baguettes, eclairs, and more

Bakery known for Houston's best croissants rolls into the Heights

The bakery known for making some of Houston’s best croissants is coming to the Heights. Magnol French Baking has claimed the former Andy’s Home Cafe space (1115 E 11th St.) for a second location that will join its original bakery on North Post Oak.

Founded in 2019 by French-trained baker Otto Sanchez, Magnol has become one of Houston’s most acclaimed bakeries. Its croissants, baguettes, and pastries can be found in restaurants throughout Houston, including Rosie Cannonball, Ostia, and Le Jardinier. Pastry fans know to line up early on the weekends for sweets such as eclairs, cookies, and tarts.

Currently, Sanchez intends to open his new location in time for the holiday season, but the difficulties of renovating an almost 90-year old building make the outlook somewhat uncertain.

“Once the build out and permitting phases are complete comes the fun part: Operating two bakeries,” Sanchez said in a statement. “It will be grueling, but I am excited about the challenge, and to do it in this city, because Houston is home. For more than 30 years it has treated me well, and this is me trying to reciprocate.”

Prior to opening Magnol, Sanchez began his career at the Alden Hotel's *17 restaurant before leaving in Houston in 2005. He worked in Las Vegas as well as at the Hotel Bardessono in Yountville, California; The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay; and Burj Al Arab in Dubai, where he was the assistant pastry chef. He returned to Houston in 2014 to lead the pastry program at La Table.

Joining Sanchez in the kitchen will be executive pastry chef Nicolas Berrais. Like Sanchez, Berrais brings experience working for superstar French chefs Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon. The native Frenchman has more than 30 years of professional experience.

“Otto and I have spoken about this for years,” Berrais added. “He’s a great friend, and he’s doing an incredible job; better than many French bakers I know. Otto and I will work together to bring Magnol to another level.”

Magnol French Baking is now open for business.

Photo by Carla Gomez

Magnol French Baking is coming to the Heights.

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a major award

California-inspired Houston restaurant makes Robb Report best new list

Photo by Paula Murphy

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A Houston restaurant is basking in the national spotlight. Robb Report named Zaranda, chef Hugo Ortega’s California-inspired downtown restaurant, to its list of The 10 Best New Restaurants in America.

Published Tuesday, June 16, Zaranda ranks No. 10 on the list. Culinary editor Jeremy Repanich hails Ortega and his wife/business partner Tracy Vaught, writing that Zaranda “may be their best restaurant yet,” which is lofty praise considering their H-Town Restaurant Group also includes Hugo’s, Caracol, Urbe, and Xochi. It's the only Texas restaurant on the list, which is topped by Lilo, a 24-seat tasting counter in Carlsbad, CA.

“Their take on Las Californias cooking incorporates influences of Asia: In the aguachile negro, for example, lime-cured shrimp has the salty punch of soy sauce,” Repanich writes. “At this seafood-focused restaurant, the whole-grilled fish is a must. It’s served with a trio of excellent sauces, from the salsa verde with its sharp acidity to the charred-tomato salsa that has a rounder, fruitier, and smokier flavor profile.”

Ortega and Vaught opened Zaranda in October 2025. Located next to Discovery Green in the Norton Rose Fulbright Tower, the restaurant is named for a wire basket used to cook seafood over an open flame. It has earned significant praise, including a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, a spot on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants, and an honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 25 best new taquerias.

Repanich writes that the restaurants that intrigued him most over the past year were smaller and more intimate than places he’s selected in previous years. He mentions Perseid, Aaron Bludorn’s restaurant in Houston’s Hotel Saint Augustine, as one example of that style of restaurant that just missed making the list.

“Nevertheless, plenty of kitchens that did make the cut share that same intimacy, with artful, unfussy cooking; even the handful of tasting-menu spots revealed a softer, lighter side of fine dining,” Repanich writes. “Ultimately, that’s what the 10 best new restaurants in America for 2026 have in common: a refined sense of play that stays with you long after the meal is over.”

Robb Report frequently includes Houston restaurants on its best new list. In 2024, upscale sushi restaurant Katami made the list, as did Navy Blue and Jūn in 2023 and March in 2022. It also named James Beard Award winner (and CultureMap wine columnist) Chris Shepherd the best chef in the world in 2019.

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