shack is back

Burger masters Shake Shack open new Houston location in Town & Country

Shake Shack is coming to Town & Country Village

Photo by Emily Dorio

Shake Shack may have suffered a setback in Houston last year, but the New York-based burger restaurant remains bullish on the Bayou City.

The company will open its newest outpost this Wednesday, March 19 in Town & Country Village. Located at 700 Town and Country Blvd Suite 2400, the restaurant will be open daily from 11 am until 11 pm.

Founded by legendary New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, Shake Shack is known for its signature Shack Burger, which is a cheeseburger that's cooked on a griddle, topped with both the signature ShackSauce and vegetables, and served on a potato bun. A vegetarian mushroom burger and fried chicken sandwich are also available. Fries, shakes, and frozen custards round out the experience.

The restaurant made its Houston debut in 2016 with a store in the Galleria. A store in Montrose followed in 2018. However, both locations closed last year as two of nine underperforming outposts in California, Ohio, and Texas. At the time, the company said the closures did not affect its plans to open new locations in the markets, which leads to the Town & Country restaurant.

The Town & Country Shack joins siblings in Rice Village and The Woodlands. Shake Shack also operates drive-thru locations in Webster, Katy, and Sugar Land. Overall, Texas is home to 26 Shake Shacks.

Town & Country will celebrate its grand opening with free tote bags for “the first wave of guests,” according to a release. Muralist Eric Junker designed the image that appears on the bags. In addition, the restaurant will donate $1 from every sandwich sold to United Way of Greater Houston.

Town & Country's restaurant options have been steadily improving. Relish Restaurant opened its second location there in December. Last month, Austin-based Ramen Tatsu-ya announced that its second Houston-area store would also open in the area.

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What's Eric Eating Episode 584

Beard Award-winning Latin chef dishes on big Houston move and menu overhaul

Courtesy of Exilio Latin Flair

James Beard Award winner Douglas Rodriguez is the executive chef of Exilio Latin Flair.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chef Douglas Rodriguez and Bari Hospitality Group co-owner Pedro Teyuca join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss Exilio Latin Flair, the company’s pan-Latin restaurant in Montrose.

Opened in April in the former Verde Garden space, Exilio recently recruited Rodriguez to serve as executive chef and revamp its menu. Known as the “Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine,” the chef brings an impressive resume to his role, including winning Rising Star Chef in the 1996 James Beard Awards, competing on season one of Top Chef Masters, and earning a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide for Nikos, a Greek restaurant in Durham, NC. As he explains in the episode, he and Bari co-owner Tommy Nally first developed the idea for Exilio when they worked together in Vegas, so he jumped at the opportunity to bring the restaurant to life.

Rodriguez just rolled out a new menu for Exilio that includes a total revamp of the restaurant’s ceviches and entrees. Specific dishes include tuna watermelon ceviche, mixto seafood ceviche with leche de tigre, Colombian-style chicken empanadas, snapper Veracruz, and a smoked ribeye.

“The sauce is made with panca peppers (Peruvian red pepper), watermelon juice, yuzu juice. Then it’s slices of tuna and slices of watermelon. I kind of single them,” Rodriguez says about the tuna watermelon ceviche. “The sauce has red onion, Thai basil, tarragon, a herb you don’t usually find in a ceviche. It’s very light, refreshing, herbaceous — hits a lot of different areas in the palate for a simple, two ingredient dish.”

The chef adds that he’s been getting to know Houston through its restaurants. He cites Mala Sichuan and Hugo’s as two places that have impressed him. He also hails Love Croissants, whose owner, chef Omar Pereney, worked for Rodriguez prior to moving to Houston.

“I have a long list of places to explore, and I’m excited that this is a big food city,” Rodriguez adds. “I haven’t been to Maximo yet. That’s at the top of my list. I’m excited to be here and get people into the restaurant to try the food.”

For his part, Teyuca provides an update on Bari’s plans to open a second location in The Woodlands later in September. He also shares exciting news about the company’s plans to add a sushi bar to the lounge above Georgia James, the Montrose steakhouse it purchased from Underbelly Hospitality in 2024.

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Courtesy of Exilio Latin Flair

James Beard Award winner Douglas Rodriguez is the executive chef of Exilio Latin Flair.

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