence in the neighborhood.”

A Bastion representative added that all of Tavola’s employees, including its chef and general manager, are currently working at either Le Jardinier or Cafe Leonelli and will be involved with the new restaurant that’s replacing Tavola when it’s ready to open. Details on the new concept will be released in the coming weeks.

Tavola opened in December 2023. Originally, Bastion partnered with Berg Hospitality (B&B Butchers, The Annie Cafe, Turner’s, etc) on the concept, but it took full control about a year after opening. The restaurant served upscale Italian fare, including endive salad with tuna, freshly made pastas, and chicken Milanese. It replaced the downstairs portion of La Table, a French fine dining restaurant that closed in 2022.

While Tavola may be gone, Uptown diners still have plenty of choices for Italian cuisine, including North Italia, Lombardi Cucina Italiana, Grotto, and il Bracco. Élephante, a coastal Italian concept from the Los Angeles-based Wish You Were Here Group, is expected to open in the nearby Central Park Post Oak development in 2028.

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