Eat more dumplings

Peking duck and dumpling restaurant spices up Rice Village with newest locale

Peking duck and xiao long bao are coming to Rice Village this spring. Duck N Bao will open its third location in the popular shopping and dining district.

Photo by Jenn Duncan

A window allows diners to watch dumplings being made.

The restaurant has claimed a former Zoës Kitchen in the Hanover Rice Village apartment building. It joins Duck N Bao’s existing locations in Cypress and near Memorial Park as well as its sister concept Hongdae 33, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant that opened in Chinatown last year. It chose the neighborhood for its proximity to Rice University and the Texas Medical Center, according to press materials.

“We’ve been looking for a great location in Rice Village for a long time,” co-owner Grace Xia said in a statement. “Being near the university brings a youthful vibe and a constant influx of new students arriving every year. We love the neighborhood and look forward to sharing our authentic Chinese food with Rice Village residents and visitors.”

First opened in 2020, Duck N Bao has earned wide acclaim for its Sichuan dishes, soup dumplings, and Peking Duck, which Texas Monthly included on its 2022 list of favorite dishes from restaurants around the state. They’re paired with cocktails that showcase baijiu and other Chinese spirits. Rice Village has been without this style of Chinese food since dim sum favorite Yum Yum Cha closed in 2015.

For the Rice Village location, the restaurant will expand its current menu by adding some more luxurious dishes to its offerings. Look for triple-cooked short ribs, duck fried rice, and lobster tails three ways — stir-fried salt and pepper, XO sauce, or truffle sauce with shaved truffle. Lobster will also be available in mapo tofu. Other additions include truffle soup dumplings and a caviar upgrade for the Peking duck.

With a 2,600-square-foot dining room and a 1,000-square-foot patio, the restaurant is expected to seat 100 people. Chinese artifacts and serveware will be featured in display cases. A kitchen window will provide diners with a view of dumplings being made.

Husband-and-wife owners Grace and Leo Xia teamed up to develop the restaurant, which serves Sichuan specialities and classic Cantonese fare. Leo Xia immigrated to America with his family. Prior to opening Duck N Bao, Xia’s family operated Cajun Café & Grill at Baybrook Mall and Green Garden in Cypress. Grace Xia earned a M.S. in Accounting from the University of Houston before committing to the restaurant world with a Kung Fu Tea franchise.

“We have a passion for restaurants,” Leo Xia said. “I want people happy walking in and happy leaving.”

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wave on wave

Pat Green's massive restaurant and live music venue reveals new Houston home

Courtesy of Free Range Concepts

The Rustic is on the move.

Downtown Houston’s massive bar, restaurant, and live music venue will soon have a new home. The Rustic is moving from its current home to a new site that will keep it near both the George R. Brown Convention Center and Toyota Center.

First opened by Dallas-based Free Range Concepts in 2018, the Rustic’s downtown location is currently located at 1836 Polk St. It will move to 1718 Jackson St., which is currently a parking lot. The new location will offer more parking and a dedicated pick-up area for rideshare, according to press materials.

The Rustic’s current location will remain open through the end of 2025. The new location will open in “winter 2026,” although a representative was unable to clarify whether that meant February or December.

Created in partnership with Texas country singer Pat Green, the Rustic features a wide-ranging menu of favorite dishes such as tacos, burgers, and steaks paired with cocktails, beer, and wine. Free Range opened a second location of the Rustic in Uptown Park in 2020. A scaled-down version opened at Hobby Airport last year.

The move is part of plans to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center. Slated to open in time for the Republican National Convention in 2028, the facility will add 700,000 square feet in a space adjacent to the existing building. When the plan was first announced, Houston First, the government corporation that operates the GRB, said it planned to work with Free Range to find a new home for the Rustic.

“This is a temporary pause with a purpose,” said Josh Sepkowitz, co‑owner and CEO of Free Range Concepts. “Downtown Houston has been an incredible home for The Rustic, and we’re eager to continue our story in a way that builds on what our guests already love. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2026.”

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