stand up for tacos

Growing Houston taqueria sets opening date for new Memorial location

Memorial-area diners have a new option for street-style tacos, cocktails, and more. The Taco Stand will open its new location near Memorial City Mall this Thursday, May 21.

Located next to the Spring Branch location of the Burger Joint at 1016 Gessner Rd., the new Taco Stand occupies 2,000 square feet with a 600-square-foot patio. It’s the restaurant’s fourth location, joining outposts in the Heights, Webster, and Montrose. Like the those locations, Memorial utilizes the brand’s familiar green-and-white color scheme and offers the convenience of a drive-through lane.

“The neighborhood response to The Burger Joint opening has been incredible, and we’re thrilled to now bring our taco concept to Memorial,” chef and co-owner Matthew Pak said in a statement. “We’re proud to give the community another locally owned spot for a great meal any time of day — from early breakfast to late-night bite.”

Indeed, the Taco Stand is open nearly all the time — from 6 am until midnight on weekdays and 24 hours a day on weekends. It serves breakfast tacos from 6-11 am on weekdays and 6 am-2 pm on weekends.

For lunch and dinner, restaurant serves Pak’s familiar menu of street-style tacos. Diners have a wide array of choices when it comes to fillings, with everything from classics like carne asada, al pastor, barbacoa, lengua, and carnitas to vegetarian options (nopales, poblano, or mushroom) and seafood (shrimp or fish). Tacos and burritos utilize housemade corn or flour tortillas and can be paired with five different salsas: everything from a mild red table salsa to a smokey chile de arbol to fiery jalapeño and habanero-based options.

For those who want a different format, the Taco Stand also serves burritos, quesadillas, and bowls. Pair them with an extensive selection of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, including agua frescas, Mexican and domestic beers, and canned and frozen cocktails such as a ranch water, margarita or paloma — all of which utilize 100 percent blue agave tequila.

Opening the new location of the Taco Stand comes at a busy time for Pak and his business partner Shawn Bermudez. They opened the Montrose location of the Taco Stand in October 2025, followed by the Burger Joint in Spring Branch in February and the reopening of frozen dessert concept Happy Go Lucky in April.

Next up, they’ll open the Burger Joint’s new location on Kirby Dr. near Rice Village followed by the Pizza Place in the Heights in early 2027.

Photo by Becca Wright

The Taco Stand's new location near Memorial City Mall opens this Thursday, May 21.

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on the block

Houston chef wins $20,000 at prestigious restaurant pitch competition

Photo by Eric Kleinberg

Ope Amosu poses with his $20,000 check

A high-flying Houston restaurant is once again basking in the national spotlight. Chef Ope Amosu of West African restaurant ChòpnBlọk won $20,000 at Utility, a “progressive, community-first hospitality trade show” that took place last weekend in Chicago.

The event’s Restaurant Pitch Competition provides financial support and increased visibility for independent restaurant concepts. ChòpnBlọk plans to use the money to grow “the concept's footprint and bring this cuisine to a national platform,” according to press materials. More than 100 restaurants submitted pitches to win the prize, which is sponsored by Chase.

Amosu impressed a panel of celebrity judges and hospitality experts that included TV host Andrew Zimmern, James Beard Award winner Alon Shaya, Top Chef season 15 winner Joe Flamm, Arjav Ezekiel, a James Beard Award-winning sommelier and co-owner of Austin’s acclaimed restaurant Birdie’s, and June Rodil, CEO of Houston's Goodnight Hospitality.

Of course, neither Amosu nor ChòpnBlọk are strangers to national attention. Recently named Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, ChòpnBlọk has been named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants, received a two-star review in the New York Times, earned a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide, and a 2026 James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best Chef: Texas.

Founded in 2024, Utility is a two-day conference that draws more than 1,500 attendees from across the country. In addition to the Restaurant Pitch Competition, it hosts panels created by the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation, chef throwdowns, a pastry showcase, and more. Attendees can also browse wares from more than 30 vendor selling everything from cookware, to technology, to footwear.

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