nightlife in the heights

Upscale new Heights lounge opens with 'alluring cocktails' and global nightlife vibe

The 11th Street corridor in the Heights offers some of the neighborhood’s most prominent eateries. Already home to restaurants and bars such as Trattoria Sofia, Eight Row Flint, Field & Tides, and Loro, the street has added a new lounge that brings a nightlife component to the neighborhood.

Best Regards has opened in the former Chivos space at 222 W 11th St. First announced in February, Best Regards is a stylish bar and lounge owned by commercial real estate broker Morgan Hansen. The concept takes inspiration from her travels and will host traveling DJs and other performers.

Photo by Becca Wright

The bar held its soft opening last weekend.

Formerly a restaurant, the space has been transformed with a large, indoor bar, a fully landscaped patio, and plenty of greenery both indoors and out. Hansen has also added plus banquettes and brass accents. This Instagram reel from local influencer Kayla Dalati offers a sneak peek at the atmosphere.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kayla Dalati 🤍 (@kayladalati)

“Bringing Best Regards from concept to opening has been a thrilling experience and I’m excited to welcome Houstonians to our beautiful and lush social lounge,” said Morgan Hansen of Best Regards. “Guests can expect world-class DJs, a variety of live music, alluring cocktails and bites, and hospitable service our city has yet to see.”

Those “alluring cocktails” include house originals such as the “Wolf of 11th Street” (tequila, cantaloupe, and honey cilantro syrup) and the “White Collar Crime” (cacao-infused Texas bourbon, pecan turbinado, Aztec chocolate bitters). Best Regards worked with Heights favorite Tenfold coffee on a selection of cocktails that include a carajillo and an on-trend espresso martini. Other options include wines, champagne, and non-alcoholic cocktails.

Food options are presented in the form of shareable boards loaded with various snackable items. Options include a Burrata Board with prosciutto, fruit, tomatoes, and bread; a Pickle Board with sliced pickles, fried pickles, and pickle dip; and a Spanish Charcuterie board with various cured pork products paired with cheeses, condiments, and bread. Brunch boards, served from 2-4 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, come with bagels, doughnut holes, egg salad, lox and accompaniments, and more.

The bar held a well-attended soft opening over the weekend. CultureMap asked Hansen what she learned from the experience.

Morgan Hansen Best Regards Commercial real estate veteran Morgan Hansen is behind Best Regards. Courtesy of Best Regards

“It was very exciting to welcome our friends, family, and neighbors to Best Regards for our soft opening weekend,” she said in a statement provided by a representative. “The overwhelming support reinforced the need for our concept which delivers superior tasting cocktails and exceptional service in a fun and beautiful, indoor/outdoor environment.”

Best Regards is open Tuesday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm and Friday-Sunday beginning at 2 pm.

openings the-heights nightlife cocktails news-you-can-eat

the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

news-you-can-eat openings

nightlife in the heights

Upscale new Heights lounge opens with 'alluring cocktails' and global nightlife vibe

the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Analyzing the Chronicle's list of Houston's top 100 restaurants

Houston has the third best culinary school in the country for 2025

Texas vineyard makes World’s Best list for third year in a row