local eats at HOU

Hobby Airport takes off with 10 new favorite Houston restaurants, from farm-to-table to 'fat' ice cream

Dish Society is coming to Hobby.

Photo by Kimberly Park

Visitors to Hobby Airport will soon be able to get a true taste of Houston during their layovers. This week, Houston City Council approved a new, 10-year contract that will bring 10 new restaurants to the airport.

LaTrelle’s Galley, LP., a division of Houston-based LaTrelle’s Management, has partnered with local restaurants, including:

Dish Society, a casual, farm to table restaurant
Common Bond, the bakery and cafe known for its pastries and sandwiches
The Rustic, the Texas comfort food bar and restaurant that counts musician Pat Green as an owner
Velvet Taco, the Dallas-based restaurant known for its creative combinations
Pinks Pizza, a Houston pizzeria with seven locations
Fat Cat Creamery, the retro-inspired ice cream shop that uses Texas eggs, dairy, and produce

National brands coming to the airport consist of Peet’s Coffee, Jersey Mike’s, Wendy’s, and Dunkin’.

Each restaurant in the 17,000-square-foot space will have branding and signage consistent with its other locations. For example, The Rustic will have a stage for live music performances. Overall, the renovations are expected to take approximately two years to complete. Food service will not be disrupted by the construction.

Hobby Airport pinks pizza rendering Each brand will feature distinctive signage. Courtesy of Houston Airports

LaTrelle’s Management started its airport business in 1985 with a bakery at Hobby. Now, it operates more than 30 restaurants in airports across the country, according to a release.

“We are bringing ourselves to this project, and we are Houston,” LaTrelle’s operations director Cameron James said in a statement. “We put together a proposal that aims to do right by our restaurant operators and the airport alike — everyone wins. When a local, family-owned and operated business like us is given the opportunity to spearhead a venture like this, it also sends an important message to other entrepreneurs: This is something that can happen in this city.”

The new restaurants should help Hobby Airport maintain its prestigious reputation. Last year, it became the first airport in North America — and one of only 16 in the world — to receive a prestigious 5-star rating from the Skytrax World Airport Star Rating.

“As the first and only 5-Star airport in North America, it’s imperative that Hobby Airport continues to elevate the passenger experience through unique, diverse, and delightful culinary options,” Houston Airports COO Jim Szczesniak stated. “Because LaTrelle’s is rooted in Houston, I am confident that the variety of local, regional and national concepts will raise the bar on our world-class customer experience while ensuring all of our guests experience the ‘‘Houston friendly’ hospitality that comes with Hobby Airport being a five-star global service gateway.”

openings transportation news-you-can-eat

8 miles high

Houston chef's menu takes off on United's premium business class offering

Courtesy of United

Justin Yu, far left, is one of 11 participating chefs.

United Airlines has shared more details about its new partnership with Chef’s Table, the acclaimed Netflix documentary series, including the menus created by the 11 participating chefs for travelers flying its premium Polaris business class seating.

For flights departing from Houston, United and Chef’s Table recruited Justin Yu, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Theodore Rex, a fine dining restaurant in downtown that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In addition, Yu and his business partner Bobby Heugel own Houston hospitality group Thorough Fare, which operates bars and restaurants including Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow, Squable, Donna’s, and a new, still-unnamed restaurant in Montrose that’s slated to open later this year.

Beginning August 1, people departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be able to dine on Yu’s three-course menu that consists of:

Appetizer: Deviled eggs with white soy, aged cheddar, and chives
Salad: Chicory salad with spiced bacon, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, and oregano mustard vinaigrette
Entrée: Braised Texas short rib with ragout of mushrooms, red miso, and black eyed peas

“I wanted that slightly Texan touch,” Yu told CultureMap in March. “To me, the Houston part of it is the most important. There’s such a level of diversity. Introducing light touches of that to the meal was something I considered.”

Other participating chefs include Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles), whose menu includes an appetizer of burrata with braised leeks, shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and beef brasato with garlic mashed potatoes; Jenner Tomaska (Esmé, Petite Edith, and The Alston in Chicago), who has created a braised leeks appetizer, an arugula salad, and halibut with sauce matelote; Tomos Parry (Mountain and Brat in London), whose menu includes an appetizer of grilled beef filet, lobster salad with grilled peach, and slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes.

Chefs representing United’s destinations in Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., São Paulo, and Tokyo are also participating. The menus will be available through September 2026. They’ll be updated with new seasonal items beginning in October. Customers may opt for the Chef's Table meals beginning five days and up to 24 hours prior to departure.

"At its core, this collaboration with Chef's Table is rooted in a shared ambition to redefine what inflight dining can be," said Aaron McMillan, United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, in a statement. "Because our leading global network reaches into the world's greatest food cities, we're able to work hand-in-hand with world-class chefs and translate their points of view into dishes intentionally designed for the realities of travel and inspired by destinations we serve."

chefs united airlines news-you-can-eat