LMJ's coffee concept

Astros fan favorite Lance McCullers, Jr. opens 2nd coffee and cocktails spot, with 2 more on the way

A Houston coffee shop and cocktail bar revealed an ambitious plan that will take it from one location to four in the coming months. Maven Coffee + Cocktails — a beverage concept that counts Astros fan favorite Lance McCullers Jr. as one of its partners — just opened its second location with two more on the way soon.

Photo by Chloe KIssner

Maven partners Blake Fertitta, Lance McCullers, Jr., and Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa. (Oh, and Orbit.)

McCullers and his business partners Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa and Blake Fertitta opened the first Maven this summer at Minute Maid Park as part of their Rex Hospitality company. It quickly developed a following for its cold brew coffee as well as coffee-based cocktails such as the carajillo and frozen espresso martini.

Maven has already built on that success with a new location at Toyota Center that opened for the Rockets home opened against the Golden State Warriors. They’ll follow that up with an outpost at the upcoming Thompson Hotel that opens next month in the Allen mixed-use development and the brand’s first brick and mortar location in Sawyer Yards that will open in early 2024.

“I have always been a coffee aficionado and craved to one day open a coffee shop that spared no expense and whose motto would be quality over everything,” McCullers tells CultureMap. “My love for Houston made it an easy choice to find a plot of land to make this dream become a reality. I wanted to bring a new fresh mind and attitude to the hospitality space where we create amazing atmospheres for both our guests and employees.” (The man who coined the phrase “Bury Me in The H” shared his intense love for Houston in this in-depth interview with CultureMap last year.)

The Toyota Center location is a cart located near the Frost East Club (Sections 118-122) that serves a range of cocktails including gin and tonics, margaritas, Old Fashioneds, and coffee-based cocktails. In addition, Maven’s frozen espresso martini can be found throughout the arena’s main concourse.

Maven’s location at the Thompson Hotel will be located on the first floor. It will serve coffee, pastries, and cocktails to both hotel guests and locals. As CultureMap has previously reported, it will joined by three new restaurants from Las Vegas-based TableOne Hospitality.

Similarly, the brick and mortar location will serve pastries, coffee, and a range of cocktails. Plans call for a space that will transition from a family-friendly coffee shop during the day to an upscale bar in the evenings.

“Unlike most coffee shops that are quick to market and lack details, Maven Coffee + Cocktails locations are beautifully designed and decorated with ample seating, an indoor/outdoor area, and a drink and lite bites menu that has been curated by industry experts,” McCullers says. “This ensures that along with the coffee, every visit and encounter with our spaces are of the highest quality.”

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bring on barnaby's

Favorite Houston comfort food spot picks Garden Oaks for 10th location

Courtesy of Barnaby's Cafe

Barnaby's Cafe is coming to the Stomping Grounds this fall.

Earlier this week, real estate developer Bryan Danna promised “big news…very soon” about a new tenant for the former LuLoo’s Day & Night space at his Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. That news is that Houston favorite Barnaby’s Cafe has claimed the space for a new location that will open later this year.

When a Barnaby’s decal appear on the restaurant’s door a couple of days ago, news of the restaurant’s imminent arrival spread quickly on social media. It will be Barnaby’s tenth location, joining outposts in Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, and more.

The restaurant will occupy a 2,250-square-foot space at the Stomping Grounds. It will offer a to-go window for people hanging out in the development’s green space as well as a gated, dog-friendly patio. Houston artist Roberto Cervantes will contribute works to the restaurant’s interior.

Founded in 1992 by restaurateur Jeff Gale, Barnaby’s is known for its wide-ranging and affordable menu of classic American fare, including salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and dinner entrees. Customer favorites include the Lebanese chicken fattoush salad, chipotle black bean burger, baby back ribs, and green eggs, which are scrambled with spinach and artichoke hearts. Dogs can snack on a special “puppy menu” of ground beef, sliced chicken breast, or scrambled eggs over brown rice.

Stomping Grounds green space A to-go window will expedite orders for people in the Stomping Grounds' green space.Courtesy of Stomping Grounds

“Bringing Barnaby’s to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest has been on my wish list for more than a decade, so I’m incredibly grateful that Jeff Gale and his team saw Stomping Grounds as the right fit,” Danna said in a statement. “Jeff and I go back to his first Heights location, which was one of Barnaby’s first big moves north of Montrose, and I have always respected what he and his longtime team have built. Thirty years in the restaurant business is a serious accomplishment. You do not make it that long unless you know how to take care of people, build loyalty, and become part of the neighborhood.”

When it opens this fall, Barnaby’s will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. It will join other restaurants at the Stomping Grounds, including Fat Cat Creamery, Tex-Mex restaurant La Mex, Bollo Woodfired Pizza, casual sushi restaurant Himari, Little Sister Cake Shop, and High Five Mini Bar. Earlier this week, casual Vietnamese restaurant Pho Prime announced that it had claimed the space formerly occupied by The Pho Fix for a new location that will also open this fall.

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