Local Foods relocates

Local Foods relocates to Post Oak dining and shopping destination along with 2 luxury retailers

A prime Galleria-area shopping center continues to cement its status as a dining and shopping destination. Post Oak Plaza, real estate developer Levcor’s property at the corner of San Felipe Street and Post Oak Boulevard, will add another new restaurant and two home furnishing stores to its rejuvenated roster of tenants.

They are:

Local Foods, Houston restaurateur Benjy Levit’s casual restaurant that blends a stylish environment with creative sandwiches and salads
Arhaus, an artisan crafted furniture store
Saatva, a luxury mattress company

The new Local Foods will replace the restaurant’s current location in Tanglewood (5740 San Felipe St.). Expected to open in mid-2024, it will join the restaurant’s existing locations in Rice Village, The Heights, and Upper Kirby. Moving approximately one mile east will bring a key improvement compared to the current location, Levit tells CultureMap.

“The patio experience is such a big part of Local Foods. The new location will provide a fabulous, more spacious, and shaded environment,” he says.

Similarly, Arhaus will relocate from its current home in the Centre at Post Oak (5000 Westheimer Rd.). At over 22,000 square feet, the new store will provide plenty of space to showcase the store’s furniture.

Arhaus Arhaus brings luxurious furniture to Post Oak Plaza.Photo via Arhaus

Saatva’s 4,000-square-foot store will showcase mattresses, home furnishings, and “eco-friendly sleep products,” according to a release.

Also coming to Post Oak Plaza are new locations of Japanese restaurant Rakkan Ramen; Austin-based restaurant Tacodeli; kitchen and bath favorite Kohler; Basset Furniture; and B/S/H Experience & Design Center, a luxury appliance retailer that sells brands such as Bosch, Thermador, and Gaggenau.

Courtesy of Local Foods

Like its Heights location, the new Local Foods will feature an expansive patio.

Saatva mattress Find artisan mattresses at Saatva.Photo via Saatva

Levcor recently completed a series of renovations to the property that included new facades, improved lighting, widened pathways, and community gathering spaces. It also turned over the development’s restaurants, replacing tenants as Luby’s, Masraff’s, and California Pizza Kitchen with Kenny & Ziggy’s, Balboa Surf Club, and il Bracco. South African-based chicken restaurant Nando’s Peri Peri and Australian-inspired cafe Bluestone Lane have also opened locations there.

“Post Oak Plaza is as a central dining and shopping destination to Houstonians and the completed renovation creates a more beautiful gathering space for our community,” Levor vice president Sasha Levine said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring new restaurants and retail to Uptown Houston and expand the neighborhood’s options in our pedestrian-friendly space.”

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an offer he couldn't refuse

Exclusive: Killen's Barbecue will soon shutter in The Woodlands

Killen's barbecue meat platter with sides

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

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Fans of Killen’s Barbecue’s location in The Woodlands have a days to make one last visit. The restaurant will close this Sunday, December 7, chef-owner Ronnie Killen tells CultureMap.

Open since 2021, Killen says that he’s in final negotiations to sell the location at 8800 Six Pines Dr. to Whataburger for a new location of the iconic Texas fast food restaurant. Neither the original location of Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland nor its Cypress location are affected by the closure of The Woodlands and will remain open.

“Whataburger made me a deal I couldn’t pass up. It would take 10 years to do that kind of revenue,” Killen writes in a text, adding that the company recently made a significant payment to keep the deal’s window open through the end of the year.

He added that the costs to operate the restaurant have gone up significantly. As one example, a cord of wood cost $175 when he opened the first Killen’s Barbecue in 2013. It costs $475 now, he writes.

If the deal falls through, Killen states that he could look for a new buyer or convert the restaurant into a second location of Killen’s Burger, the retro-styled burger joint he operates in Pearland.

The restaurant’s closure had been expected since February, when Killen sold The Woodlands’ location of Killen's Steakhouse. At the time, Killen said he also planned to find a buyer for his barbecue joint in the bustling suburb. He cited the driving distance from Pearland to The Woodlands as one reason he chose to divest both locations. He still operates Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland, comfort food restaurant Killen's near the Heights, Killen's Burger, and three other locations of Killen's Barbecue.

As it approaches its 13th anniversary in the spring, Killen’s Barbecue remains a vital part of Houston’s barbecue scene. The restaurant recently earned an honorable mention from Texas Monthly and holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In July, it opened a new location at Hobby Airport.

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