Plans are taking shape for the Hotel Daphne, Bunkhouse Hotel’s new property in the Heights. Among its other amenities, the 49-room boutique hotel will include Hypsi, an Italian restaurant led by Houston chef Terrence Gallivan.
Best known for his time as the co-executive chef and co-owner of The Pass & Provisions, Gallivan also owned ElRo Pizza & Crudo from June 2023 and until December 2024. Gallivan and co-chef Seth Siegel-Gardner earned two James Beard semifinalist nominations for Best Chef: Southwest for their work at The Pass & Provisions, as well as winning the first CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Restaurant of the Year back in 2014.
Slated to open in November, Hypsi will be an Italian-inspired restaurant that’s initially open for dinner, with breakfast and lunch service to follow. While the menu is still under development, plans call for an extensive pasta program alongside freshly-baked breads and main entrees such as steak and whole-roasted fish. A mozzarella cart will roam the dining room with various cheeses and add-ons such as pickled vegetables, aged vinegars, and cold pressed olive oil. Lunch will focus on sandwiches and salads with breakfast centered around more traditional American fare.
“I’m honored to introduce Hypsi to the Heights and to be part of Hotel Daphne’s opening chapter,” Gallivan said in a statement. “This is an incredible opportunity to cook for a city I love in a neighborhood with such a unique story, and my hope is that Hypsi becomes a place where locals and visitors alike will return time and time again — whether to celebrate one of life’s special moments, to simply enjoy a thoughtfully prepared meal, or to linger over cocktails and conversation with loved ones.”
Ben Ackerley, one of the owners of the Hotel Daphne, tells CultureMap that Bunkhouse, and its owner Hyatt, recruited Gallivan to the project. “We think the restaurant will be killer,” Ackerley says. “Having Terrence on board is huge. We’ve got the final tasting in about two weeks. I think its going to be really solid for lunch and dinner.”
This illustration previews the bar at Hypsi.Courtesy of Viewpoint Studios
For the restaurant’s design, Bunkhouse took inspiration from the Arts and Crafts architectural style. Inspired by private clubs, the design will include an indoor fireplace, banquettes adorned with “psychedelic pillows,” and more, according to press materials.
In addition to Hypsi, the Hotel Daphne will also have a separate bar in the former Heights Flower Shop space. Details on the bar will follow closer to the hotel’s opening.
Located at 347 W. 20th St., the Hotel Daphne will open in December with 49 rooms, Hypsi, and a retail shop in its lobby that will be similar to the Hotel Saint Augustine, Bunkhouse’s Montrose hotel that opened last year. A second phase of the Hotel Daphne’s buildout will include a resort-style pool and pool bar; 10, bungalow-style suites (bringing the total room count to 59); and an events space and lawn.
