temporary covid closures

Running list of Houston restaurants and bars temporarily closed due to latest COVID outbreak

Restaurants across Houston are temporarily closed due to Covid outbreaks.

Photo by Claudia Casbarian

Over the weekend, a number of Houston restaurants announced temporary closures due to outbreaks of COVID-19 among their employees.

Temporary closures had been a part of the early days of the pandemic, but they waned as more people became vaccinated and businesses followed CDC guidelines regarding quarantines and testing. Sadly, the Omicron variant — currently responsible for over 80 percent of new cases in Houston — has triggered breakthrough infections, as demonstrated by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s announcement that he’d be quarantining after testing positive on Friday.

Conversations with some employees of affected establishments reveal mostly good news for the people involved; thankfully, their symptoms are relatively mild. Most restaurants are so short staffed that losing even a couple of key employees degrades a business’ ability to operate properly.

While the closures have only lasted for a few days at any individual establishment, the timing almost couldn’t be worse. Restaurants rely on revenues from the busy holiday season to sustain them during the traditionally slower months of January and February. Employees need to earn money for everything from Christmas gifts to January living expenses like rent and groceries.

CultureMap will update this list as necessary over the next few days. Customers should also keep an eye on a restaurant’s social media pages for the latest updates.

Acme Oyster House - Temporarily closed Monday, December 20 through Wednesday, December 22.
Angel Share HTX - Temporarily closed beginning Saturday, December 18. Reopened Monday, December 20.
Awesome Bites Co. - Closed from Wednesday, December 29 until Wednesday, January 5.
The Bearded Baker - Closed from Tuesday, December 28 until Wednesday, January 5.
Better Luck Tomorrow - Closed from Tuesday, December 21 until Tuesday, December 28. Reopens Wednesday, December 29 with limited hours of 3:30 pm to 12 am through Sunday, January 2.
Brasil - Reopened Monday, December 20.
Caracol - Closed until further notice beginning Monday, December 27.
Dandelion Cafe - Closed Friday, December 17. Plans to reopen Monday, December 27.
Davis St. at Hermann Park - Closed from Tuesday, December 21 until Tuesday, December 28. Reopened Wednesday, December 29.
Double Trouble - Closed until Wednesday, December 22.
Hughie's - Both locations open for patio dining and to-go effective Monday, December 27.
Hugo's - Closed until further notice beginning Monday, December 27.
J-Bar-M Barbecue - Closed until Tuesday, December 28. Will fulfill existing holiday pre-orders.
Johnny's Gold Brick - Closed until further notice beginning Sunday, December 26.
La Table - Closed Tuesday and Wednesday, December 28 and 29.
Lei Low - Open for to-go only from Tuesday, December 28 until Friday, December, 31. Reopens for dine-in on Tuesday, January 4.
March - Closed Tuesday, December 28 through Thursday, December 30.
Nancy's Hustle - Closed Tuesday, December 28 and Wednesday, December 29.
93 'Til - Closed from Thursday, December 23 until Monday, December 27. Reopened Tuesday, December 28.
Nobie’s - Closed until Tuesday, December 28.
Pearl Bar - Closed until further notice beginning Saturday, December 18.
Relish Restaurant & Bar - To-go only through Wednesday, December 22. Closed December 23-26. Reopened Monday, December 27.
Roots Wine Bar - Open for retail wine sales only through Sunday, December 26.
Rosalie Italian Soul - Closed from Tuesday, December 28 until Wednesday, January 5.
Rosewater Clear Lake - Closed until further notice beginning Tuesday, December 21.
Squable - Closed from Friday, December 17 until Monday, December 27. Reopened Tuesday, December 28.
Tea + Victory - Closed from Monday, December 27 until Sunday, January 2.
Tiny Champions - Closed for dine-in beginning Friday, December 18. Resumes full service Tuesday, December 21.
Underbelly Hospitality - All restaurants closed through Tuesday, December 21.
Urbe - Closed from Monday, December 27 through Wednesday, December 29. Reopened for lunch service on Thursday, December 30.
Winnie's - Operating with reduced hours of 4 pm - midnight until further notice. Closed Christmas Eve.
Xochi - Closed until further notice beginning Monday, December 27.

news-you-can-eat

hello himari

Growing Houston hospitality group rolls into Briargrove with new sushi spot

Photo by Studio Rivera

Himari offers sushi, skewers, and more.

Duckstache Hospitality has taken another step in its quest to bring sushi to every neighborhood in Houston. The group announced plans to open a second location of Himari, its neighborhood sushi concept, in Briargrove.

Slated to open in later 2026 or early 2027, Himari has claimed a former bank building at 6414 San Felipe St as an addition to its current location in the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. It’s the latest project for the group, which includes Kokoro, Aiko, Doko, Bar Doko, and an ever-growing number of its hand roll concept Handies Douzo.

Designed as a family-friendly Japanese restaurant, Himari serves a broad selection of sushi — including sashimi, nigiiri, and maki — crudo, donburi bowls, and robata. Part of the dining room will have drapes capable of making it a private event space.

Duckstache is working with Houston’s Gin Design Group and and architect SDstudio to transform the 4,500-square-foot space. Overall, the design will be inspired by Japanese Rural Modernism, according to press materials, with details that include wood ceilings, indigo accents, dark terrazzo floors, and an open sushi kitchen.

The restaurant is expect to seat about 110 people, including a 15-seat sushi bar and a 9-seat cocktail bar. That will make it Duckstache’s largest restaurant to date.

“We wanted this second Himari to feel like a natural evolution of the original — still casual, approachable and welcoming, but with more room for people to gather and make it their own,” chef and co-owner Daniel Lee said in a statement. “And the fact that we’re taking over a former bank makes it even more fun, we’re finding creative ways to preserve some of the character of the original space while giving it a whole new life as Himari.”

Photo by Studio Rivera

Himari offers sushi, skewers, and more.

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