end of an era

I-45 freeway project prompts Houston Vietnamese restaurant to close in EaDo

Kim Son is closing this Sunday, October 12.

One of the last remnants of EaDo’s status as Houston’s original Chinatown is closing this week. Kim Son announced that it will close its location at 2001 Jefferson St. this Sunday, October 12.

In a Facebook post, the restaurant states that it is closing due to the I-45 expansion project. Kim Son has operated on Jefferson St. since 1993.

“We’re deeply grateful to our loyal guests, staff, and neighbors who made every visit feel like home. Your support and love have meant the world to us. Though our doors may close, the memories and flavors will live on in our hearts,” the post reads in part.

Founded by Kim Su Tran La — known as “Mama La” — Kim Son serves both Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. With dishes such as Vietnamese fajitas and black pepper crab, the restaurant helped popularize Vietnamese cuisine in Houston. In addition to regular restaurant service, Kim Son’s expansive private dining room has hosted countless celebrations

While the restaurant is leaving a neighborhood it has called home since opening its original location on Pease St. in 1982, Kim Son’s Chinatown location will remain open. In addition to Kim Son’s regular menu, the Chinatown location offers a range of dim sum, continuing the legacy of the restaurant’s Stafford location that closed in 2023.

While the closure ends Kim Son’s presence inside the loop, the restaurant may open a new location on land it owns nearby, chief operating officer Tao La tells the Houston Chronicle.

“We still want to have a downtown presence,” he said. “We’d love to be in the area because it’s where we grew up.”

Kim Son is only the latest restaurant to close due to the I-45 expansion project. Agricole Hospitality closed its three concepts in the neighborhood last year. Vietnamese restaurant Huynh, another neighborhood staple, will relocate from EaDo to Upper Kirby due to the construction, the Houston Chronicle reports.

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Cochinita on the move

Beard-recognized Houston chef fires up second taqueria in Lindale Park

Cochinita & Co./Facebook

Victoria Elizondo is opening a new location of Cochinta & Co.

Modern Mexican restaurant Cochinita & Co. is growing. Chef-owner Victoria Elizondo has claimed the former A 2nd Cup space in Lindale Park for a second location that’s expected to open in April (4928 Fulton Street).

“We had previously hosted a pop-up at this location and received an incredible amount of support from the neighborhood,” Elizondo tells CultureMap in an email. “Community members repeatedly told us how much the area needed a space like ours. When the previous tenants decided not to renew their lease, it felt like the right moment to return permanently.”

Powered by Elizondo’s signature cochinita pibil and other takes on classic tacos, Cochinita & Co. has evolved from a pop-up, to a stand at the short-lived Politan Row food hall, to a food truck, to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the East End. Along the way, Elizondo has been a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist — for Emerging Chef in 2023 and for Best Chef: Texas in 2024. Cochinita is also one of only five Houston restaurants to earn a spot on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best tacos. Along the way, she’s also launched a thriving packaged goods business built around totopos, salsa, and tamales and written a cookbook

Like the original, the new location of Cochinita & Co. will be open for breakfast and lunch daily. Unlike the original, it will not be open for dinner. Instead, Elizondo will launch Corimar, a dinner series with guest chefs. It will debut in a few months after the team has dialed in breakfast and lunch service.

“Corimar is very personal to me. It’s my way of creating space for new ideas without changing what people already love about Cochinita,” Elizondo explains. “By day, we’ll remain the café our community knows. By night, Corimar will become a platform for occasional experimentation, (and sometimes) collaboration, and dishes that don’t always fit into a traditional menu.”

Director of operations Robert Lopez will assist Elizondo in operating both locations. A member of the Cochinita team since the East End location opened, he oversees the restaurant’s pastry and beverage programs as well as overseeing the packaged goods business.

Elizondo acknowledges that opening a second location represents a pivotal moment in her career as a chef and restaurateur.

“It feels surreal. I remember the pop-up days when opening a brick-and-mortar alone felt like a dream,” she writes. “Since then, we’ve grown into a restaurant, a manufacturing kitchen, catering company, and now a second location. I’m incredibly grateful for our loyal customers, not a week goes by without someone asking when we’re opening another location while they’re standing in line for brunch.”

Cochinita & Co./Facebook

Victoria Elizondo is opening a new location of Cochinta & Co.

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