pure gold

Top Houston restaurateur plans to resurrect Eldorado Ballroom with new cafe-market, art gallery, and star-studded concerts

Chris Williams Hogan Brown Gallery Eldorado Ballroom

Chris Williams is ready to welcome patrons to the Hogan Brown Gallery.

Photo by David “Odiwams” Wright

One of the Third Ward’s premier nonprofits has teamed up with one of Houston’s most prominent restaurant groups to bring new life to a historic venue. Project Row Houses has retained Lucille’s Hospitality Group and its affiliated Lucille’s 1913 nonprofit to operate the historic Eldorado Ballroom.

Located in the heart of Third Ward at the intersection of Emancipation and Elgin, the Eldorado Ballroom is a performance venue that dates back to 1939. Originally a place for Black Houstonians to gather as a community.

Eldorado Ballroom rendering A rendering previews the final look of the Eldorado Ballroom after renovations are completed.Courtesy of Project Row Houses

In its role as operator, Lucille’s Hospitality Group, lead by James Beard Award Outstanding Restaurateur nominee Chris Williams, will have three venues in the building: the Hogan Brown Gallery, Rado Cafe & Market, and the Eldorado Ballroom. Williams tells CultureMap that he recognized the building’s potential when philanthropists Hasty Johnson and Anita Smith initially approached him with the idea of operating the space. They're the first projects for Lucille's Hospitality Group, the company Williams formed in 2021 to extend beyond Lucille's, the acclaimed Southern restaurant he's operated in the Museum District since 2012.

“I don’t even have words for how honored and grateful we are for the opportunity. It’s huge,” Williams says. “The history is huge. It taps into everything I love and I personally think is so important for the greater community . . . It’s about ownership. For the community to take ownership of this, I think the opportunity will be deep.”

First to open will be the Hogan Brown Gallery, Named for Williams’ grandparents, the gallery will provide Third Ward’s artists with a venue for showcasing and selling their work as well as a space for community members to appreciate pieces by local talent. Operated by Lucille’s 1913 as a nonprofit venture, Houston artist Robert Hodge will curate the gallery’s exhibitions and work with the featured artists to enhance their careers.

Rado Cafe & Market will give the neighborhood a high quality restaurant and retail market that sells local produce and prepared food designed to service both people who have lived in Third Ward for years and newcomers. Picnic baskets meals will be available to encourage shoppers to dine across the street in Emancipation Park.

“I love Local Foods in Rice Village. I love everything about it, that great little counter service market with artisanal products on the shelves. It’s a unique shopping experience,” Williams says. “It’s very high end, very niche. I wanted to bring that model to Third Ward.”

Like Local Foods, Rado Cafe will serve sandwiches, salads, and other dishes created by Top Chef finalist Dawn Burrell. Ingredients such as collard greens, okra, and tomatoes will be drawn from local farms. In addition, Lucille’s will contribute fermented and pickles items from its preservation program. The retail shop will feature products from minority vendors along with a selection of wines.

“Everything we do at 1913 is access leading into education. If you don’t have access, you won’t give a shit. There’s no inspiration to learn about it,” Williams says. “I had this idea about having Chris Shepherd come in and teach a wine class for everybody. I think it would be a good way to get old and new neighborhood under one roof enjoying wine.”

In addition, Williams will partner with Third Ward bookshop Kindred Spirits to sell cookbooks. Each month, the market will feature a different book that will be paired with the ingredients necessary to make its recipes.

Like both the Hogan Brown Gallery and Rado Cafe & Market, the Eldorado Ballroom will improve access for Third Ward residents by providing local musicians with a new venue to showcase their talents. The 260-seat room has been upgraded with, in Williams’ words, “2030 lighting and sound” that restores its legacy as a room that’s hosted legendary artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lightnin’ Hopkins. While Williams sees the venue as primarily hosting local acts, he has big goals for the kind of artists he wants to attract for quarterly headlining gigs.

A historic photo of the Eldorado Ballroom.Courtesy of Lucille's Hospitality Group

“Once a quarter, we’re going after [someone like] Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper,” he says. “I’m going after Beyoncé within the next three years. It may be a five-minute cameo. She may be incognito, but I’m getting Beyoncé in that space.”

As a Third Ward resident, Williams recognizes the historic neighborhood is changing. Still, it’s always played a unique role in Houston’s civic life. The renovated ballroom has the opportunity to enhance the neighborhood’s legacy.

“The street I live on is one of the first places in the city where African Americans were able to design their own houses. It’s where we bought the land and designed our own existence. It’s like Black Wall Street,” he says.

“When I was growing up, Third Ward was always its own planet. People were more in touch. It’s always been the anchor of community activists, thinkers, and artists. It really hasn’t changed.”

All three venues are expected to open permanently in May and June, but Houstonians will get a sneak peek this Saturday, April 22 with Lucille’s seventh annual Prince Day. Held to commemorate the anniversary of Prince’s death on April 21, 2016, festivities kick off with an outdoor market from 1-6 pm that will preview many of Rado Cafe & Market’s vendors. From 8 pm - midnight, the Eldorado Ballroom will host a Prince tribute concert. General admission tickets are priced at $35. VIP tickets, priced at $77, include food prepared by Burrell, early admission to the venue, and priority access to table seating. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

“I’m a Prince fanatic,” Williams says. “This is our seventh year. Seven was Prince’s favorite number. It’s perfect to bring it home to the Eldorado.”

Chris Williams Eldorado Ballroom Lucilles Hospitality Rado Cafe concerts openings news-you-can-eat

something for everyone

New brewery pours into Houston with craft beer, cocktails, and homebrew

Photo by Ralph Palmer

Farmboy Brewing Company is now open on N. Shepherd.

The tides of craft breweries in Houston and across the country have shifted dramatically over the past five years, marked by closures and a clear softening of the once unstoppable boom, with names like True Anomaly, Elder Son, and Buffalo Bayou Brewing serving as recent reminders of how quickly the landscape can change. What is emerging in its place is a new phase that is far less rigid about labels and more focused on flexibility and meeting customers where they actually are.

For Landon Weiershausen, that evolution is not guesswork. It's the entire business plan.

After more than a decade running Farmboy Brew Shop and working across nearly every space of the beer supply chain, (hops to kegs to fruit) Weiershausen has stepped back into ownership with a new brewery. Farmboy Brewing Company (4816 N Shepherd Dr.) blends a taproom, full cocktail bar, and homebrew retail shop into a single, community-driven space. The location will be familiar to many craft beer fans, as it previously housed both North Shepherd Brewing and Astral Brewing.

“It’s about giving people what they actually want when they walk in the door,” Weiershausen tells CultureMap.

Weiershausen’s roots in Houston’s beer world stretch back to 2014, when he opened Farmboy Brew Shop, a go-to spot for local Oak Forest/Garden Oaks homebrewers looking for ingredients, gear, and advice. With the launch of Farmboy Brewing, that business still exists, but it’s now integrated into the new brewery.

The move creates something unique in the world of Houston beer — a space where hobbyists, beer nerds, and casual drinkers can intersect. In the 9,000-square-foot space, customers can shop for grains and yeast then walk a few steps over and grab a pint or a cocktail.

“The majority of people coming in for homebrew are also interested in drinking,” Weiershausen says. “Now they don’t have to choose.”

Instead of fighting changes in the beverage industry, Weiershausen is leaning into diversification. His brewery operates with a mixed beverage license, allowing for a full cocktail program alongside beer, wine, non-alcoholic options, and THC-infused drinks. That last category, while politically contentious in Texas, represents what he sees as an undeniable shift in consumer behavior. Currently, Weiershausen is stocking a few verities of THC-infused offerings from Eureka Heights Brew Co.

“There’s a huge market for it,” he says. “Whether people like it or not, customers are choosing those products over traditional alcoholic beverages."

Rather than drawing lines between beer drinkers and everyone else, the goal is to make the space work for large groups that have diverse drink preferences.

“If someone doesn’t drink beer, or doesn’t drink alcohol at all, we still want them to have options.”

Despite the brewery name on the door, Weiershausen isn’t rushing his own beer to market. Instead, the tap list currently leans on guest kegs from local and regional breweries such as Great Heights, Spindletap, Saint Arnold, and Lone Pint. This decision is a deliberate move that buys time while new brewing equipment is installed and optimized. It’s a patient approach that prioritizes long-term quality over a fast rollout and reflects lessons learned from years inside the industry. In the meantime, the guest taps double as a nod to relationships that Weiershausen has built over many years.

“A lot of these are people who took care of me over the years,” he says. “This is a way to return the favor.”

Once the brewing program is rolled out in the next few weeks, expect the first batch of offering to include a West Coast IPA, Hazy IPA, Light Lager, and an American Wheat. The program itself will also be led by head brewer Steven Treleaven, formerly of Conroe’s B-52 Brewing.

Weiershausen’s vision prioritizes education. The homebrew shop has always served as an entry point for teaching its customers more about beer, but the expanded space opens the door to something he describes as an “education escalator.” Plans include monthly workshops covering everything from brewing basics to off-flavor detection (a critical skill for anyone serious about improving their homebrew).

Like most breweries, the space will feature familiar weekly staples including trivia nights, but Weiershausen is also looking to mix in less predictable programming. Think dance classes, themed events, and rotating concepts that go beyond the usual bingo-and-beer formula.

On the food side, Weiershausen has chosen not to build an in-house kitchen. Instead, the brewery will host food trucks, including the return of fan-favorite El Alabrije, known for its Oaxacan-inspired menu.

At its core, the concept reflects something bigger than one brewery. It’s a response to a changing market, a shifting customer base, and a city that’s never fit neatly into one category anyway. For Weiershausen, the path forward isn’t about choosing between beer, cocktails, or anything else. It’s about building a place where all of it works together.

“We’re just trying to create something for the community,” he says. “Whatever that means for them.”

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Ralph Palmer is a co-owner of the Deckle and Hyde barbecue pop-up and a longtime craft beer enthusiast. Follow him on Instagram at eyefearnobeer.

craft beer openings