finally!

Beloved Austin pizzeria finally sets Houston opening date

One of Austin’s favorite pizzerias is finally ready to make its Houston debuts. Home Slice Pizza will officially open to the public on Wednesday, December 14.

For those unfamiliar, Home Slice is Austin’s most well regarded New York pizzeria. First opened on South Congress in 2005, the restaurant serves hand-tossed, New York and Sicilian-style pizzas made in a gas-fired deck oven. Salads, hot and cold sandwiches, and desserts round out the menu. Beverage options include soda, craft beer, and wine.

Available both as whole pies and by-the-slice, Home Slice’s pizzas have earned wide acclaim, including being named among the top pizzerias in the U.S. by both TripAdvisor and TripSavvy. Its original location is so popular that the restaurant opened a to-go only annex next door. A second full restaurant arrived in North Austin in 2018.

The road to opening in Houston hasn’t been smooth. Home Slice signed a lease for the former Sparrow Bar + Cookshop/Winbern Mess Hall space at 3701 Travis Street in January 2020 but put the project on hold when the pandemic hit. Construction on the location began in June 2021 but took longer than expected due to supply shortages and changes in design. Home Slice partner Jeff Mettler makes no apologies for taking the time to get the buildout just right.

“We took our time finding finishes and agreeing on colors,” Mettler tells CultureMap. “It was important to us to lead with our best foot forward. In 2005, we had the luxury of being an underdog in Texas where not many people knew what New York pizza is. We’re not in that position anymore. People have expectations, and we want to exceed people’s expectations.”

Plans originally called for the restaurant to seat people on two stories and offer full service. Instead, the restaurant has been oriented towards to-go with a limited amount of indoor seating and a spacious, 50-seat, covered patio that's also dog friendly.

Mettler describes the restaurant's design inspiration as “deep Brooklyn.” A wall of framed photographs shows off the houses and storefronts that inspired the look. Home Slice went to great lengths to create the right atmosphere, including pouring custom breeze blocks for the patio. A similar devotion to getting the details right applies to its food, too.

“We’re not going to compromise,” Mettler says. “We’re not going to open until our dough’s right. We’re not going to open until our staff is comfortable to not only give proper service but provide hospitality to our guests.”

That hospitality extends beyond the register. Known for its friendly service, employees check on diners after they receive their food and will assist with things like refills.

Once the staff has its sea legs, the kitchen will be able to produce as many as one pizza per minute. Mettler estimates they’ll be somewhere between one-half and one-third of that pace at opening, so expect a bit of a wait. Home Slice will begin service at 11 am Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays).

Once open, diners will be able to order in person or online via the restaurant's website. A slice window will expedite pickup for those needing a bite before or after a show at The Continental Club. Third party delivery will be added in time.

Photo by Sammie Theige Burnett

Home Slice Pizza will open next week.

As the comments on the restaurant's recent Instagram posts attest, Houstonians are ready for the restaurant's opening. The company has been quiet about its plans until now, but Mettler says that's about to change.

“We’ve kept a log of every single person’s that commented or emailed ‘when are you opening.’ Once we get comfortable, we’re going to start responding and tagging them in posts,” he says.

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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