ride the wave

Fresh new Galleria seafood restaurant opens with surf-inspired, midcentury modern vibe

Galleria-area diners have a fresh new option for seafood. Balboa Surf Club has opened for lunch and dinner daily.

Courtesy of Western Addition

The restaurant serves four desserts.

Located in the former Masraff’s space at 1753 Post Oak Blvd., Balboa Surf Club is the latest concept from Western Addition, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind il Bracco, the Italian restaurant that is also located in the Post Oak Plaza shopping center. Western Addition vice president of design Mary Lucille Quick teamed up with Texas-based firm the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to transform the 7,200-square-foot space.

Like il Bracco, Balboa Surf Club has a midcentury modern design that uses port windows and skylights to add natural light to the dining room. It also takes some inspiration from Brazilian brutalist design for its dramatic entryway and surf bungalows with its plant life throughout the space, according to press materials.

A 1,200-square-foot patio features a concrete fire pit and a 60-foot fountain. Artwork comes from the personal collection of Mary Lucille Quick and her husband, Western Addition president and CEO Robert Quick.

Turning to the menu, Balboa serves a menu of classic American seafood with a few global touches. Meals begin with dishes such as seafood cocktail, shrimp cocktail, or fried oysters. From there, diners may opt for sushi rolls — including a decadent king crab hand roll — or salads including a wedge, endive, or a Louie with shrimp and crab.

Entree selections start with seafood options such as a crab cake, grilled scallops, miso salmon, and grilled halibut. Non-seafood lovers will find a ribeye, a filet, and roasted chicken. Lunch features more entree-style salads as well as a cheeseburger and a fried grouper sandwich.

"We're dedicated to quality, freshness and attention to detail," COO Matt Gotlieb said in a statement. "Sushi rice is prepared fresh every 45 minutes, tortillas are made in house and then fried into tostadas to be served warm alongside made-to-order guacamole. Our burgers are a labor of love. Everything from the freshly baked bun, to the meat ground for service that day, even the cut size of the lettuce, freshness of the tomato, and thickness of the cheese has to be consistent for the perfect bite, every time."

Since it opened last year, il Bracco has been a hit, earning a CultureMap Tastemaker Award nomination for Best New Restaurant. By applying the Western Addition formula to seafood, Balboa seems poised to follow in its footsteps.

openings news-you-can-eat

Bari on the move

River Oaks Italian spot claims shuttered Woodlands steakhouse for new location

Courtesy of Bari Ristorante

Bari will serve dishes such as pappardelle bolognese.

Another inner loop dining favorite has set its sights on The Woodlands. Bari Ristorante will open its second location in the booming suburb’s popular Waterway section.

More specifically, Bari has claimed the former Tris space at 24 Waterway Avenue for a new location that will open in early 2026. Work is already underway to transform the space in line with Bari’s original location in River Oaks District. Think Bari’s signature salt walls and a similar color palette.

“Residents of The Woodlands have long enjoyed a reputation for being wine and food lovers,” Bari owners Pedro Teyuca and Tommy Nally tell CultureMap in an email. “You can see that by attendance in their many culinary events and support of the local food culture. Many of our longtime customers live in The Woodlands and have been after us to open Bari closer to home.”

Just as diners can expect a similar design between the two locations, so too will they find a nearly identical menu. That means fan favorites such as truffle pasta that’s finished in a parmigiano reggiano cheese wheel, branzino baked in a salt crust, and a chateaubriand steak that’s cooked in the pizza oven and flambéed table-side. A press release notes that all dishes are made in-house.

“Diners can experience respect for Italian food in a setting that evokes the stylish glamour of Milan and Rome. Serving classic dishes found from the mountains to the sea,” Teyuca and Nally write. “The menu will include dishes that represent the “Best of Bari” as well as the addition of premium cuts of meat.”

Bari opened in May 2023 under the direction of Teyuca, Nally, and chef Renato De Pirro. It quickly drew crowds for it classic italian fare and lively, see-and-be-seen atmosphere.

The trio acquired Georgia James steakhouse from Underbelly Hospitality in the summer of 2024. Tris, a fine dining steakhouse, closed in January after the departure of executive chef Austin Simmons. In early 2026, Simmons will open Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons, an ambitious new concept in The Woodlands’ Hughes Landing district that will include both a restaurant and a butcher shop.

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