This year has gotten off to a strong start for new restaurants. Diners are flocking to Bar Bludorn, lining up for Ema, and soaking up the vibes at Maximo Canteen.
Of course, more restaurants are on the way. As a preview, we’ve rounded up a select group of the most exciting restaurants that are opening this summer. It isn’t meant to be comprehensive — that’s essentially impossible — and it doesn’t include places expected to open either this fall or into the winter like Chardon and Buck 40 in the Thompson Hotel.
To keep things simple, this list is presented in alphabetical order. We’re confident CultureMap readers will find plenty to look forward to.
Azumi
Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group has developed this Japanese concept as a replacement for Ouzo Bay, its shuttered seafood restaurant in River Oaks District. Named for the Japanese word for “safe harbor,” the new space will feature an indoor-outdoor bar and a dedicated omakase room. The menu at Azumi’s original Baltimore location includes sushi, sashimi, robata, shareable appetizers, and wagyu beef.
Barbacana
Chef Christian Hernandez will bring experiences from restaurants such as Oxheart, March, and Indigo to first solo endeavor. Located downtown, the restaurant plans to serve a wide-ranging menu that pays homage to the chef’s heritage as a German-born Mexican-American and his professional skills cooking just about every style of cuisine from European to Mexican to Asian at a high level — that includes both a tasting menu at a chef’s counter and an a la carte menu in the dining room. On track for a late summer or early fall opening, the restaurant will be one to watch.
ChópnBlọk
James Beard Award semifinalist Ope Amosu is bringing his West African fast casual restaurant to Montrose. Having its own space will allow for a larger menu that will include both brunch and cocktails. Gin Design Group is creating the interior, which will build on the marketplace aesthetic of the restaurant’s location at Post Market.
Credence/Sidebar
Levi Goode describes this South Texas ranch-inspired eatery and its companion steakhouse and cocktail bar as his solo record that’s distinct from the work he does as the president of Goode Company Restaurants. Credence will utilize live fire to prepare a Southern-inspired menu that includes a roasted seafood tower, dry-aged duck for two, and other shareable items. Sidebar takes inspiration from the oil boom of the early 1900s with a dry-aged steaks, allocated champagnes, and classic cocktails. Joseph Geiskopf, a chef whose resume includes Noma, Ciel, and acclaimed Los Angeles establishments Destroyer and Vespertine, will lead the kitchen.
Haywire
Part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake and Sixty Vines, this Texas-inspired restaurant will open June 3 at the Gateway Memorial City development. With over 20,000 square feet spread across two stories, the restaurant serves classic Texas dishes such as chicken fried steak, queso blanco, steaks, short rib chilaquiles, and a barbacoa grilled cheese. The beverage program features Texas wines, beers, and spirits.
Ishtia
Chef David Skinner is rebooting his tasting menu restaurant Eculent into this new concept devoted to the native cuisines of North and South America. Partially inspired by the Cochtaw dishes he’s serving at Th Prsrv, it will feature a lengthy tasting menu of small bites that use native ingredients. Renovations to the dining room will include a live fire grill that will be used to prepare some of the dishes. Expect a June opening.
Karbach Pizza & Pints
The Houston brewery will soon add a pizzeria to its offerings. Developed by chef Edward Hoyos, the dough recipe uses a poolish and a 24-hour fermentation to create a Neapolitan-style dough that’s robust enough to stand up to hearty toppings like pork pastor with roasted pineapple, red onion, cilantro, salsa verde, and cotjia cheese. Of course, the restaurant will pour 20 different varieties of Karbach beer along with seltzers. It will have its own dining room, as well as access to Karbach’s two-and-a-half-acre beer garden.
The Marigold Club
Located in the former Goodnight Charlie’s space, this new restaurant from the owners of March and Rosie Cannonball will channel the spirit of Mayfair London with a posh interior that features a hand-painted mural, a custom-made Murano glass chandelier, and handcrafted wallpaper. To prepare for his role as Marigold Club’s chef-partner, Austin Waiter (formerly of Tony’s) traveled to London, where he staged at Michelin-stared restaurants Core by Clare Smyth, The Five Fields, and Frog by Adam Handling. Those experiences guide Marigold’s Club menu, which will include an extensive raw bar, beef Wellington, and vadouvan. Master sommelier and Goodnight partner June Rodil’s beverage program includes an extensive champagne list, seasonal martinis, and high tea — complete with caviar sandwiches. Expect the all-day restaurant to open in June.
Októ
From the team behind Doris Metropolitan and Hamsa comes this new Mediterranean restaurant in the Montrose Collective mixed-use development. Slated to open later this summer, the restaurant will draw upon Israel, the Levant, Spain, Greece, and Italy. Hamsa chef Yotam Dolev and Doris Metropolitan chef Hai Avnaim will team up on the menu, which will only include about a dozen items. Plans also call for an extensive cocktail program and a lively bar atmosphere.
Perseid at the Hotel Saint Augustine
Located near the Menil Collection, Houston’s first hotel from the Austin-based Bunkhouse group will feature a restaurant from CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winner Aaron Bludorn. Named for the annual meteor shower, Perseid will be a “Texas bistro” that blends Bludorn’s experiences dining at restaurants in France with Houston’s flavors and ingredients. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurants will welcome both hotel guests and Houstonians when it opens later this year.
Phat Eatery - The Woodlands
Plans for the second location of Katy’s award-winning Malaysian restaurant took on a different tone after founding chef Alex Au-Yeung passed away in March. Directors of operations Kevin Lee and Marvin He are readying the former Fuddruckers in Grogans Mill for a summer opening. The menu will include all of Phat Eatery’s signature dishes, as well as an expanded selection of dim sum and Cantonese barbecue.
Sophie
Located in the former Idle Hands space at the Montrose Collective, this new cocktail lounge and rooftop bar takes its inspiration from the South of France. Details are light, but the upstairs and downstairs aim to offer different experience. Either way, it could make for an appealing option for drinks at nearby restaurants like Uchi, Marmo, and the upcoming Mediterranean restaurant Okto.
Thai Tail
This fast casual concept from the team behind Kin Dee and MaKiin has claimed the former La Fendee space on Westheimer. Designed for dine-in, to-go, and delivery via third-party apps, the menu includes traditional Thai dishes such as drunken noodles and pad thai as well as fusion fare like a beef basil burger, laab chicken sandwich, and sriracha wings. Considering it’s already live on Uber Eats, we’ll say the restaurant is currently in a quiet soft opening.
Toca Madera
Noble 33, a hospitality group with restaurants across the country, will open its Mexican steakhouse next to the Thompson Hotel on June 18. Known for a high-energy atmosphere that includes nightly live entertainment such as musicians, DJs, and fire performers, Toca Madera is known for serving wagyu steaks from America, Australia, and Japan. The signature Tomahawk + Bone Marrow is flamed and sliced tableside. The beverage program features an extensive array of agave spirits along with a rotating wine list.
Turner’s Cut
The Berg Hospitality team has been working to open its new steakhouse at Autry Park as soon as June. With a theme of overwhelming luxury, plans call for carts rolling through the dining room serving items such as raw seafood and prime rib, as well as an extensive selection of both domestic and imported prime, dry-aged, and wagyu beef. “We’re not a steakhouse where we need volume to generate revenue,” owner Ben Berg said last year on CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast. “Here, it’s going to be about the complete experience and not needing to turn the tables three, four, five times.”
Photo by Andrew Hemingway
