Houston’s newest food hall has opened near the city’s premier shopping destination. Conservatory Galleria is now open daily for lunch and dinner.
Located at 5353 West Alabama — the same office building complex that’s home to Hidden Omakase, South Korean coffee shop Tom N Toms, and Burger Chan — Conservatory occupies the space that once housed The Roxy. Although the nightclub closed more than 10 years ago, Houstonians of a certain age will have fond memories of late nights spent at the venue.
Within its three-story, 12,000-square-foot space, Conservatory Galleria offers 11 vendors. They are:
- Bird Haus — hot chicken tenders and sandwiches
- Blk Mkt Birria — traditional beef birria as well as chicken, shrimp, and cauliflower versions
- Cvche Kitchen — a Peruvian concept that sells ceviche, lomo saltado, fried rice, and more
- Clutch City Grill — a sister concept to the Clutch City Tacos food truck that adds steaks and burgers to its familiar menu
- La Taquiza Street Tacos — a Mexico City-inspired concept that sells tacos, tortas, and quesadillas filled with a range of proteins
- Luv'Em Leches — a dessert concept that sells many flavors of tres leches
- The Pita-Ria — flatbread pizzas, hummus, salads, soups, and more
- Rollin Phatties — a Pakistani street food concept that sells paratha rolls, which are sandwiches filled with chicken, beef, or vegetarian options
- SeoulSide Wings & Rice — Korean fried chicken wings, rice bowls, and sides
- Thrive — a juice bar that also sells smoothies and açaí bowls
- Wokker — a third location of the popular Asian fusion restaurant
Critically, many of the opening vendors have proven themselves either as food trucks or at other food halls. Only Cvche Kitchen and The Pita-Ria are unique to Conservatory Galleria.
The first floor also contains the food hall’s main bar, which will serve wine, beer, and cocktails. On the third floor, patrons will find the Roxy Room, a more intimate cocktail lounge that pays homage to the building’s history. ESPN 97.5 radio host Lance Zierlein shared a sneak peek at the interior with his Instagram followers.
Two nightlife veterans, Roveen Abante and Chase LoVullo, serve as managing partners. The duo helped open Midtown sports bar Pour Behavior and currently operate Midtown’s Reset Rooftop Lounge. Back in 2021, Abante and LoVullo told CultureMap they had franchised the Conservatory concept from founder Anh Mai, but a representative tells CultureMap that no financial relationship exists between the Galleria and Midtown locations of Conservatory.
Photo by Rochelle Abante
Conservatory Galleria opened today.
They have plans to draw patrons with a number of initiatives, including happy hour specials, markets, and live music, but the vendors will always be the primary draw.
“All of our vendors were carefully vetted based on their successful operational history and type of cuisine,” Abante said in a statement “Being in the Galleria with constant tourists, many of them international and rotating daily through the hotels that surround us, we wanted to bring together a good mix of vendors. We have Latin, Middle Eastern, European, Asian and American influences.”
Houston has a bit of a mixed track record when it comes to food halls. On the one hand, both the Blind Goat and ChópnBlọk earned James Beard Award semifinalist nominations for their stands at Bravery Chef Hall and Post Market, respectively, which paved the way for their brick and mortar locations. On the other, Railway Heights Market shuttered last year after two years of operations, and even stands that seem to be a success, such as Golfstrommen, can close unexpectedly.
