when I dip, you dip

Heights restaurant's new lunch service will only offer 1 sandwich

La Lucha will begin serving French dips on Friday, June 12.

Courtesy of La Lucha

If a sandwich hall of fame existed, one of its plaques would surely be devoted to the French dip. Its combination of thinly-sliced beef, tangy horseradish sauce, and a savory au jus is a winning formula.

Beginning Friday, June 12, Heights restaurant La Lucha will be showcasing two takes on the venerable sandwich when it starts serving them for its new Friday-only lunch service, which will be held from 11 am-2 pm. To be clear, the two sandwiches (plus fries) will be the only menu items available at lunch — apologies to anyone hoping to ease into the weekend with La Lucha staples like fried chicken or the pharmacy burger.

The two sandwich choices are: a West Coast style French dip that’s just shaved meat and au jus or an East Coast style that adds provolone and caramelized onions. Both are served with horseradish aioli on bread from Houston’s Royal Bakery that “gets crispy and delicious,” according to executive chef Bobby Matos.

The meat is the same prime rib that newly opened steak joint Star Rover, La Lucha’s sister restaurant, serves as part of its viral, “I ate the 76’er” eating challenge. Priced at $27 for the West Coast and $29 for the East Coast, both sandwiches offer a healthy seven ounces of thinly-sliced beef.

“They’ve done this at Bar Blanc in Atlanta. It’s been a huge success and people are digging it,” Matos explains about the motivation to introduce the offering.

Limiting the menu to two variations of the same sandwich, fries, and beverages — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — allows La Lucha to offer its Friday lunch service more easily than if Matos had to staff the kitchen to parepare its full menu.

“It’s just bringing more people to the Heights and giving them a chance to get to know our restaurants,” Matos adds. “There are still people who don’t know about La Lucha, and it’s been eight years.”

Although Matos moved to Texas from California, he says he prefers the East Coast French dip. “I want cheese and onions on mine. I like cheese on French dips,” he says.

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Coming Attractions

Halal BBQ and family-friendly eatery slated for Sugar Land development

Levant BBQ

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Halal barbecue and and a family-friendly restaurant are coming to Sugar Land Town Square. Commercial real estate firm Rebees announced it has signed leases with the following two restaurants, along with a couple of retail tenants.

Levant BBQ will open its second Houston-area location in late 2026 or early 2027 in the former Ruggles Green at 15903 City Walk. Known for its halal meats, including lamb chops, leg of lamb, and lamb neck, Levant BBQ opened its first location in the Galleria area in 2024. A Dallas location followed this year.

“I did enjoy the flavor of the lamb along with the rub heavy on cardamom and Aleppo paprika with a hint of ginger,” Texas Monthly barbecue editor wrote in a 2025 review. “The chops get a kiss of post oak smoke and are mild in flavor, with much of the fat rendered out in the long cooking process. The lamb neck was bolder — just the right amount of gaminess — and the meat shred similar to pork shoulder. I especially liked it after a dip in the house barbecue sauce made sweet and tangy with pomegranate molasses.”

Joining Levant will be Majestic Kitchen. Located in the former Mahesh’s Kitchen space, it’s described in press materials as a “family-driven culinary concept” from Majestic Developers founders Santosh and Supraja Cividi. The couple signed a lease in May and will provide more information about when the restaurant will open in the coming weeks.

In addition to Levant BBQ and Majestic Kitchen, Escapology Escape Rooms is now open at 2248 Texas Dr. Nishat Mills, an online fashion retailer that specializes in contemporary South Asian-inspired apparel for men and women, will open its first brick-and-mortar location at 16160 City Walk.

Located next to First Colony Mall, Sugar Land Town Square is anchored by Sugar Land City Hall and the Houston Marriott Sugar Land. It’s home to a number of restaurants and bars, including Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Japaneiro's Sushi Bar and Latin Grill, and B.B. Italia, an Italian-American restaurant from Berg Hospitality. Among the more recent openings is Insomnia Cookies, a cookie bakery that stays open until 3 am on the weekends.

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