on the quad

Houston-born NFL veteran fires up Southern-inspired restaurant and cigar lounge in Third Ward

Yes, that's a gold-wrapped lobster tail.

Courtesy of Quad Restaurant

A former NFL player is opening a new restaurant and sports bar with a sister concept devoted to cigar lovers. Quad Houston Restaurant & Sports Lounge and its companion cigar lounge The Den have begun a quiet soft opening soon an eye towards celebrating their grand openings July 20-23.

Located at 4608 Almeda Rd., Quad comes from NFL veteran Michael Brockers. Currently a free agent, the Houston native and LSU alum has an 11-year pro career in which he defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. Sadly for Brockers, the Rams traded him to the Lions prior to their Super Bowl-winning 2021-22 season. According to Spotrac, he has earned almost $70 million during his career, paving the way for him to found On Lock Investments with his business partners, Justin Cobb-Bell and former high school football coach Diahron Myers

Quad will serve a menu of elevated, Southern-inspired dishes. Although a final menu has yet to be released, press materials tout blackened salmon sliders, shrimp and grits with gouda and cheddar grits, and chicken wings and French toast.

Those looking to splurge will find options such as the Lobster Boss, a 12-ounce broiled lobster tail that’s adorned with edible gold.

All told, the restaurant expects to seat 140 people inside with a private dining room that’s available for events and spirit tastings. Outside, customers will find a massive patio and hookah lounge capable of accommodating 860 people.

TVs throughout the space will cater to sports fans. It also plans to host trivia nights, live music, and other events.

The Den Cigar Lounge interior Here's a sneak peek inside The Den.Courtesy of Quad Restaurant

The Den will be Quad’s companion, members-only cigar lounge. Its expected to have a good selection of cigars along with a refined, upscale atmosphere. It began a soft opening last weekend. Follow it on Instagram for updates on hours of operations.

Athlete-owned restaurants have become something of a trend in Houston. Dynamo legend Brian Ching has opened two bars, Pitch 25 in EaDo and the expansive East End Backyard. Former Rockets star James Harden owns Thirteen, a fine dining restaurant and bar in Midtown. More recently, NBA legend and media personality Shaquille O'Neal opened a Houston location of his fast casual restaurant Big Chicken.

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New York Times critic awards Houston restaurant 2 stars in glowing review

Courtesy of ChòpnBlọk

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Let’s just call 2025 the year of ChòpnBlọk. In a review published Tuesday, December 16, the New York Times has awarded the Houston restaurant two stars (“very good”).

Written by chief restaurant critic Tejal Rao, the review touts many of the same qualities that the Times already praised when it included ChòpnBlọk on its list of America’s 50 best restaurants.

Rao writes that she usually avoids restaurants that serve food in bowls, but she’s impressed by the way that chef-owner Ope Amosu has put a West African spin on the concept.

“For inspiration, Ope Amosu looked to the kind of chain restaurants that were built to scale, where flavors are often subdued to appeal to the broadest possible audience, focus-grouped to death. But the delight of ChòpnBlok is in its sure sense of self, its lively, multidimensional cooking and clear, delicious vision for modern food from the Black diaspora,” Rao writes.

She singles out specific dishes, including the Nigerian red stew with short rib, the Black Star bowl with shrimp, and the signature Motherland, made with chicken, greens, and plantains. “It’s utterly simple, but draws you in for more with the mouthwatering twang of not-too-much MSG — an international shortcut to building umami that tends to be used carefully, and layered with other forms,” she writes.

The review also touches on the way Amosu switched the restaurant from counter service to full service — described as “warm, informal, and quick with the jokes” — and his time working at Chipotle to learn the basics of the restaurant operations.

A two-star review is only the latest instance of ChòpnBlọk receiving national attention. In addition to the Times 50 best list, Esquire recently named it one of America’s best new restaurants. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand designation for 2025. Amosu earned a semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards.

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