10 things to know

10 things to know in Houston food right now: Openings, reopenings, and a surprising chef change

Editor’s note: Houston’s restaurant scene moves pretty fast. In order to prevent CultureMap readers from missing anything, let’s stop to look around at all the latest news to know.

Openings

King Ranch Texas Kitchen will open Tuesday, November 17; lunch service will begin December 1. Located in the former Willie G's at 1605 Post Oak Blvd., the restaurant, a project that unites Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta with the King Ranch, will blend South Texas, barbecue, and Gulf Coast flavors. Former Vic & Anthony’s chef Carlos Rodriguez will lead the kitchen.

Look for a mix of steaks — including both USDA Prime cuts as well as Texas wagyu offerings — alongside smoked meats such as baby back ribs and Akaushi brisket, sandwiches (including both chopped brisket and an on-trend Nashville-style hot chicken), seafood (including an updated version of Vic & Anthony’s legendary crab cake), and more. Mexican flavors include street-style tacos and "The Beast," a 5-pound wagyu beef shank that's braised and served with taco fixings such as tortillas, salsas, and guacamole. As of press time, King Ranch casserole is not on the menu, but hope springs eternal.

The Houston area’s newest Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen has opened in Katy. Located in the Grand Crossing Shopping Center at 230 W Grand Parkway S., the approximately 10,000-square foot restaurant will seat almost 300 people at full capacity. For now, the restaurant is running a slightly limited menu that still includes customer favorites such as Pollo Marisco, Burrito con Queso, fajitas, and the signature Cadillac margarita.

“To be able to open a new restaurant during a pandemic has been quite an adventure,” Gringo’s CMO Heather McKeon said in a statement. “Through it all, we’ve stayed focused on making progress and moving the project along . . . We have hired a talented team from the community and are ready to serve up some fajitas and margaritas.”

Phat Kitchen has opened in Third Ward’s Blodgett Food Hall. A sibling to Katy’s acclaimed Malaysian restaurant Phat Eatery, the cloud kitchen offers delivery and to-go versions of popular dishes such as roti canai and beef rendang. In addition, it serves Vietnamese sandwiches from Yelo, the concept that Phat Eatery owner Alex Au-Yeung is developing with chef Cuc Lam. In the coming weeks, Phat Kitchen will add Chinese barbecue under the name Pig + Duck, a new concept Au-Yeung developed based on his time spent living in Hong Kong.

To learn more, check out this recent episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast that features both Au-Yeung and Lam.

Speaking of cloud kitchens, chefs Naoki Yoshida (Shun Japanese Kitchen) and Yosuke Motozawa have teamed up to create Hako Bento. Open for lunch Monday - Thursday, the delivery and to-go concept allows diners to create custom, four-item bento boxes from a range of choices. Customers select a fried item, a rice, a salad, and a protein. Appetizers and drinks are also available.

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Houston’s newest Texadelphia is now open in the Memorial area. Located next to Treebeards in Moody National’s mixed-use development at 9655 Katy Freeway, the new location features all the familiar cheesesteaks, burgers, and wings alongside a full bar — now with full service.

In addition, Texadelphia worked with chef Shannen Tune (CraftBurger) on new menu items such as a patty melt and vegetarian dishes. Bartender Matt Tanner (Anvil, Pappas Restaurants) consulted on a new cocktail menu.

Houston’s sixth Pluckers Wing Bar has opened in Pasadena at 2958 E. Sam Houston Pkwy. Known for creative sauces like Maple Chipotle Peach Tree Sriracha, the restaurant also serves fried pickles, stuffed jalapeños, and decadent burgers. The sports bar atmosphere offers plenty of TVs for watching games.

Reopenings

Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys has reopened its location in the Texas Medical Center (6618 Fannin St.). Originally opened in January, the restaurant serves Antone's familiar menu of hot and cold sandwiches, fried seafood, salads, and more. The restaurant opens at 10 am Monday - Saturday and 11 am on Sunday.

The Union Kitchen will reopen its Washington Avenue location on Wednesday, November 18. Open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, the location features a 7,000-square-foot patio that’s ideally suited for a time when many customers prefer to dine outdoors. The menu features an eclectic array of globally inspired comfort food that ranges from pizza and burgers to pasta, seafood, and shareable appetizers.

Chefs on the move

Acadian Coast has parted ways with executive chef Jean Philippe Gaston. In his place, the seafood restaurant in the Second Ward has turned to Nicholas Drisaldi, formerly a chef at McCormick & Schmick's in Austin, and sous chef Gina Alanis, who worked with consultant John Avila at Henderson & Kane.

“We have immense respect for Philippe and everything he brought to the collaborative development of our menu. As it sometimes happens, our working relationship reached a natural conclusion, and we know he will be a tremendous creative asset wherever he goes,” the restaurant said in a statement.

As a result of the change, Acadian Coast has delayed the introduction of its full dinner menu. Beginning Tuesday, November 17, the restaurant will be open for bar service with a limited menu from 3-10 pm.

Bread Man Baking Company has hired baker Drew Gimma as its new director of operations. Gimma brings extensive experience to the role, including time at Bouchon Bakery; locally, he’s worked as the head baker for Common Bond and opened Squable, the European-inspired restaurant owned by Better Luck Tomorrow partners Justin Yu (Theodore Rex, etc.) and Bobby Heugel (Anvil, etc.).

“Drew is an incredible asset and addition to the Bread Man family,” Bread Man founder Tasos Katsaounis said in a statement. “He has the same high-standards and mentality, and he’s really going to help maximize the bakery’s productivity and efficiency so we can continue making the best artisanal breads possible . . . He’s going to be a great wingman, and the timing couldn’t have been better.”

Bread Man recently expanded its relationship with Whole Foods Market. Four of the company’s loaves are now available at 48 stores in Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and beyond.

King Ranch Texas Kitchen opens this week.

Courtesy of Fertitta Entertainment

King Ranch Texas Kitchen opens this week.

openings news-you-can-eat

rumor no more

East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering

Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

“We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

“It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

“We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

openings news-you-can-eat pizza home slice pizza