Washington's new patio bar

New beer garden, cocktail bar, and coffee spot opens on Washington Ave with BBQ bites and patio scene

The Kirby Group, the successful hospitality company behind Heights Bier Garten, Holman Draft Hall, and others, has debuted its newest patio bar. Bayou Heights Bier Garten is now open on Washington Avenue with coffee in the morning and drinks all night.

Located on the site of a former drive-thru bank near the intersection of Washington and Yale (3905 Washington Ave.), Bayou Heights adds a couple of new twists onto Heights Bier Garten’s successful formula. Like HBG, Bayou Heights offers a dedicated cocktail bar and a separate craft beer and wine bar that are united by a common patio.

At Bayou Heights, the cocktail bar features a 36-foot long bar, lounge-style seating, and a list of 28 drinks in categories such as “Refreshing & Balanced,” “Spirit Forward,” “Refreshing & Spicy,” and “Tropical & Tiki.” The wine and cocktail bar, located in the adjacent silo, features 74 beers and 16 wines selected by beverage director Joel Ramirez and general manager Dave Minda.

Where the new bar distinguishes itself is a third building that’s devoted to coffee. Open daily beginning at 8 am, it serves all the usual drip and espresso options, including some flavored with housemade syrups, along with pastries that are also baked onsite.

Similarly, the food offerings have received an upgrade courtesy of chef Teddy Lopez, who spent several years as a top chef at Ronnie Killen’s restaurants such as upscale steakhouse Killen’s STQ, Tex-Mex concept Killen’s TMX, and comfort food restaurant Killen’s. At Bayou Heights, Lopez’s menu includes shareable snacks such as smoked chicken wings, sweet potato tots, smoked queso, and a flatbread topped with vegetables and hummus.

Fittingly for a Killen’s Restaurants veteran, his offerings also includes a limited barbecue menu with meats such as beef brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, and five different sausages. Those meats can be served as plates or sandwiches and paired with barbecue-style sides like queso mac and cheese, German potato salad, and crispy Brussels sprouts.

Lopez’s menu is available beginning at 3 pm on weekdays, when the beer bar opens, until 10 pm with a few items served as late as midnight on Friday and Saturday. A separate brunch menu is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm (both bars also open at 11 am on weekends).

Bayou Heights is only the Kirby Group’s first opening of 2023. This spring, the company will launch Verde Garden, a Mexican-themed bar that will be part of the Harlow District, which is the new name given to the Montrose property that previously housed Italian restaurants Nino’s and Vincent’s.

Photo by Dustyn Zenner

The cocktail bar is 36-feet long.

openings cocktails craft-beer coffee news-you-can-eat

All-day cafe with boutique hotel vibes coming to downtown Houston

Rendering courtesy of Rebees

Lila's is the newest restaurant to arrive at GreenStreet, the three-block downtown complex.

Downtown Houston is adding a new restaurant to its roster with Lila’s at GreenStreet. Slated to open this fall, Lila’s is envisioned as an all-day New American restaurant that starts the day with coffee and breakfast and ends with dinner and cocktails.

Located at 1201 Fannin Street, Lila's occupies a 5,100-square-foot space in the former lobby of the office tower, with its entrance tucked into an alleyway between McCormick & Schmick’s and The Palm. The restaurant aims to capture the experience of a boutique hotel, without the hassle of overnight guests.

“We’ve spent years thinking about how hospitality can fundamentally change the experience of a place,” Matt Ragan, chief hospitality officer for Rebees, said in a statement. “With Lila’s, we’re taking the level of service, attention to detail, and sense of welcome you expect from a great boutique hotel and applying it to an everyday restaurant. We want someone grabbing coffee before work, meeting a client for lunch or settling in for dinner and drinks to feel equally at home.”

Executive chef Garee Battad will lead the kitchen, drawing on his two decades of experience largely at hotel restaurants such as Nobu at Hotel Crescent Court and Charlie Palmer at The Joule Dallas. His most recent position was as executive chef at Azumi, the elevated Japanese restaurant in River Oaks District.

“Some of the most memorable restaurants where I’ve worked have been gathering places inside great hotels, and that’s the spirit and sense of place we’re bringing to Lila’s,” Battad said. “We want every dish to feel familiar yet unexpected.”

Behind the bar, mixologist Zach Smigiel is crafting an ingredient-forward cocktail program with a focus on seasonal flavors, complemented by a wine list, local beers, and nonalcoholic beverages.

The eatery is the latest endeavor by Rebees, the Houston-based hospitality management firm behind GreenStreet, and its second venture into the culinary world. Its first was Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, led by executive chef and partner Matt Ford, who will also develop Lila’s menu alongside Battad. Lila’s is named after a French Bulldog owned by Rebees founder Tristan Simon.

This is the hospitality firm’s second endeavor into the culinary world, joining its Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, led by executive chef and partner Matt Ford. Ford will also be developing Lila’s menu alongside Battad.

Tenants of GreenStreet, the three-block, mixed-use development, will be able to order meals and drinks from Lila’s directly to their offices through a proprietary app.

Rendering courtesy of Rebees

Lila's is the newest restaurant to arrive at GreenStreet, the three-block downtown complex.