COMING ATTRACTIONS

San Antonio coffee shop brews up plans for third Houston café

Merit Coffee Co. will open three Houston locations by the end of 2026.

San Antonio’s acclaimed Merit Coffee is continuing its Houston expansion. After taking over a former Starbucks at 5115 Buffalo Speedway in July, the Texas chain will open two more Bayou City coffee shops in winter 2026.

One of those two cafés, in the historic Swift Building in the Heights, was previously announced, but the chain has newly revealed that it will also debut a third shop at Greenside in Memorial City. Both are being developed by Houston’s Radom Capitol.

Founded in 2009 as Local Coffee, the chain now has 14 locations in Austin, Dallas, and its San Antonio home base. The business has earned accolades in all of its markets, including a 2025 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Award for Best Coffee Shop.

Merit’s beans, sourced from growers in Central/South America and Africa and roasted locally, might already be familiar to Houstonians who shop at H-E-B, Central Market, or Whole Foods Market. But soon the city’s coffee lovers will have access to an in-person Merit Coffee experience.

"For years, we've dreamed about bringing Merit to Houston," said Bill Ellis, CEO of Merit Coffee, in a release. "Houston has one of the most exciting food and beverage cultures anywhere in the country, and we've been intentional about finding the right neighborhoods, partners, and opportunities to establish roots here."

Merit takes pride in making sure each physical location reflects its neighborhood. The website includes line drawings of each café, which range from a 1900 stone house in Austin to a sleek glass storefront in Dallas.

The menus are largely the same at each outpost. In addition to all the classic espresso drinks, Merit also serves matcha, hōjicha tea, refreshers, and playful creations like a latte made with raspberry purée and almond ricotta cold foam.

Each city’s shops also partner with locally owned bakeries. All upcoming Houston locations will feature sweet and savory pastries from Houston’s Cake & Bacon.

"Cake & Bacon embodies everything we love about Houston's culinary scene, and we're excited to showcase their incredible work,” said Ellis.

Merit Coffee has not revealed the exact opening dates for any of its Houston locations. More details will be announced via social media later in the summer.

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a major award

Michelin-recognized Houston diner makes Bon Appetit best new restaurants

Photo by Jenn Duncan

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The hits just keep on coming for Houston restaurant Agnes and Sherman. Bon Appetit has named the Asian American diner as one of its best new restaurants of 2026.

Published Monday, April 24, the list includes 19 restaurants in 12 states and Washington, D.C. that opened between March 2025 and March 2026. In addition to Agnes and Sherman, Texas is represented by Le Calamar, a French-Texas bistro in Austin.

Editorial operations manager Kate Kassin hails Agnes and Sherman for signature dishes such as a wedge salad that’s topped with youtiao croutons, lap cheong, and ginger-scallion ranch and the signature cheeseburger fried rice that’s made with shredded iceberg lettuce, two slices of American cheese, sauce, and sesame seeds.

“It’s a mishmash of two iconic dishes in their own genres but, together, something wholly emblematic of the food that owners Nick Wong and Lisa Lee are putting forth,” Kassin writes.

Opened in April 2025, Agnes and Sherman puts an Asian spin on the classic American diner. Its received significant regional and national praise, including being named Texas Monthly’s best new restaurant of 2026, as well as earning a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant and a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

Good Morning America recently featured the restaurant during a weeklong series on diners. During the segment, Wong and Lee announced they'd recently become engaged.

At Le Calamar, Kassin finds first-rate stuffed chicken wings that are cooked on a Japanese binchotan grill. “Likewise, Wagyu hanger steak au poivre boasts a floral sauce that blends black, white, and Tellicherry peppercorns with garlic, brandy, cream, and ginger; it is a dynamic update on the classic,” she writes.

Le Calamar opened in May 2025 in the former Underdog space. A nominee for best new restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards, the restaurant is known for its chic interior, warm service, and dishes such as gnocchi and and raw oysters with fennel mignonette.

While Bon Appetit recognizes restaurants are facing challenges ranging from rising costs to AI disruption, the magazine takes an optimistic tone in the article’s introduction.

“The restaurants we found the most exciting are, of course, delicious, but they were also fearless about challenging the playbooks by betting on community and creativity. These are the traits that help evolve modern American cuisine,” it writes.

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