something wild

Hot Heights bagel bakery gets Wild with rising star chef

Golden Bagel has gone Wild.

Photo by Aleksandr Nicolai

Chef Jane Wild has found a new home. After being furloughed by The Dunlavy due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wild will now serve as both director of operations and executive chef for Golden Bagels & Coffee, the popular cafe on White Oak Drive in The Heights.

Wild tells CultureMap that she’s been a long time Golden customer, because her partner worked there previously as a barista and manager. When she heard owners Gregg Goldstein and Avi Katz were looking for a new chef, she approached them about the opportunity. They created a position that allows her to divide her time between working in the kitchen and being out front serving customers.

“When I was at The Dunlavy, I enjoyed every single minute of it. The one thing I missed was interacting with customers,” Wild says. “I’m back in that coffee shop/bakery that I had in Tomball, I can be the barista or counter person and loving on people or I can jump back there and support bagel production,” Wild says.

While Wild doesn’t have any direct experience making bagels, she notes that she can leverage the cafe’s current bakers to help her get up to speed. She plans to expand Golden’s offerings beyond the lox and nova it cures in-house by adding meats such as pastrami, roast beef, and sliced turkey. She’ll also add salads, vegan items (including sunflower seed cream cheese) and some gluten-free items to diversify the menu.

“I also love healthy eating as well,” Wild says. “We’ve got a really educated neighborhood. I’m excited to bring some of those nutrient dense foods and play with some holistic drinks.”

Expect Golden to be a more visible presence in the community, too. Wild plans to begin selling bagels at area farmers markets and hosting collaborative dinners with other area chefs, farmers, and wineries.

“If you know me, I’m not scared of anything,” Wild says. “I’ll be a student for little bit when it comes to this kind of baking, just growing as a chef.”

Golden remains a to-go only operation for now, but Wild says they plan to reopen the patio for dine-in service soon.

chefs the-heights

where to drink now

Celebrate Margarita Day 2026 at these 19 Houston restaurants and bars

Photo by Becca Wright

The Original Ninfa's is offering happy hour prices all day.

At the risk of being self-refential, we all know that articles about food holidays are pretty silly. However, we always make an exception for National Margarita Day.

After all, the cocktail is Houston’s unofficial favorite drink, and everyone likes a good deal on a tasty sip. So, here’s a rundown of places where you can celebrate these sweet-and-tart beverages this Sunday, February 22:

Axelrad is keeping it simple with house margaritas (tequila, triple sec, lime, simple) for $5. That’s also when the beer garden will have its monthly record swap, BTW.

Best Regards will offer four of its house margaritas for $10 (usually $17) all day on Sunday. They include two skinny margaritas (regular and spicy) that are made with Socorro tequila, as well as the Rita from Accounting and the Luxe Blue Chip Margarita.

Betelgeuse Betelgeuse is offering some delicious sips at both locations. Specials include buy one, get one Hornitos Blanco margarita, buy one, get one Amaras Verde Mezcal margarita, and the special National Margarita Day cocktail, the clarified and carbonated peach margarita for $14

Caracol, Hugo’s, URBE, Xochi, and Zaranda will have all-weekend house margaritas for $10. On National Margarita Day, they will also serve The Greatest Margarita Ever Sold, which is usually $29, for just $18.

All three Liberty Kitchen locations will be serving up handcrafted margaritas all day long. They include $10 Spicy Secret Ritas and $5 pomegranate margaritas — designed to be balanced and refreshing.

Across its 13 Greater Houston locations, Mambo Seafood is celebrating National Margarita Day with frozen house ritas for $3. They’re available in lime, strawberry, chamoy, mango, and Tamarindo.

Mexican Sugar will have The Tejas Flight, a limited-time margarita trio created in partnership with Henry’s Ice Cream. The flight features a custom sorbet margarita alongside two house favorites, offering a playful twist on classic margaritas with Lone Star spirit.

Over at Molina’s Cantina, enjoy Molina’s blackberry margarita for $8 all day (normally $12), available dine-in or to-go. More margarita options include Molina’s Margarita, the Top Shelf Margarita, and the Mangonada Margarita.

Both locations of The Original Ninfa’s will serve the Original Ninfarita at $7 happy hour price all day, the Uptown Margarita for $10, the Navigation Margarita for $10, and margarita flights — frozen or on the rocks — for $15.

Reset Lounge keeps it simple and classic with a $6 Margarita made with Espolon Tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime. The lounge offers happy hour all day on Sundays as well.

You can raise a glass to National Margarita Day at State Fare Kitchen & Bar’s two locations. They’ll have $5 house margaritas all day, available frozen or on the rocks.

Twin Peaks recently introduced the Cuervo Tradicional Margarita, crafted with Jose Cuervo Tradicional Blanco, triple sec, agave, and lime juice. You can also partake in their updated bar menu, which features a variety of creative and fun margaritas.

Velvet Taco will celebrate National Margarita Day all weekend long. Their Kick Ass Margarita is the fan favorite boozy libation, and at $5, it's a good deal, too.

Over at Via 313’s two locations, they’ll have $3.13 Margaritas, as well as the Frita-Rita, Via 313’s secret frozen margarita, for only $5 for to-go orders.

Wille’s Grill & Icehouse is offering specials including $3 small house ritas (regular, strawberry, swirled), $3 Shiner vodka boozy cherry limeade, and $3 prickly pear ritas (where applicable).

Photo by Becca Wright

The Original Ninfa's is offering happy hour prices all day.

where-to-drink cocktails margaritas