pay the piper

Growing Houston restaurant group opens new cantina in Spring Branch

Find tacos, tortas, and more at Piper's Cantina.

Courtesy of Piper's Cantina

A growing Houston restaurant group has added a casual Mexican restaurant to its offerings. Piper’s Cantina will open Thursday, October 3 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Located at the former Smokey Cheeks restaurant in Spring Branch (1815 Mangum Road), Piper’s Cantina is the latest offering from Piper’s Hospitality, which also operates family friendly Southern restaurant Preslee’s, Piper’s Burger, and Woodland Social, the pizza-fueled patio bar that opened this spring near White Oak Music Hall.

The menu features a range of familiar dishes that include tacos and quesadilla filled with one of five different meats — beef fajitas, pork pastor, tinga, grilled chicken, and barbacoa. In addition, Piper’s is putting its spin on the classic Milanese as well as tortas and the trendy quesabirria. Breakfast, served weekdays from 6:30-10:30 am, includes breakfast tacos, breakfast quesadillas, and a breakfast bowl with meat, potatoes, beans, cheese, and salsa.

Drink options include frozen cocktails such as the pina colada, margarita, espresso martini, and mangonada. Sides include rice, beans (charro or refried), and chips with queso, salsa, or guacamole.

Piper's Cantina patio Piper's Cantina is opening just in time for patio season.Courtesy of Piper's Cantina.

Like its siblings, Piper’s Cantina offers both indoor and outdoor seating in a relaxed, family-friendly environment.

“Piper’s Cantina is all about celebrating flavorful food and good times in a comfortable welcoming environment,” Piper’s Hospitality Group owner Justin Piper said in a statement. “We’re bringing the energy of food trucks and street eats into a space where everyone can kick back and enjoy themselves.”

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burger bodega expands

Houston food influencer brings smash burger sensation to Katy

Photo by Michael Ma

Burger Bodega is coming to Katy.

Abbas Dhanani has a special Christmas present for burger lovers in Katy. He’s opening a second location of his smash burger restaurant, Burger Bodega, there next year.

Located at 21904 Franz Rd. (near the intersection of Mason Rd. and the Katy Fwy.), the new restaurant will build on the success of Dhanani’s first location, which opened on Washington Avenue in 2022. The restaurant distinguishes itself with a colorful interior that’s inspired by New York City bodegas. Its shelves are lined with cheeky, Houston-inspired products as well as goods from local restaurants such as Bludorn and Pudgy’s Cookies.

Burger Bodega serves a double-patty cheeseburger that’s smashed on a griddle, topped with grilled onions, pickles, and “bodega sauce,” and served on a Martin’s potato bun. It also serves a chopped cheese sandwich, fries with burger toppings, and milkshake flavors such as Vietnamese coffee and a mango lassi.

Regulars know to request off-menu specials like the “Choppy Joe,” a chopped cheese served on a burger bun, or to get their burgers spicy. True to its pop-up roots, Burger Bodega has hosted numerous collaboration pop-ups with Houston chefs such as Raffi Nasr (Craft Pita) and the late Alex Au-Yeung (Phat Eatery).

Dhanani, whose @houstoneatz account has almost 40,000 followers on Instagram and more than 100,000 on TikTok, created Burger Bodega after visiting smash burger restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. Ahead of its opening, he built a following for the restaurant with a series of sold-out pop-ups, including appearances at the Southern Smoke Festival.

Burger Bodega has earned considerable acclaim in its two years, including winning Best Burger in the 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards and Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards — all of which should contribute to excitement in the Katy area for its arrival.

"We are thrilled to announce our second location in Katy," Dhanani said in a statement. "Katy is such a vibrant and welcoming community, and we are excited to bring our concept to even more people in the area. The past two years at our first location have been incredible, and we are deeply grateful for the unwavering support from our customers. This support has been the driving force behind our growth, and we cannot wait to share this new chapter with everyone in Katy."

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