Foodie News

Dallas raw/vegan restaurant to invade Houston, owner decries tasteless stuff inother spots

The former VSpot in Dallas, before getting locked out for not paying rent
VSPOT Cafe/Facebook
Raw food tacos at Bliss Raw Bar
VSPOT Cafe/Facebook
Pisarro says her cafe in Houston will have a juice bar as well as raw and cookedvegan menus.
VSPOT Cafe/Facebook

If your only impression of the raw food movement came via Sex and the City — in which hot waiter Smith was more of a draw than the unheated food — then Delia Pisarro wants to change your mind.

Pisarro is planning to open a raw and vegan restaurant in Houston in December, combining the menus from her two former Dallas restaurants, Bliss Raw Café & Elixir Bar and VSpot Vegan Cafe.

The concept will not quite be the first raw food option in town — Green Seed Vegan has thrived since going from food truck to a brick-and-mortar shop on Almeda, Pat Greer's Kitchen in midtown has become known for take-away food and there's another small raw food cafe in the back of a cardiac clinic in south Houston, as well as a couple places that tried and failed.

"People think about vegan food and are like, blehh," Pisarro says. "It's a lot of tasteless shit. My food has flavor."

But Pisarro's concept would be the first boutique-style raw cafe in the granola-friendly Montrose area, though she's still finalizing the exact location.

Pisarro sold Bliss in 2011 and tells CultureMap she sold VSpot this summer, but not before the Knox-Henderson area restaurant was locked out for owing over $50,000 in unpaid rent. (Pisarro says she "ran into some problems" at that location with her former chef/managing partner.)

The Houston concept will feature two full menus — one of raw foods, like Pisarro's coconut kale enchiladas and Asian-style bowls and another featuring cooked vegan fare including mushroom tacos and an eggplant stack, plus a juice bar with coffee and tea.

"People think about vegan food and are like, blehh," Pisarro says. "It's a lot of tasteless shit. My food has flavor."

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From morocco to Memorial

Growing Houston Mediterranean restaurant picks Memorial for 3rd location

Courtesy of Zoa Eateries

A rendering previews the Memorial location of Zoa Eateries.

A casual, Houston-based Mediterranean restaurant is coming to Memorial. Zoa Eateries will open a new location this summer at 9807 Katy Fwy.

Opened in 2020 as Zoa Moroccan Kitchen, chef-owner Youssef Nafaa has rebranded the concept. Along with the new name, the fast casual restaurant will roll out a new menu with simplified sandwich offerings, more grab-and-go options, and new breakfast items.

Nafaa, the owner of concepts such as Mia Bella Trattoria, Coco Crepes & Coffee, and Mi Luna Tapas Restaurant & Bar, is working with his sons Zack, Omar, and Adam — the brand’s namesakes — on the restaurant. It currently has locations in Greenway Plaza and near the intersection of Shepherd Dr. and Washington Ave.

"Memorial means a lot to our family,” Adam Nafaa said in a statement. “I grew up in the area and attended Spring Branch ISD schools, including Memorial High School. Bringing it to the neighborhood I grew up in feels personal. I remember hanging out at Southwells after school, which, for those who know that location, was an institution, excited to be entering a market that influenced the formative years of my own growth.”

While the menu is being refreshed, it still revolves around build-your-own bowls and sandwiches made with braised beef tagine, roasted lamb meshwi, and beef kefta. Sandwiches are served on house made bread. Bowls can be enhanced with 20 toppings and nine sauces, including red and green harissa.

The restaurant itself is approximately 1,800 square feet and will offer indoor seating for 42 along with an outdoor patio. It will be open daily from 8 am until 10 pm.

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