7 things to know

7 things to know in Houston food right now: Openings, closings, and downtown's new lunch spot

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 and closings

Bamboo House
Inner Loopers and west Houston residents no longer need to drive to Humble for Houston’s best Peking Duck. Bamboo House has opened its second location at 5901 Westheimer Rd. As with the original, which earned a spot on CultureMap’s list of Houston’s top 100 restaurants, expect duck with crispy skin and juicy (not greasy) meat as well as a selection of well-executed Sichuan dishes such as stir-fried pea shoots, mapo tofu, and hand-pulled noodles.

Cabo Bob’s
Staying in the general vicinity of Briargrove, Torchy’s isn’t the area’s only new option for Tex-Mex. Austin import Cabo Bob’s has opened its first Houston-area location in the Fountain View Square shopping center (1810 Fountain View Dr.).

Similar in style to restaurants like Chipotle and Freebirds World Burrito, Cabo Bob’s serves tacos, burritos, bowls, and salads topped with a diner’s choice of meats, veggies, rice, beans, and more. What sets Cabo Bob’s apart is that all of its tortillas are pressed fresh to order and cooked on a rotating comal right in front of the customer. This method solves the problem of the gummy, stale-tasting tortillas that are sometimes associated with other, similar restaurants in the fast-casual taco and burrito world.

Sticky’s Chicken
The food truck-turned-restaurant will open on Friday, December 13, in Sawyer Yards at 2313 Edwards St. To make the leap from truck to brick and mortar, Sticky’s owners, siblings Patsy and Benson Vivares, partnered with California restaurateur Andy Nguyen (Afters Ice Cream), Nguyen’s business partner Tuan Bui, and chef Michael Pham (Shomi Noods, Hottie’s Fried Chicken).

At opening, the restaurant will feature dishes from the truck’s menu such as chicken over rice, wings, nuggets, and slides — all tossed in the family’s signature sauce — but Pham will add dishes ahead of the grand opening on January 11. For now, the hours of operation are 11 am to 2 pm and 4-9 pm.

Jinya Ramen
The California-based ramen restaurant opens its eighth Houston-area location on Monday, December 16, in Sugar Land’s University Commons shopping center at 13509 University Blvd. As with its siblings in places like Midtown and the Heights, the restaurant serves 13 signature soups plus small plates, cocktails, and beer.

In addition to all of the regular signature broths, the new location will offer a free T-shirt to the first 150 people to try Jinya’s new Tonkotsu Red, a pork-based ramen made a special hot sauce that’s aged in Napa oak barrels. The location opens Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner beginning at 11 am.

Bronson’s House at Politan Row
Rice Village’s new food hall now has an Italian restaurant. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, chef Nelson Joao developed a passion for Italian food while working for companies such as H-Town Restaurant Group and Goodnight Hospitality. At Bronson’s House (named for his), Joao serves dishes such as tomato basil soup, lemon butter ravioli, and tiramisu.

The Nightingale Room
The downtown bar and live music venue quietly closed in October after five years in business. The Hospitable Viking, operators of The Commoner/Boulevardier and Montrose rooftop bar Rosemont, has leased the space at 308 Main St. for a new concept, owner Carson Hager announced on Facebook.

Other news to know

Recently opened steakhouse Guard and Grace has started serving lunch. Served Monday through Friday from 11 am to 3 pm, the menu includes shareables from the dinner menu such as oak fired octopus and gochujang pork ribs alongside lunch-only salads and sandwiches such as a bacon cheeseburger, chicken torta, and French dip. Heartier entrees includes steaks (natch) alongside Alaskan black cod, pan-seared Gulf snapper, and chicken enchiladas.

Get a French dip at Guard & Grace.

Courtesy of TAG Restaurant Group

Get a French dip at Guard & Grace.

news-you-can-eat openings closings

Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

italian cuisine wine fredericksburg hill country openings news-you-can-eat