• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Top Restaurant Stories of 2019

    Top 10 restaurant and bar stories that Houston devoured in 2019

    Eric Sandler
    Dec 31, 2019 | 1:28 pm
    Houston's Westheimer exterior
    No restaurant story drew more readers than the surprise closing of Houston's.
    Houston's Restaurant (Westheimer)/Facebook

    Editor's note: As the year comes to a close, we look back at the 10 most popular restaurant and bar stories of 2019. These are the openings, closings, and newsy bits that Houstonians gobbled up.

    1. Galleria-area restaurant's sudden shutter shocks Houston diners. Yes, Houston's is a chain restaurant from the Arizona-based Hillstone Group, but its Westheimer location had been open for almost 40 years. That it suddenly disppeared without any warning shocked people who had been eating there for decades. The Kirby location remains open — and seems to be busier than ever — but the possibility exists that Hillstone will open a new restaurant near the old location on a piece of land it purchased earlier this year.

    2. In-N-Out Burger announces opening date of first Houston restaurant. Tracking the California burger chain's inevitable march to Houston has been a CultureMap obsession since at least 2011, when rumors of the company's plans first began to circulate. All that waiting finally came to an end in November, when In-N-Out opened locations in Stafford and Katy. Hour-plus lines for double-doubles and animal-style fries immediately ensued, but going at off-peak hours will result in considerably shorter wait times.

    3. 10 best Houston restaurants to take out-of-town guests, from award-winners to classics. Two of the articles taken from selections on CultureMap's list of Houston's top 100 restaurants ranked among this year's most-read articles. For the first, we selected a mix of establishments that have appeared on TV, have James Beard Award-winning chefs, or are slam dunk, no doubt classics. "Brennan's, still awesome" may not be a very hot take, but it's nice to be reminded.

    4. Treasured Houston restaurant ranks No. 1 on Food & Wine list of best cafeterias. Cleburne Cafeteria so impressed Food & Wine senior editor David Landsel that he ranked it as the country's best cafeteria. Luby's also earns an honorable mention on the list, which tracks the "hopelessly dated" concept that still thrives in some parts of America.

    5. Influential Houston comfort food and cocktail restaurant suddenly shutters. Beaver's, the location that helped grow the careers of culinary talents such as Bobby Heugel and Arash Kharat, closed last week. The decision brought an end to the restaurant's 12-year run that spanned two locations: the original off Washington Avenue and a second in Briargrove. While Beaver's prominence in the food world may have waned, we'll still miss signature items like the Knocked Up Queso, chicken fried steak, and Beaver Balls.

    6. These are Houston's 12 best new restaurants of 2019. In such an exceptional year for new restaurants, limiting the picks to only 12 establishments proved difficult. As always, innovative cuisine, welcoming service, and thoughtful details help elevate some restaurants over others. Those touches earned Rosie Cannonball, Squable, and MAD the top three spots.

    7. Mainstay British pub and jazz cafe will shutter after 33 years in Montrose. Houston's best dining neighborhood suffered a number of high profile losses in 2019 — including Pax Americana, Canopy, and The Pass & Provisions — but none resonated with people more than the news that the Black Lab and Cezanne would be closing in December. While the British pub fare may have been fairly ordinary, the quaint setting and welcoming atmosphere had made it a favorite destination for first dates and other happy occasions. Those memories unleashed a torrent of commments on social media lammenting the restaurant's demise.

    8. Where to eat in Houston right now: 10 best new restaurants for fall. Our monthly where to eat column is always popular with readers, but the September edition stood out from the rest. Perhaps that's because it included so many places that had been eagerly anticipated, such as tiki bar Toasted Coconut, Tex-Mex restaurant Candente, and wine bar Penny Quarter. Whatever the reason, we appreciate when people find these columns to be so useful.

    9. Hot new Houston downtown nightclub rocks the party underground. Inspired by an imagined take on a billionaire's basement, downtown nightclub Base quickly emerged as one of Houston's favorite party spots. The expansive dance floor, complete with a pulsating light installation, helps set the New York-inspired aesethetic. Servers bearing light up displays make sure the whole crowd knows who's splurging on that bottle of bubbles.

    10. 10 juicy burgers on the menu at Houston's best restaurants. From the butter burgers at Riel to the pharmacy burger at La Lucha, the restaurant's on CultureMap's list of Houston's top 100 restaurants know a lot about burgers. Other selections include the French cheeseburger at Squable and the smoked burger at Tejas Chocolates + Barbecue.

    news-you-can-eathot-headlines
    news/restaurants-bars

    most read posts

    Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner

    Houston company ranks No. 13 worldwide on new Forbes Global 2000 list

    Casual River Oaks restaurant closure leads our top stories this week

    Drop it like it's hot

    Houston farmers market adds new indoor pickleball court with food and cocktails

    Brianna Griff
    Jun 18, 2025 | 1:00 pm
    Drop Shots HTX indoor pickleball courts
    Photo by Abante Photography
    Drop Shots HTX celebrates its grand opening this Saturday, June 21.

    Pickleball isn’t going anywhere — the racquet sport continues to score with Houstonians. The newest player on the city’s crowded court, Drop Shots HTX, stands out for one big reason: it’s entirely indoors.

    Drop Shots HTX indoor pickleball courts
      

    Photo by Abante Photography

    Drop Shots HTX celebrates its grand opening this Saturday, June 21.

    Opening June 21, Drop Shots HTX is the brainchild of hospitality veterans Roveen Abante (Conservatory Galleria, Duchess), Chase Lovullo (Conservatory Galleria), and Shawn Outlaw.

    “We didn’t just want to open a bar,” co-founder Roveen Abante said in a statement. “We built a space where people connect, whether they’re playing or not. There’s something for everyone here.”

    Drop Shots HTX is marking its grand opening on June 21 from 12-11 pm, offering all-day open play for $5 along with $5 food and drink specials. Live DJs and giveaways will add to the experience.

    Patrons can soak up the A/C while slapping balls across one of the six professional-grade indoor courts. Off the court, guests can engage in friendly competitions of skee-ball, ping pong, arcade basketball, and cornhole in the second-floor lounge. Nine screens make up one wall in the mezzanine, ideal for catching the latest game, or can be expanded into one 195-inch television.

    Clutch City Kitchen will keep the players' appetite at bay with pizzas, sandwiches, and acai bowls. For hydration, an indoor/outdoor full bar will have 10 signature pickleball-themed cocktails, mocktails, and fresh juices crafted from local fruits and veggies.

    “Some venues lean into serious competition, we lean into fun,” added co-founder Shawn Outlaw. “We’re the only indoor pickleball facility inside the Loop with a full bar, kitchen, lounge, and patio. But more than that, we’re the only one that feels like your new favorite neighborhood hangout, even if you never touch a paddle.”

    Events like Glow-in-the-Dark Fridays, Tacos and Tequila Saturdays, and Pancakes and Pickball mornings add a twist to the typical pickleball match. Bring the kids—the venue is family-friendly until 10pm.

    “We created Drop Shots HTX because we fell in love with a game that brings generations together,” Outlaw said. “From our 10-year-olds to our 65-year-old parents, pickleball is for everyone. And so is this space.”

    Drop Shots HTX is located at 2520 Airline Drive, Building A, Suite 100. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 12-11pm, Friday from 12 pm-12 am, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 am-11 pm.

    nightlifeopeningspickleballdrop shots htxthe-heights
    news/restaurants-bars
    Loading...