who's your daddy?

California chicken sandwich restaurant flies into the Heights with breakfast and more

Daddy's Chicken Shack is now open in the Heights.

Photo by Shannon O’Hara

A California-based chicken sandwich restaurant has opened its first Houston location. Daddy's Chicken Shack is now slinging sandwiches and chicken tenders at the corner of N. Shepherd Dr. and 11th Street in the Heights (1223 W. 11th St.).

Founded by Chef Pace Webb and her husband Chris Georgalas, Daddy's blends classic Southern flavors with Asian touches. The restaurant serves chicken sandwiches, salads topped with chicken, chicken fingers, and breakfast items.

Webb's chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and double battered to ensure its moist and crispy. The menu starts with sandwiches such as the Big Daddy, topped with Napa slaw and sriracha mayo; the All-American, topped with Napa slaw, bacon, and pickles; and the Nashville Daddy, a spicy sandwich topped with slaw and pickles.

Daddy's Chicken Shack spicy daddy sandwich Get a Spicy Daddy sandwich with fries.Photo by Shannon O’Hara

Breakfast, served all day, includes Daddy’s Rosemary Biscuit Sliders and the Breakfast Waffle Daddy Sandwich, a bacon and egg sandwich served between two waffles. Coconut curry-brined cauliflower serves as the vegan option.

Daddy's Chicken also sets itself apart with its use of technology. Customers have a dozen ways to order for dine-in, pick-up, or delivery.

"We’re so humbled and excited to bring this concept to Houston, not only because I grew up not far from here, but because Houston is well-known for its diversity and culinary scene,” Webb said in a statement. “We look forward to serving Heights residents and beyond by delivering accessible, chef-driven fried chicken sandwiches, while honoring our commitment to sustainability and creating a warm, welcoming environment for all.”

Daddy's Chicken Shack Pace Webb and Chris Georgalas Chef Pace Webb and her husband Chris Georgalas.Photo by Shannon O’Hara

The Houston location will serve as a flagship and training facility for the restaurant's future growth. Two lines in the kitchen — one for dine-in and one for to-go — ensure speedy service. The restaurant has two drive-up windows to pick up online orders. It can accommodate up to 50 people between its dining room and patio.

Daddy's will introduce itself to the neighborhood with an open house on October 26 from 11 am-3 pm. The first 100 guests will receive swag bags, and all customers will leave with a buy-one-get-one free coupon good for their next visit.

Aga's on the move

Cherished Houston Indo-Pak restaurant opens to-go only location in Katy

Courtesy of Aga's

Aga's To Go opens Wednesday, June 24.

Goat chops, curries, and naan are coming to Katy. Aga’s Restaurant & Catering, the cherished Indo-Pak restaurant that’s a staple of Houston’s South Asian community, will open its first new location in 25 years on Wednesday, June 24.

Called Aga’s To Go, the new restaurant will be located at The Shoppes at Grand Crossing (102 W. Grand Parkway S., Suite 100). As it names implies, the restaurant is a to-go only facility that’s designed for both takeout and delivery via third party apps. While diners won’t be able to eat at the restaurant, they will be able to enjoy Aga’s cuisine at home in a more convenient than by traveling to the original location in Southwest Houston.

The new restaurant will serve about 100 of the original location’s most popular offerings — all in compliance with the standards of zabiha halal. Customers can look forward to ordering kababs, boti, biryani, curries, freshly baked breads, and, of course, the signature goat chops.

“This new location is a direct response to the growth of our business and the tremendous support we’ve received from customers throughout Katy and west Houston,” Zain Maredia, Aga’s head of growth and strategy, said in a statement. “Many of our guests make a considerable drive to enjoy Aga’s, and we’re excited to bring our food closer to them while creating new opportunities for our team and our company. Katy has been one of our strongest customer bases for years, making it a natural next step as we continue to grow.”

Aga’s has plans for additional to-go only locations, according to press materials. Long term, the restaurant has its eyes on full service locations in other Texas cities such as Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, CEO Shaukat Maredia tells the Houston Chronicle.

The Maredia family purchased Aga’s in 2010. Since then, they’ve grown the restaurant’s location at 11842 Wilcrest Dr. into a more than 16,000-square-foot behemoth that serves hundreds of diners every day. Along the way, Aga’s has earned wide acclaim, including multiple nominations for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, a no. 1 rating in the Houston Chronicle’s list of the city’s top 100 restaurants, and a spot on the New York Times’ list of The 26 Best Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2024.

Writing for CultureMap in 2023, Burger Bodega owner Abbas Dhanani hailed Aga’s as “the best Pakistani restaurant not just in Houston, but in the nation.” His top recommendations include the goat chops, chicken shinwari karahi, butter chicken handi, and white kabab karahi

All that attention has drawn considerable interest from other media, including this deep drive from YouTube superstar Mark Wiens that’s racked up more than 1.7 million views.

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The restaurant funds college scholarships for high school seniors. This year, 25 students, including some from Katy, received a total of $100,000.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received over the years,” Maredia said. “Houston has embraced our food, our family, and our story. Food has a unique way of bringing people together, and we’re excited to continue sharing that experience with even more guests through our new Katy location.”

Courtesy of Aga's

Aga's To Go opens Wednesday, June 24.

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