GMA in HOU

Houston's Asian American diner featured on Good Morning America

Photo by Vivian Leba

An award-winning Houston restaurant is basking in the national spotlight. Good Morning America visited Agnes and Sherman this morning (Wednesday, August 12).

Part of a weeklong series on diners across America, reporter Becky Worley celebrated some of the restaurant’s signature dishes, including its scallion waffle with sambal butter, shrimp toast, and the fan favorite cheeseburger fried rice.

“It’s too classic flavors you know and love mashed together in a different format,” chef and co-owner Nick Wong tells Worley.

Wong and his business partner Lisa Lee opened Agnes and Sherman last year on 19th Street in the Heights. Since then, the restaurant has earned wide acclaim, including a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide, a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant, and being named Texas Monthly’s best new restaurant for 2026.

Lee and Wong first met as college students at the University of California, Berkeley. Over time, they became best friends and business partners. The GMA segment ends with a surprise update that their personal relationship has taken another turn.

“It’s safe to say this restaurant made us fall in love, and now we’re engaged,” Lee says.

Good Morning America is no stranger to Houston restaurants. In 2023, the program featured Bellaire’s Dandelion Cafe as one of America’s best breakfast restaurants. Trill Burgers won the title of “America’s Ultimate Burger Spot” in 2022 when it was still a pop-up, paving the way for its growth into a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

tv media news-you-can-eat

morning to late night

Historically-minded new coffee shop perks up downtown Houston hotel

Courtesy of Magnolia Hotel Houston

Press & Pour is now open at the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

A downtown Houston hotel has opened an inviting space for guests and locals to sip coffee in the morning and cocktails at night. Press & Pour is the latest addition to the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

Open daily from 6 am-11 pm, Press & Pour takes inspiration from the Magnolia Hotel’s history as the former home of both the Houston Post-Dispatch and Shell Oil. “Press” refers to both the media and the act of using a tamper to press espresso prior to brewing. Design details include vintage photographs, a 1920s typewriter, and a copper still.

In the morning, the shop serves espresso beverages, iced and blended coffee drinks, and match. Food options include French toast and a giant cinnamon roll that the hotel becomes a signature item.

Beginning at 3 pm, the shop shifts to happy hour and cocktail service. Bar bites include snapper ceviche, crab avocado salad, deviled egg trio, short rib sliders, chicken quesadillas, and short rib sliders. Pair them wine, beer, or cocktails such as a margarita and the Black Gold, a whiskey sour riff made with bourbon, blackberry, basil, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

Press & Pour has 52 seats, plus a covered, pet-friendly patio with 10 seats. Wifi and outlets should appeal to remote workers, while five TVs ensure patrons can follow the night’s action.

“Press & Pour was created to meet a need in downtown Houston for an inviting space where hotel guests, business travelers, and the local community can start the day with a quality cup of coffee, settle in for a work session, or unwind with a cocktail,” said Justin Sides, director of operations at Magnolia Hotel Houston. “We look forward to welcoming guests for morning coffee, happy hour, or to gather before and after a game at nearby Daikin Park.”

Located at 1100 Texas Ave., the Magnolia has 314 rooms and over 14,000 square feet of event space. In addition to Press & Pour, its also home to The Dispatch, a contemporary American restaurant named for the newspaper that once called the building home.

Courtesy of Magnolia Hotel Houston

Press & Pour is now open at the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

downtown coffee news-you-can-eat openings hotels