pizza by nobie's

Dynamic duo behind Nobie's and Toasted Coconut bake up new tavern-style pizza restaurant in Montrose

Martin and Sara Stayer are bringing tavern-style pizza to Montrose.

Photo by Emily Jäschke

The team behind Nobie’s is ready to unveil their next project. Chef Martin Stayer and his wife Sara Stayer will open Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern this summer.

Nonno's Pizza Tavern rendering Nonno's will feature a retro-inspired design.Courtesy of Gin Design Group

Conveniently located next to the Stayers’ tiki-inspired concept The Toasted Coconut in the former Revelry on Richmond space, Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern will build on the legacy of Nobie’s, the couple’s eclectic, Montrose-area establishment that won Restaurant of the Year in the 2021 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards — including its signature "Nonno's Pasta."

The pizzeria will serve the Midwestern-style tavern pizza that’s popular in Chicago, the city where the couple met. Tavern-style pies feature a thin, crispy crust that’s cut into squares for easy sharing.

In addition to tavern-style pizza, Nonno’s will serve focaccia-style pan pizza by-the-slice, snacks and salads that compliment pizza, desserts (cheesecake and big cookies), and “more culinary surprises,” according to a release. Those surprises could be pretty delightful, given the couple’s track record. After all, who would have predicted that a tiki bar would serve one of Houston’s best burgers, but the Toasted Coconut’s smash burger on a housemade Hawaiian bun is can’t miss.

Sara Stayer will create a wine list built around classic and natural wines from both Italy and the new world. The tavern will also serve cocktails and a rotating selection of draft beers. Non-alcoholic options will include draft root beer.

Houston’s Gin Design Group has created a retro-inspired interior for Nonno’s. It will feature nods to the pizzerias of Gen X’ers childhoods such as a mini arcade with carpet floors, neon accents, vintage furniture, and Tiffany pendant lights. Just like Nobie’s, the soundtrack will be provided by reel-to-reel tapes playing through vintage speakers.

Nonno's Pizza Tavern arcade rendering A rendering previews the restaurant's arcadeCourtesy of Gin Design Group

“With a friendly staff, a great soundtrack, and the always good food and drink that we aim to provide, there is no reason that anyone would have a bad time at Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern,” the couple writes in a release. “Connecting with people is one of the most rewarding parts of our job, and this place is designed for people to get away from their modern technology and eat some pizza, play some games, and connect with us and each other.”

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Relish responds

Houston restaurant breaks silence about wage theft allegations

Photo by Julie Soefer

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A Houston restaurant has broken its silence about a lawsuit that accuses it of wage theft. Relish Restaurant & Bar issued a statement about allegations made by a former employee that it improperly allocated money from the restaurant’s tip pool:

For more than a decade, we've worked hard to build a restaurant where our employees feel valued and respected. Our team is central to everything we do, and we take our responsibilities to them seriously. We remain committed to fair and lawful employment practices, and firmly deny the allegations that have been made. Given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not comment further at this time. Thank you for understanding.

According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, former employee Michael Baron alleges that Relish and its owners, Addie and Dustin Teague:

Used his and other employees’ tips to pay the maitre’d, who also had managerial roles, such as disciplining employees. The maitre’d was allegedly paid at least $21,000 in 2026 from pooled tips, according to the lawsuit. The maitre'd position is not included in the restaurant's notice about which workers get paid from the pool, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit further alleges that the practices at Relish’s Town & Country location violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal law that governs how tipped employees are paid. Under the law, restaurants are allowed to pay tipped employees as little as $2.13 per hour, because the vast majority of their income is generated by customers’ tips. The law also governs which other employees — such as bartenders and other customer-facing positions — are eligible to receive a share of an employee’s tips. Salaried managers or employees in supervisory roles are not eligible to receive tips.

Baron is represented by attorney Josef F. Buenker, whose firm specializes in employment law, as noted by its domain name houstonovertimelawyer.com.

In March, a federal court ruled that Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille must pay $21 million for misallocating tips to more than 700 servers.

Relish is known for its classic American fare such as burgers, fried chicken, steaks, salad, and seafood. Its River Oaks location, which has been open since 2016, will soon close before moving to the RO mixed-used development next year. Relish’s Town & Country location will remain open.

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pizza by nobie's

Dynamic duo behind Nobie's and Toasted Coconut bake up new tavern-style pizza restaurant in Montrose

Relish responds

Houston restaurant breaks silence about wage theft allegations

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