New Montrose Burgers

Montrose mogul to open a new Houston burger spot that vows to stick to the classics: No trendy meat!

Although it's only been a week since Reef chef/owner Bryan Caswell's slider joint Little Bigs made a move down Montrose to a not so little space in the Chelsea Market, the petite restaurant space at the corner of Westheimer and Montrose already has a new tenant. Montrose mogul Shawn Bermudez, who's known for Royal Oak, Boondocks, Pistolero's and recently opened Stone's Throw, will be opening the neighborhood's first dedicated burger restaurant there in the spring of 2015.

Known simply as The Burger Joint, the restaurant extends Bermudez's partnership with chef Matthew Pak, who already oversees the food trucks Koagie Hots and The Golden Grill. Bermudez's Instagram followers may have gotten a hint that something was up, as he's been busily posting pictures from a burger tour that's taken him to Houston, Austin, Los Angeles and New York. In a text, Bermudez told CultureMap what he's learned from his studies.

Montrose lacks a dedicated burger joint, but the neighborhood doesn't lack for burgers. To compete, The Burger Joint will have to be special.

"I noticed that burger culture has gotten away from a classic burger and fries. Some of the more foodie burgers that are out there are so big and so rich you can't bite them, let alone finish them," Bermudez writes. "We're going to bring a classic burger joint to Montrose.

"Obviously, with my partner Matthew Pak being such a creative chef, there will be some twists thrown in with different proteins, great fries and dipping sauces, classic sides with a twist and an ice cream element found at all classic burger restaurants."

Beyond that, Bermudez isn't offering many details. However, construction has already begun to transform the space into whatever The Burger Joint will become.

As noted above, Montrose lacks a dedicated burger joint, but the neighborhood doesn't lack for burgers. Rudyard's, Hay Merchant, Lowbrow and a whole host of food trucks (among others) deliver high-quality burger options. To compete, The Burger Joint will have to be pretty special.

If Bermudez and Pak are able to apply the lessons of all that eating, that won't be a problem.

unspecified

an offer he couldn't refuse

Exclusive: Killen's Barbecue will soon shutter in The Woodlands

Killen's barbecue meat platter with sides

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

undefined

Fans of Killen’s Barbecue’s location in The Woodlands have a days to make one last visit. The restaurant will close this Sunday, December 7, chef-owner Ronnie Killen tells CultureMap.

Open since 2021, Killen says that he’s in final negotiations to sell the location at 8800 Six Pines Dr. to Whataburger for a new location of the iconic Texas fast food restaurant. Neither the original location of Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland nor its Cypress location are affected by the closure of The Woodlands and will remain open.

“Whataburger made me a deal I couldn’t pass up. It would take 10 years to do that kind of revenue,” Killen writes in a text, adding that the company recently made a significant payment to keep the deal’s window open through the end of the year.

He added that the costs to operate the restaurant have gone up significantly. As one example, a cord of wood cost $175 when he opened the first Killen’s Barbecue in 2013. It costs $475 now, he writes.

If the deal falls through, Killen states that he could look for a new buyer or convert the restaurant into a second location of Killen’s Burger, the retro-styled burger joint he operates in Pearland.

The restaurant’s closure had been expected since February, when Killen sold The Woodlands’ location of Killen's Steakhouse. At the time, Killen said he also planned to find a buyer for his barbecue joint in the bustling suburb. He cited the driving distance from Pearland to The Woodlands as one reason he chose to divest both locations. He still operates Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland, comfort food restaurant Killen's near the Heights, Killen's Burger, and three other locations of Killen's Barbecue.

As it approaches its 13th anniversary in the spring, Killen’s Barbecue remains a vital part of Houston’s barbecue scene. The restaurant recently earned an honorable mention from Texas Monthly and holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In July, it opened a new location at Hobby Airport.

closings barbecue the-woodlands