a new leaf

Healthy-eating Houston restaurant sets opening date for new Tanglewood location

The wait is over for Briargrove and Tanglewood residents looking for a restaurant that serves healthy options. Leaf & Grain will open its fourth location this Saturday, April 6, at noon.

Photo by Michael Ma

Leaf & Grain is coming to Tanglewood.

Located in the former Zoës Kitchen space (5779 San Felipe St.) on the border of Tanglewood and Briargrove, Leaf & Grain servers salads, bowls, and sandwiches. Diners may build their own from a range of toppings that include six vegetable or grain bases, 19 standard toppings, 20 premium toppings, and 14 dressings. Preset choices include staples such as a Caesar salad and lemon-caper salmon bowl. Seasonal specials add variety and freshness to the menu.

Leaf & Grain enlisted Houston’s Gin Design Group to design the new location’s interior. It will serve as a template for for future growth.

To celebrate Saturday’s grand opening, the first 50 people through the door will have the opportunity to win raffle prizes from H.E.B., Underground Creamery, Burger Bodega, Street to Kitchen, Balboa Surf Club, Lululemon, Motiv Fitness, Hiatus Spa, Omni Hotels, and Rambler Sparkling Water, as well as tickets to the Astros, Rockets, or Dynamo.

The restaurant opened its first location in the Shops at Houston Center in 2017. In 2021, it opened its first location outside of downtown in West University Place. Leaf & Grain co-founder Deets Hoffman knows the area well.

"I get nostalgia every time I drive up to this location," Hoffman said in a statement. "I played Post Oak Little League right across the street, and my grandparents were just around the block, so I spent a lot of my childhood here. This is a special restaurant for us, and we cannot wait to serve the Briargrove-Tanglewood community!"

Leaf & Grain’s new location will operate with the same hours as the West University store — daily from 10:30 am until 8 pm.

Find more information at the restaurant’s website.

need a hand?

Growing Houston sushi chain rolls into new Galleria-area development

Courtesy of Handies Douzo

Handies Douzo will brings its hand rolls to Uptown later this year.

A growing Houston hand roll restaurant has signed on to a new Galleria-area development. Handies Douzo is the fourth restaurant announced for Central Park Post Oak.

Opened in late 2019, Handies is known for wrapping its rolls in crispy seaweed that gives each bite a distinct crunch. The well-executed dishes and affordable prices helped Handies earn a nomination for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

On track to open later this year, the Uptown location will be Handies Douzo’s fourth, joining its original in the Heights as well as restaurants in Montrose and Spring Branch. Like those siblings, it will serve Handies’ familiar menu of hand rolls (temaki), crudos, and sashimi that’s overseen by founding chefs and co-owners Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham.

Duckstache, the hospitality group behind Handies, is working with Houston’s Gin Design Group on the interior. Expect a slightly more upscale look than the restaurant’s other locations, with details such as matte black finishes and dark terrazzo to complement the 26-seat counter.

“We’re really intentional about the neighborhoods we choose and where we think Handies Douzo will feel like a natural fit,” Lee said in a statement. “Houston diners know what they like, and Uptown is such a vibrant, fast-growing area. Central Park Post Oak felt like the right match for our handroll experience and the way people in Houston live, work, and dine.”

Handies is the fourth restaurant that’s announced its plans to open at Central Park Post Oak. The others are:

Buck & Rider, an Arizona-based seafood restaurant known for its oyster bar and lively brunch
The Henry, the “ultimate neighborhood restaurant” from Flower Child owner Fox Restaurant Concepts
Sparrow Italia, an Italian steakhouse from Toca Madera owner Noble 33.

Announced last year, Central Park Post Oak will consist of three buildings with a combined 1.2 million square feet of office space separated by a three-acre lawn. Houston-based real estate development firm Midway, working with real estate investment firms 3Edgewood and Parkway, is developing the property. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026 with the restaurants openings to follow.

“Handies Douzo represents the kind of thoughtful, chef-driven hospitality we want at the heart of Central Park Post Oak,” Midway vice president Clayton Freels said. “Patrick, Daniel, and the Duckstache team have built a loyal following across Houston, and we are thrilled to help them extend that experience to Uptown in a way that feels authentic to both the brand and the neighborhood.”

news-you-can-eat openings