a kind of kin dee

Hot Heights Thai restaurant's owner set to open luxurious, artful new eatery in River Oaks

Lukkaew Srasrisuwan will open MaKiin next year.

Courtesy of MaKiin

The owner of a popular Thai restaurant will soon add a second concept to her roster. Kin Dee co-owner Lukkaew Srasrisuwan will open MaKiin next spring.

Located on the first floor of the Hanover River Oaks luxury high-rise, MaKiin will offer a more upscale experience than Kin Dee, which opened in the Heights in 2020.

Details on what exactly that means are still being worked out, but diners can expect a more luxurious environment and different dishes than Srasrisuwan’s first restaurant. Notably, Kin Dee chef Miranda Loetkhamfu is not involved in the project.

Named after a Thai phrase that translates as “come to eat,” MaKiin aims to offer a high level of hospitality. It will draw upon Srasrisuwan’s family history operating luxurious hotels, including the Khanom Golden Beach.

“I want to continue to share my love for authentic Thai cuisine with Houstonians, and am excited about the opportunity to bring a new concept to the dynamic Kirby corridor,” Srasrisuwan said in a statement. “With Kin Dee we showed Houstonians Thai food can be fun and vibrant. MaKiin will deliver a more elevated experience that will celebrate the artistry of my homeland’s authentic flavors, ingredients, and techniques.”

MaKiin will join other new arrivals in Upper Kirby such as Lulu’s, an Italian restaurants from Armandos owners Cinda and Armando Palacios that opened last year. Se7en, an ambitious, vibe dining concept, will open later this year in the Kirby Collection mixed-use development.

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rolling into Town & Country

Buzzy East Coast bagel bakery sets opening date for first Houston shop

Photo by Jen Goldberg

PopUp Bagels will open on Friday, June 12.

A rapidly-growing East Coast bagel chain has set an opening date for its first Houston location. PopUp Bagels will open on Friday, June 12, the company announced.

Located at 700 Town and Country Blvd (suite 2640), PopUp Bagels teased its Houston plans with a window wrap in February. It joins two locations in Dallas. Overall, Texas franchisee Lone Star Bagels plans to open more than 10 locations statewide, according to press materials.

PopUp Bagels has a somewhat unusual business model. Unlike most of Houston’s locally-owned bagels shop, it doesn’t serve bagel sandwiches — or even toast or slice bagels for its customers. Instead, customers are encouraged to “grip, rip, and dip” their bagels directly into the spreads.

Similarly, PopUp Bagels only offers five options: plain, salt, poppy, sesame, and everything. They can be matched with one of six spreads: plain cream cheese, salted butter, scallion cream cheese, and rotating options that currently include truffle cream cheese and hot pickle butter.

Finally, PopUp bagels doesn’t sell individual bagels. Diners must purchase a minimum of three bagels and a schmear for $15. A dozen bagels and two schmears costs $46. As a point of comparison, bagels at Houston’s Bagel Shop Bakery can be purchased individually for $2 each or $25 for a baker’s dozen (13 bagels) with two 8-ounce containers of cream cheese.

Despite these policies, PopUp Bagels has amassed a devoted following for its crispy texture, airy interior, and dense coating of seeds. Its won “Best Bagel” at the Brooklyn Bagel Fest in 2021 and 2022 and is ranked as one of the 17 best bagels in New York by the New York Times. Since being acquired by equity growth firm Stripes in 2023, it has announced plans to open more than 300 locations nationwide and counts a number of celebrities, including Houston Texans legend JJ Watt, among its investors.

PopUp Bagels will celebrate its grand opening from 8-11 am on Friday, June 12, The event will feature a DJ and a limited edition spicy queso cream cheese. In addition, 50 percent of proceeds will be donated to the JJ Watt Foundation.

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