that's rad

Heights burger and taco favorites now serving at UH's new dining hall

University of Houston students have two new restaurants to enjoy this semester. Both The Burger Joint and The Taco Stand are now open inside the new RAD (Retail, Auxiliary and Dining) Center, which is located next door to the Science & Research Building 2.

Located at the site of the old Satellite building, the RAD is a 41,000-square-foot building devoted to dining and relaxing for both students and faculty. The Burger Joint and The Taco Stand are joined by Absurd Bird (chicken tenders), Paper Lantern (Asian grill), The Nook Café (coffee and pastries), and a grab-and-go market.

Open Monday through Friday, both restaurants are serving condensed versions of the menus found at their other locations. The Taco Stand will serve breakfast from 7-10:30 am with lunch to follow. The Burger Joint will open at 10:30 am for lunch and dinner service (until 7 pm Monday-Thursday and 3 pm on Friday).

The restaurant’s history with UH goes back to 2016 when The Burger Joint’s food truck served students on campus.

“The Burger Joint has been a valued partner of UH since its early days as a food truck, quickly becoming a favorite among our campus community,” UH vice president of operations Charles Pereira said in a statement. “Seeing their growth across Houston, expanding their offerings, and bringing their brand full circle with two brick-and-mortar locations on campus feels like a natural and exciting evolution. This collaboration aligns with our mission to provide students with authentic, locally-rooted dining experiences.”

“Our team is excited to bring our concepts to the new UH dining center,” chef and co-owner Matthew Pak added. “UH was one of our first regular food truck locations for The Burger Joint, and the student and administration support has been constant as we have built our business through the years.”

Founded by Pak and restaurateur Shawn Bermudez in 2015, The Burger Joint serves classic burgers, sides, and shakes. Its sister concept The Taco Stand opened in 2021 to serve street-style tacos made on house made corn or flour tortillas. Currently, The Burger Joint has locations in Montrose, the Heights, and Webster, while the Taco Stand has locations in the heights and Webster. A Montrose location of The Taco Stand is expected to open later this year.

Photo by Becca Wright

The Taco Stand is has opened at the University of Houston.

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a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

news-you-can-eat openings mexican sugar