deferred but not denied

Favorite Montrose brunch restaurant's highly anticipated return hits setback

We'll have to wait a little longer for Baba Yega to reopen.

Courtesy of Gin Design Group

Sad news for Montrose residents dreaming of fall brunches at Baba Yega. Another fire at the eclectic neighborhood restaurant has pushed its reopening back to 2024.

Baba Yega's Nousha Nowamooz and her mother, chef and co-owner Sue Nowamooz, explain that an electrical fire took place early in the morning of August 19. While no one was hurt, the damage has delayed the restaurant’s reopening until “the end of the first quarter in 2024,” according to a statement.

“Safety has always been our top priority, and we've been working hard to bring back your beloved Montrose staple,” they write. “We can't wait to see everyone’s smiling faces and serve you once again when we reconnect and celebrate together in early 2024! Thank you for your unwavering support and understanding during this time.”

That’s sad news for Montrose residents who have missed the restaurant since it closed in December 2018 due to a fire that gutted the restaurant. When it does reopen, diners will find a very different Baba Yega than they remember.

The Nowamoozes worked with Gin Design Group to renovate and expand the space. Among the new additions, look for a beer garden, updates to the signature Jasmine Room that looks over the courtyard, and an expansive bar area. Two kitchens — one devoted exclusively to plant-based dishes — will feed the more than 400-seat restaurant. Multiple private event spaces will be available for celebrations and other gatherings.

The Nowamoozes are also co-owners of Hungry’s, the popular Mediterranean restaurant with locations in Rice Village and the Energy Corridor. Hungry’s co-founder Fred Sharifi purchased Baba Yega from Sidney Hakim in 2016.

openings news-you-can-eat

NYT best dishes

Houston Mediterranean restaurant makes NY Times' best desserts list

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen is the only Houston restaurant on either list.

The New York Times included four Texas restaurants among its favorite dishes of 2025. Divided into two lists — The 23 Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 and The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 — the dishes are:

Bad Honey Bunny at Mercado Sin Nombre (Austin)
Ketan Hitam at Yeni’s Fusion (Austin)
Konafa Naama at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen (Houston)
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)

Times food writer Priya Krishna, who authors the entries for all four Texas dishes, traveled to far west Houston to visit Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen. “The konafa, a signature here, arrives with a molten layer of cheese under a sticky-sweet layer of golden, nutty semolina. The craft is evident, the konafa gone in a few bites,” she writes.

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen Konafa Naama Don't skip dessert at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen.KSayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

In Austin, Krishna praises the rice pudding at Yeni’s Fusion. “This barely sweet version, lush with coconut milk, aromatic with pandan and as soothing as warm porridge, is the gentlest way to end a meal,” she states.

Already hailed as one of America’s best breakfast spots by Bon Appetit, Krishna singles out a honeybun at Mercado Sin Nombre. “The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears,” she writes.

The picadillo mac and cheese at 2M Smokehouse showcases how the San Antonio restaurant incorporates Mexican flavors into traditional Texas barbecue. “Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It’s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese — which runs as an occasional special — holds its own and then some,” Krishna writes.

The New York Times regularly shines its spotlight on Texas restaurants, In September, it named four establishments — ChòpnBlọk (Houston), Isidore (San Antonio), Lao’d Bar (Austin), and P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles (Austin) — to its list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

news-you-can-eat media lists desserts