Austin gluten-free fave

Favorite Austin restaurant debuts in Montrose's hottest hub with delectable dishes for the gluten-free crowd

An Austin restaurant known for catering to people with different dietary requirements will soon makes its Houston debut. Picnik will open on Monday, April 24.

Located in the Montrose Collective mixed-use development (888 Westheimer Rd.), Picnik distinguishes itself by the way it constructs dishes to make them approachable for people with food allergies. Every menu item is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, peanut-free, and seed oil-free.

Diners can add superfoods and adaptogens such as CBD, Reishi (relaxation), Sharp (energy), or Lion’s Mane (focus). In addition, the kitchen only cooks with avocado oil, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil. The restaurant will be open for lunch, dinner, and brunch.

“At Picnik we strive to make sure our menu is approachable and delicious. We want our guests to feel at home whether they are out with friends, family or having a work meeting,” Picnik CEO Dan Mesches said in a statement. “Even if you don’t live in the neighborhood we want you to feel like this is your place to eat, drink and relax.”

Popular dishes on the menu include the Bacon Jam Burger made with a grass-fed beef patty; everything salmon with fennel and tomato salad; and a taco bowl. Seasonal specials like spring hash (corn, asparagus, kale, sweet potato, and housemade sausage) keep things fresh.

Beverage options include cocktails such as the Pitaya Margarita (tequila, dragon fruit, raw honey, lime juice) and the Southern Charm (bourbon, citrus, banana, and spices). In addition, look for sustainable wines, gluten-free beers, zero-proof cocktails, cider, and hard kombucha.

Originally launched in 2013 as a food trailer by Naomi Seifter, the restaurant has grown to two Austin locations. HapstakDemetriou+ Architecture Design took inspiration from nature to create the Houston location’s look.

Picnik joins a diverse group of restaurants in the Montrose Collective, including Uchi, Graffiti Raw, Marmo, and La La Land Kind Cafe. The Chelsea Bistro and Bar will open in the development soon.

Austin's Picnik comes to Montrose later this year.

Courtesy of Picnik

The Bacon Jam Burger is a customer favorite.

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ps, we're closed

Houston's most pretty-in-pink restaurant quietly closes in Upper Kirby

Photo by Jenn Duncan

You'll see a lot of pink at PostScript.

PostScript, Upper Kirby’ posh pink restaurant, has quietly closed, CultureMap has learned.

Although the restaurant is still accepting reservations on OpenTable — and is, as of this article’s publication, listed as open on both Yelp and Google — reports circulated on social media this weekend that it had abruptly canceled diners’ Mother’s Day reservations. In addition, its dining room in the Shops at Arrive mixed-use development has been emptied of furniture.

PostScript opened with considerable fanfare in February 2024. Owners Veeral Rathod and Obi Ibeto, brought their experiences as partners in the Dallas-based GAP Hospitality to the project, which operates establishments such as XOXO Dining Room, Lyla, and Drai’s Dallas. Particularly inspired by XOXO Dining Room, they created an ode to pink that included pink exterior and interior walls, a pink quartz bar, and a pink grand piano. “Push for Champagne” buttons added to the lively spirit.

Chef Bryan Caswell created the menu. Best known for his pioneering Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Reef that closed in 2019, Caswell’s menu included fried chicken with hummus, oysters three ways (raw, roasted, and fried), a sushi roll, and the double smoked pork chop that was a Reef staple. A doughnut topped with caviar became a customer favorite.

Since Caswell was only consulting on the project, he left a couple of months after opening. Latuli, Caswell’s new Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant in the Memorial area, is expected to open soon.

CultureMap has reached out to PostScript via email, phone, and Instagram message for comment on the decision to close the restaurant. We will update this article if they reply.

PostScript’s closure follows that of Cru, which ended a 13-year run in December 2024. On the other hand, Kira, a sushi hand roll concept from Houston’s Comma Hospitality that’s also located in the development, is thriving, having earned the No. 4 spot on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants. The development is also home to beloved Indian restaurant Pondicheri, an outpost of the steakhouse chain Eddie V’s, and top tier Houston shopping destination Tootsie’s.

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