bye, bye benny

Ben Berg's homage to New York Chinese restaurants will soon shutter

Benny Chows will close on September 30.

Photo by Jenn Duncan

By any measure, Ben Berg has been on a prolific streak of opening new restaurants in Houston. His company, Berg Hospitality, has unveiled more than half a dozen new concepts since June 2023.

Given the pace, perhaps it was inevitable that one would close — indeed, the restaurant that kicked off the spree is going to shutter.

Benny Chows will serve its last meal on Monday, September 30. A representative provided CultureMap with a statement from Berg Hospitality about the closure:

After more than a year of serving our beloved community, we have made the difficult decision to close Benny Chows. Our last day of business will be Monday, September 30. This unique concept has brought us immense joy, and we are truly grateful for the wonderful memories we have created with our guests. As we move forward, we are excited to reimagine the Washington Avenue space and explore new creative possibilities. We look forward to welcoming diners back in the future with fresh experiences and flavors.

Opened in June 2023, Ben Berg opened Benny Chows as an ode to the Cantonese and Chinese American restaurants he grew up with in New York City such as Mr. Chow’s, Mr. K’s, and China Grill.

“It’s one of my favorite foods,” Berg told CultureMap when he announced the concept in January 2023. “Forever, it’s been one of my favorite foods.”

When the restaurant opened, it earned praise for its eye-catching design, which included hand-painted red and gold wallpaper and a gold bouquet in the center of the dining room. Former Yauatcha chef Shirong Mei served as the opening executive chef, responsible for overseeing a menu that included dim sum, Peking duck, and cold sesame noodles. It also included luxurious takes on Chinese American favorites such as beef with broccoli made with filet mignon and egg rolls stuffed with brisket from Truth BBQ.

In June, the restaurant announced that former Songkran Thai Kitchen chef Junnajet “Jett” Hurapan had been named the restaurant’s new executive chef. He added some Thai touches as well as a few less expensive dishes to the menu. It is not clear at this time whether Hurapan will remain with the restaurant as it transitions to a new concept.

Despite this setback, Berg Hospitality continues to grow. It recently opened Buttermilk Baby, a retro-inspired diner in the Heights. In the months to come, it will open Dune Road, a New England-inspired seafood restaurant in downtown’s Texas Tower.

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spoiler alert

Houston chef Thomas Bille sounds off on his Beat Bobby Flay appearance

Courtesy of Food Network

Thomas Bille took on Bobby Flay.

Add another Houston chef to the roster of cooking competition champions. Belly of the Beast chef-owner Thomas Bille won the Tuesday, August 4 episode of Beat Bobby Flay.

Titled “Mole Mania,” Bille went head-to-head with celebrity chef Bobby Flay in a battle of duck en mole negro. Although the dish usually features more than 30 ingredients and typically takes hours to make, both Bille and Flay both only had 45 minutes to make their dishes.

“I did one trial run mole at the restaurant. I finished it in about 32 minutes,” Bille tells CultureMap. He adds that he used the same recipe on the show that he does at his restaurant, except for the restaurant’s mole mother.

During the cooking portion of the competition, Bille blends a wide array of chiles to begin making the dish. He also charred tomatoes, plantains, and tortillas before adding them to his pot. He then cooks his duck skin side down to render its fat. Bille plated the dish with a garnish of cacao nibs and almonds.

“I figured out a strategy,” Bille explains. “I had a dutch oven. I charred everything. I needed to put all the missing pieces and adding it to the pot. Charring things, adding it. So I had it all cooking right away, rather than building how I normally do it.”

The judges panel of Lourdes Castro, Alex Stupak, and Grace Ramirez hailed Bille’s dish for its depth of flavor and presentation, but they criticized him for not achieving a sufficiently crispy skin on his duck.

“I think darkness on top of darkness is a huge plus,” Stupak said about Bille’s presentation. “That’s a positive. Black on black is my favorite.”

The judges found that Flay’s duck mole negro with pomegrante, apricot, and green chile relish didn’t put enough emphasis on the mole, with Lourdes calling it too sweet. “This feels like a really great duck dish,” Stupak added.

Prior to beating Flay, Bille faced off against Austin chef Keegan Andrews to create the best dish with manchego cheese. He created a Spanish-inspired manchego tartine with herb salad, macerated dried apricots, and toasted marcona almonds. The judges stated that Andrews manchego fritters were too doughy.

Bille is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2025, he won Best Chef: Texas in the James Beard Awards. Belly of the Beast, his Mexican-American restaurant in Spring, holds a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide.

The chef joins a small roster of local Beat Bobby Flay winners. Back in 2016, Roost chef-owner Kevin Naderi won the show by making cabbage rolls. In 2023, Stanton Bundy, formerly culinary director of Traveler’s Table, won a chilaquiles battle. Last year, Top Chef winner Tristen Epps won with Trinidadian brown stew chicken. Filmed in January, the chef says he kept the secret from even his close friends, but it feels good to finally share the news.

“It’s great. I beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay,” Bille says. “Being able to go to his kitchen and beat him, he has such a high win rate.”

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