pho real

Growing Houston pho chain simmers up a new location in Garden Oaks

Pho Prime is bringing soup, sandwiches, and more to Garden Oaks.

Courtesy of Pho Prime

Soothing bowls of pho will soon return to a food-focused Garden Oaks development. Pho Prime will open a new location at the Stomping Grounds.

Slated to open this fall, Pho Prime has claimed the space previously occupied by the Pho Fix, a different pho restaurant that closed in January after three years in business. It joins the restaurant’s existing location in Pearland and a Chinatown outpost that’s shared with sister concept Crawfish Cafe.

The 2,100-square-foot restaurant will seat about 80 people. Just as they have with their other restaurants, co-owners Kiet Duong and Julie Nguyen will be working with Houston Design and Construction to build the restaurant. The project was first reported by the Houston Business Journal.

Part of Houston’s Mamba Hospitality Group (Ocean Palace), Pho Prime simmers its broth for 12 hours. Using a mix of beef knuckle, beef short rib, brisket, oxtails, and other ingredients gives the soup a distinct flavor that sets it apart from other restaurants. Diners can enhance their soup with sides of oxtail, bone marrow, short rib, beef bones, or egg yolk.

The restaurant’s menu also includes vermicelli bowls, banh mi, broken rice bowls, steak and eggs, and more. Various styles of Vietnamese coffee and other drinks are available.

“We’re fired up to welcome Kiet and Julie to Stomping Grounds,” Bryan Danna, owner of RE:VIVE Development, the Houston firm behind the Stomping Grounds, said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment about the restaurant. “They’re not just great operators — they’re great people. This is their eighth location, and they’ve built a loyal following through Crawfish Cafe, Pho Prime, and Ocean Palace by doing things the right way: great food, real hospitality, and deep community connection.”

Located at 1223 W 34th St., the Stomping Grounds is home to a number of bars and restaurants, 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.

Danna also confirms that he has found a new tenant for the space previously occupied by LuLoo’s Day & Night. “We will have big news to share very soon,” he promises.

crudo and cocktails

Casual sushi hand roll restaurant sets Heights opening date

Photo by Becca Wright

Koyo will celebrate its grand opening on July 16.

A Houston hand roll restaurant will soon open in the Heights. Koyo Hand Roll Bar will celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, July 16.

Located next to the recently opened Paris Baguette at 1835 N. Shepherd Dr., Koyo is built around a 26-seat counter that allows diners to receive their hand rolls as soon as they’ve been assembled, ensuring its nori wrapper is still crispy when consumed.

Similar to other hand roll restaurants, Koyo offers a range of fillings, including vegetables, fish, and shellfish. Specific rolls include asparagus, shiitake, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and lobster. They’re available either a la carte or in sets of three, four, or five rolls that feature the restaurant’s most popular proteins.

Appetizer options consist of edamame and four crudos — salmon, scallop, tuna, or yellowtail. Beverage options include beer, sake, cocktails, Japanese whisky, and non-alcoholic options.

Koyo opened its first location last summer near the Johnson Space Center (18207B Egret Bay Blvd.). The restaurant will celebrate its grand opening with giveaways, including tote bags for the first 100 customers and three $100 gift cards. It’s also giving away a free three roll set for a year and more gift certificates on Instagram.

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“We’re excited to bring KOYO Hand Roll Bar to one of Houston’s most dynamic dining neighborhoods,” operating partner Adela Merdini said in a statement. “Our new location carries forward everything guests love about Koyo, from the freshest ingredients and thoughtfully crafted hand rolls to the warm, genuine hospitality that defines every visit.”

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