a bigger table for Katy

Booming Houston neighborhood restaurant opens flagship location in Katy with Mediterranean-inspired menu and sprawling patio and party space

Local Table has opened its new Katy location.

Photo by Jenn Duncan

A rapidly growing group of local neighborhood restaurants has unveiled its new flagship location. Local Table has opened its new restaurant in Katy.

Located in the former Luby's/Fuddruckers space at 24033 Cinco Ranch Blvd., the new Local Table replaces the original Katy location on Westheimer Parkway. With more than 14,000-square-feet, it offers an expansive patio, a 75-seat private dining room, and enough space for the restaurant's companion Local Bar, a dedicated space for people 21-and-up that offers an expanded selection of cocktails and a larger wine list.

Local Table Katy interior Take a look inside Local Table's new Katy location.Photo by Jenn Duncan

As the concept has evolved, it has also become a destination for families to celebrate anniversaries, baby showers, and other happy occasions. Combined with Local Bar, the restaurant expects to host game watching parties, corporate happy hours, and more.

“Local Table has become a staple for families and is known as a gathering spot for the community. You see Little League teams, birthday celebrations of all ages, and customers simply having a good time,” co-owner Shervin Sharifi said in a statement. “We are excited to expand on that notion, bringing even more space for hosting events, large parties, and combining forces with Local Bar.”

First opened in 2016, the restaurant builds on the legacy of Hungry's, the popular Mediterranean cafe that has two Houston-area locations (with a third on the way this spring). Shervin Sharifi and Neima Sharifi, who are nephews of Hungry's founder Fred Sharifi, partnered with Hungry's co-owner Ashkan Nowamooz and his brothers Arash and Alex. Additionally, Sue Nowamooz, Ashkan's wife, serves as executive chef for both Hungry's and Local Table.

As one would expect from the Hungry's crew, many dishes include Mediterranean-inspired elements such as a gyro pita, a kebab plate, and hummus. Other selections — including chicken fried chicken, short rib tacos, and a bacon jab club sandwich — takes their inspiration from traditional Southern or Texan fare. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan items appear throughout the menu.

Local Table has been successful throughout its six-year history, adding locations in Cypress, Fulshear, and Garden Oaks/Oak Forest. A Woodlands location will debut later this year.

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a cursed location?

Ramen joint that served super hot broth will shutter after only 18 months

Photo by Tracy Ling

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A Heights-adjacent ramen shop will soon serve its final bowl of soup. Kazzan Ramen & Bar will close this Saturday, January 24.

Located at 191 Heights Blvd., Kazzan was only the second American location of a restaurant that’s based in Osaka, Japan. Named for the Japanese word for “volcano,” Kazzan distinguished itself from other ramen restaurants by serving its noodles in a stone bowl that’s heated to 350 degrees Celsius — more than 650 degrees Fahrenheit. When the broth is poured tableside through a cylindrical top, the steam shoots out like a volcanic eruption. The menu also includes shareable plates like gyoza and rice bowls.

Diners who visit the restaurant during its final week of operations will receive 50-percent off all alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, sake, cocktails, and spirits.

Google lists its other U.S. location in Los Angeles as “temporarily closed.” A representative declined to comment on the reason for the closure but confirmed that Kazzan is not looking for another Houston location at this time.

Notably, Kazzan is the fourth restaurant to occupy the space at 191 Heights. Originally, it was home to Bradley’s Fine Diner, a short-lived New American concept from Las Vegas-based chef Bradley Ogden. Next up was Star Fish, an ambitious seafood restaurant from the late Houston restaurateur Lee Ellis’ Cherry Pie Hospitality.

When Sambrooks Hospitality acquired Ellis’ restaurants, it rebooted the space as 1751 Sea & Bar, a seafood concept that closed in 2023. Kazzan opened in July 2024, so its tenure only lasted about a year and a half.

So, yes, restaurant obsessives, the time has come to discuss whether the location is “cursed.”

Kazzan isn’t the only ramen restaurant in the area to close recently. Nearby Ninja Ramen shuttered at the end of December after 11 years. The space has been claimed by Yuma, a Cuban and Brazilian-inspired sandwich pop-up that will open its first brick-and-mortar location later this spring.

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