flying into the woodlands

Austin-based wing restaurant and sports bar soars to Woodlands for 8th Houston-area spot

Pluckers contines to expand across Houston.

Photo by Melissa Skorpil

Fried pickle spears and Dr Pepper wings are coming to The Woodlands area. Pluckers Wing Bar will open a new location in Shenandoah next year.

Located near the intersection of David Vetter Blvd. and I-45, the new Pluckers will be the Austin-based restaurant’s eighth Houston-area location, joining outposts in places such as the Washington Corridor, Memorial City, and Stafford. A Meyerland location (8731 W Loop South) is expected to open soon.

Credit for that success goes to Pluckers' creative sauces that run the gamut from Maple Chipotle and Spicy Lemon Pepper to Peach Tree Sriracha and Garlic Parmesan. Other menu staples include fried mac and cheese, stuffed jalapeños, sandwiches, and salads. Desserts such as fried Twinkies and fried Cookies and Cream take their inspiration from the State Fair of Texas.

Once named one of America’s top sports bars by ESPN, every location features a lively atmosphere and plenty of TVs. The Austin Business Journal has named it one of the city’s top places to work.

Truly devoted Pluckers fans can join the Pluckers club. A $20 membership brings a host of perks, including rewards for every dollar spent, free food on a member's birthday, and more.

“We’re eager to continue our expansion in the Houston metroplex, and this new location is ideal for reaching new customers who have yet to experience our renowned Pluckers wings,” Pluckers director of marketing Kristin McMinn said in a statement. “We receive so many requests to open locations in communities state-wide, so we’re thrilled to answer that excitement with this new opening in Shenandoah.”

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Bienvenido

Michelin-starred Houston fine dining restaurant plots new Dallas concept

Photo courtesy of Masia

Rendering of the bar and entry of Masia.

A Houston hospitality group behind a Michelin-starred restaurant is bringing a new Spanish fine-dining restaurant to Uptown Dallas: Masía, from Houston-based Arrels Hospitality Concepts, will open at 2530 Fairmount St. in winter 2026-2027, according to a release.

The restaurant comes from the team behind Houston's Michelin-starred BCN Taste & Tradition and the Madrid-inspired restaurant MAD. BCN was awarded a Michelin star in the inaugural Texas Guide in 2024.

The name "Masía" refers to a traditional Catalan farmhouse, and the restaurant is intended to reflect that style of home-grown hospitality and dining, the owners say.

Founder Ignacio "Nacho" Torras, who earlier this year debuted on the Forbes billionaires list, says the project is especially meaningful to him, and he looks forward to sharing the company's vision of Spanish food and hospitality with Dallas.

"We want to create a restaurant that feels refined, but also warm and intimate," he says in the release. "A place where guests can enjoy as we do in a countryside home in Spain."

The restaurant will occupy a 3,500-square-foot space with seating for 86 indoors and another 20 on a patio.

The kitchen will be led by Spanish chef Lenin Busquet, whose résumé includes Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain. He served as head chef at Annua, where he helped maintain the restaurant's two Michelin stars, and later led Ment, which earned its first Michelin star six months after opening. In 2022, he joined ABISS in Calpe, Spain, and received the Promising Chef of the Valencian Community award.

Though menu details are not available yet, Busquet says it will combine Spanish techniques with Texas ingredients.

"The culinary concept behind Masia is rooted in Spain's rich traditions while remaining deeply connected to the ingredients and community that surround us here in Texas," he says. "Our philosophy is built on a profound respect for exceptional local products, which we approach through the lens of Spanish culinary heritage.

"By combining the finest regional ingredients with classic recipes and techniques from our homeland, we aim to create a dining experience that reflects who we are, where we come from, and why Spain has one of the world's most celebrated gastronomic cultures."

The restaurant is being designed by Dallas-based Gensler Architects with natural wood, stone, and a neutral color palette inspired by a contemporary Spanish farmhouse. The space will also feature artwork from Torras' private collection.

"Masía will reflect the calm, generous spirit of a Spanish farmhouse through a contemporary lens," the owners say.

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