all lobster, all the time

Lobster-obsessed restaurant serving rolls, ceviche, and more opens on Allen Parkway

Allen Parkway’s new mixed-use development welcomes its third restaurant this weekend. MF Lobster & Ceviche opens this Friday, February 16 at Autry Park (3711 Autry Park Dr.).

Photo by Alex Montoya

The restaurant will serve a classic lobster roll.

Chris “Magic Fingers” Kinjo, chef and owner of the Museum District’s acclaimed MF Sushi, worked with his longtime collaborator chef Miguel Alvarez to develop MF Lobster & Ceviche. As its name implies, the crustacean is at the heart of the menu’s offerings.

Chris Kinjo Miguel Alvarez MF Lobster Ceviche Chefs Chris Kinjo and Miguel Alvarez. Photo by Alex Montoya

Not that this publication would ever make an incredibly dated reference to Forrest Gump, but this restaurant serves lobster in a whole bunch of different ways. They include lobster tacos, lobster grilled cheese, lobster mac & cheese, lobster bisque, linguine with lobster, and grilled or steamed whole lobster. Lobster rolls come in two forms — a traditional, Maine-style roll served in a split-top bun and a brown butter lobster bao.

Kinjo will also served other New England-style dishes such as clam chowder, steamed mussels, and sides that include corn on the cob, house made chips, and coleslaw.

The restaurant’s ceviches will use the same Japanese fish purveyors that supply MF Sushi. Look for dishes built around tuna, madai, salmon, halibut, and more. Pairing options include 20 house cocktails, a selection of Japanese whisky, and wine.

“My vision of this restaurant is to provide a casual and fun atmosphere for diners, but with substance and quality,” Kinjo said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome the community to Autry Park for a new type of dining experience from our team. I’ve always done high-intensity restaurants, but this one is more laid back, with simple and familiar dishes. This is a place where customers can come and enjoy the park and feel comfortable while enjoying a high-quality meal and drink."

As part of that casual atmosphere, the restaurant will not take reservations. Instead, diners will be able to sign up for the restaurant’s waitlist via OpenTable. Initially, the restaurant will be open for dinner nightly beginning at 5:30 pm. Lunch service will be announced soon.

MF Lobster’s setting is as distinctive as its food. Designed by the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (Uchi, Da Gama, il Bracco, etc.), the 2,200-square-foot space is touted as Houston’s only completely round restaurant. It seats 65 people inside with room for an additional 60 on a dog-friendly patio. Details include blue tile floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a 15-foot, tree-shaped steel sculpture that references the development’s oak trees.

The new restaurant joins Annabelle Brasserie, a French restaurant from Berg Hospitality, and globally-inspired Auden as restaurants at Autry Park. Over the next few months, they’ll be joined by Turner’s Cut, a luxurious steakhouse from Berg Hospitality; Doko and Bar Doko, a sushi restaurant and cocktail bar from the hospitality group behind Handies Douzo and CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best New Restaurant winner Aiko; Austin’s Lick Honest Ice Creams; and Annam, Kinjo’s Vietnamese restaurant that will be MF Lobster’s sister concept on the property.

Developed by local real estate firms Lionstone Investments, Rebees, and Hanover Company, Autry Park occupies 14-acres on the western edge of Buffalo Bayou Park. The project's three-phase masterplan includes five towers encompassing 1,450 residential units, 350,000 square-feet of Class A office space, and 100,000 square-feet of retail.

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head east

Eagerly-anticipated Houston barbecue joint hosts weekend preview pop-ups

Courtesy of Eastbound Barbecue

Get a first taste of Eastbound Barbecue this weekend.

One of Houston’s most eagerly anticipated new barbecue joints is giving diners a preview of what’s to come. Eastbound Barbecue will host “Sneak Peak Weekends” every Saturday and Sunday beginning this Saturday, December 20, until the restaurant opens in early 2026.

Held at the restaurant’s location in the East End (1105 Sampson Street) from 12-4 pm (or sold out), the weekend service gives diners their first chance to try Eastbound Barbecue’s smoked meats, sides, and desserts. That includes, smoked brisket, baby back ribs, jalapeno & cheese sausage, hatch chili lasagna mac & cheese, herbed potato salad, and more. Save room for the two dessert offerings, salted caramel banana pudding and cookie butter cake.

To distinguish Eastbound’s barbecue, chefs Lopez and Granville use different seasonings than other restaurants, such as rosemary salt in the brisket rub and a miso-caramel sauce that gives its ribs a sweet and savory bite. During the preview, Eastbound’s prices are noticeably lower than many other Houston barbecue joints, with brisket priced at $29 per pound, ribs at $26 per pound, and pulled pork at $22 per pound.

As CultureMap reported in August, Eastbound unites four friends, Ryan Penn, Ryan Powell, Luis Lopez, and Jake Granville, who also held senior roles at various restaurants owned by prominent Houston chef Ronnie Killen. Since then, the four partners have finished many of the improvements they needed to make prior to opening, including closing in the patio and installing offset smokers on the property.

For Penn, leaving the Killen’s organization after almost 20 years was a difficult decision, but one he felt he had to make. “I could have worked for [Killen] forever and been happy. It was more along the lines of, if I don’t do this now, I don’t want to be 70 and wish that I had,” he said at the time.

Courtesy of Eastbound Barbecue

Get a first taste of Eastbound Barbecue this weekend.

news-you-can-eat barbecue openings