the slow life

Casual Houston coffee shop pokes into new Sawyer Yards location

Photo by Becca Wright

Houston’s next Slowpokes is ready to make its debut. The coffee shop and cafe will open its eighth Houston-area location in Sawyer Yards this Friday, March 20 (1501 Silver St. Bldg. B).

As CultureMap reported in January, Slowpokes claimed the former Maven Coffee space when Maven decided to exit the cafe business to focus on coffee products such as its cold brew concentrate. Slowpokes owner Mazen Baltagi tells CultureMap that the cafe made some key changes to give the space the proper look and feel.

“The flow of the restaurant is different. We pulled the bar back from the front door. The point of sale location is different,” Baltagi says. “Aesthetically, we put our Slowpokes touches on with different tiles. The upholstery is different. The lighting is different. We added cedar wood and lowered the ceiling a little.”

Even though he swapped out Maven’s granite countertops, the initial feedback from friends has been that it still feels a little fancier than the typical Slowpokes build out.

“It looks a little more refined than our other locations, but that’s because the space was already beautiful. It definitely has a Slowpokes appeal to it,” Baltagi says.

While the decor may be a little more upscale, the food and drinks will be familiar to anyone who’s visited the cafe’s other locations. Slowpokes serves coffee, beer, and wine that are paired with a diverse food menu built around sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, and breakfast items. Those three beverages are represented by three mascots: a turtle named Mash (beer), a snail named Tasker Alexander (wine), and a sloth named Patches (coffee).

First opened in Garden Oaks in 2016 by owner Mazen Baltagi — a Houstonian hospitality veteran who’s a partner in establishments such as Christian’s Tailgate and Winsome Prime — the all-day concept has grown to locations at Levy Park in Upper Kirby, Spring Branch, and West University Place. It opened a location in the East End last year.

“When a good opportunity presents itself, sometimes things just end up working out how they’re supposed to,” Baltagi added in a statement. “We strive to create environments where people can gather over great coffee or wine, and we look forward to meeting all our new neighbors.”

openings news-you-can-eat coffee

bring on barnaby's

Favorite Houston comfort food spot picks Garden Oaks for 10th location

Courtesy of Barnaby's Cafe

Barnaby's Cafe is coming to the Stomping Grounds this fall.

Earlier this week, real estate developer Bryan Danna promised “big news…very soon” about a new tenant for the former LuLoo’s Day & Night space at his Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. That news is that Houston favorite Barnaby’s Cafe has claimed the space for a new location that will open later this year.

When a Barnaby’s decal appear on the restaurant’s door a couple of days ago, news of the restaurant’s imminent arrival spread quickly on social media. It will be Barnaby’s tenth location, joining outposts in Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, and more.

The restaurant will occupy a 2,250-square-foot space at the Stomping Grounds. It will offer a to-go window for people hanging out in the development’s green space as well as a gated, dog-friendly patio. Houston artist Roberto Cervantes will contribute works to the restaurant’s interior.

Founded in 1992 by restaurateur Jeff Gale, Barnaby’s is known for its wide-ranging and affordable menu of classic American fare, including salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and dinner entrees. Customer favorites include the Lebanese chicken fattoush salad, chipotle black bean burger, baby back ribs, and green eggs, which are scrambled with spinach and artichoke hearts. Dogs can snack on a special “puppy menu” of ground beef, sliced chicken breast, or scrambled eggs over brown rice.

Stomping Grounds green space A to-go window will expedite orders for people in the Stomping Grounds' green space.Courtesy of Stomping Grounds

“Bringing Barnaby’s to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest has been on my wish list for more than a decade, so I’m incredibly grateful that Jeff Gale and his team saw Stomping Grounds as the right fit,” Danna said in a statement. “Jeff and I go back to his first Heights location, which was one of Barnaby’s first big moves north of Montrose, and I have always respected what he and his longtime team have built. Thirty years in the restaurant business is a serious accomplishment. You do not make it that long unless you know how to take care of people, build loyalty, and become part of the neighborhood.”

When it opens this fall, Barnaby’s will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. It will join other restaurants at the Stomping Grounds, 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. Earlier this week, casual Vietnamese restaurant Pho Prime announced that it had claimed the space formerly occupied by The Pho Fix for a new location that will also open this fall.

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