heights burger favorite shutters

Creative Heights burger joint quietly shutters after more than a decade

Hubcap Grill's location on 19th Street has closed.

One of the Inner Loop’s favorite burger joints has served its last meal. Hubcap Grill has closed its Heights-area location on 19th Street, owner Ricky Craig tells CultureMap.

Hubcap’s locations in Pearland, Galveston, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport remain open and are unaffected by the closure of 19th Street. Employees of the Heights location will be transferring to the Pearland location and have been given a raise to compensate them for their longer commute, Craig adds.

Known for its creative burgers — such as the Philly Cheesesteak Burger and the peanut butter-and-banana-topped Sticky Monkey Burger — and fresh cut, twice-fries french fries, Hubcap has been a staple on 19th Street for more than a decade. Building upon the success of Hubcap’s original downtown location that closed in 2019, Hubcap Heights featured a casual beer garden atmosphere and a well-stocked jukebox.

“I didn’t want to close the doors, but it was one of those things,” Craig says. “I couldn’t buy the property.”

According to Craig, the land at 1133 W. 19th St. is part of a larger parcel that’s being sold for a new residential development. Hubcap has been on a month-to-month lease for the last several months while the landlord fielded offered for the property. Craig says he could have stayed open for a few more months, but he elected to close in order to focus on building his new location in Santa Fe (12405 FM 1764) that will open later this year.

Elements of both the Pearland and Galveston locations will be part of Santa Fe, including having a full bar, TVs for sports, and an expanded menu that includes appetizers such as fried pickles and jalapeno hush puppies. In addition, his plans for Santa Fe include weekly specials like steak night and taco Tuesday as well as a stage for live music. Since he’s purchased the property, he feels good about investing in it for the long term.

On the other hand, Craig’s inability to find an affordable option anywhere inside the loop means that Hubcap fans will have to drive to Pearland to satisfy a craving for a Hubcap Decker burger and Buffalo fries.

“I’ve looked in the Heights and Montrose. I’ve looked for months upon months,” he says. “You can find places, but once you put the numbers together I don’t see how any restaurant can make it due to the high rent . . . I don’t see myself paying $8,000 to $14,000 a month in rent.”

A glimmer of hope exists for Hubcap’s return to central Houston. Craig says he wants to begin franchising Hubcap this year. Perhaps the right franchisee will feel more comfortable with the costs of operating inside the loop than Craig does. Still, it will take a special person who’s fully committed to earn Craig’s approval.

“We’ve had people reach out to us,” he says. “I want the right person, an owner operator. Not someone who wants it as investment.”

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the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

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