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    stand up for tacos

    Growing Houston taqueria sets opening date for new Memorial location

    Eric Sandler
    May 20, 2026 | 9:30 am

    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.

    Taco Stand Memorial food spread

    Photo by Becca Wright

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

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    pizza party

    LA-based group serves up sleek Italian eatery and bar to Uptown project

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 11, 2026 | 1:09 pm
    Central Park Post Oak rendering
    Courtesy of Midway
    Both concepts will be part of Central Park Post Oak.

    A Los Angeles-based hospitality group is bringing a new Italian restaurant and a cocktail bar to Uptown. Élephante and Bar Bambino, two concepts from the Wish You Were Here Group, are coming to Phase 2 of Central Park Post Oak, the 17-acre mixed-use development at 1990 Post Oak Blvd.

    Inspired by coastal southern Italy, Élephante serves a wide-ranging menu of Italian fare that includes shareable appetizers, pastas, entrees, and pizza. Specific dishes mascarpone and prosecco arancini, fried calamari, meatballs, wild mushroom pizza, canestri in vodka sauce, and veal Milanese. Currently, Élephante has locations in Los Angeles and Scottsdale with plans to open in Dallas and Palm Beach.

    Bar Bambino comes from Élephante’s Scottsdale location. Its cocktail menu offers elevated takes on classics such as a clarified paloma, an elderflower spritz, a smoked Old Fashioned, and four different espresso martinis. Pair them with bar bites such as shrimp cocktail, a cheeseburger, and “pollo frito,” the bar’s fancy chicken nuggets that are served with basil ranch and optional caviar.


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    Together they’ll occupy more than 13,000 square feet in greenspace at phase 2 of the development. Construction is expected to begin later this year with an opening targeted for 2028.

    “I’ve always been drawn to places with unique energy and a cohesive community, and Houston has all of that and more. We’re thrilled to create a special hospitality experience with Élephante, and Bar Bambino at Central Park Post Oak, one of the city’s most exciting mixed-use destinations,” said Nick Mathers, founder of Wish You Were Here Group, in a statement. “This is a unique opportunity to create a new gathering space for the Houston community to connect, celebrate, and of course enjoy great food. The opportunity to build around such a vibrant park setting is incredibly compelling, and we are thrilled to partner with the amazing team at Fearon Hay to conceptualize, design and build the most unique Élephante to date.”

    Both Élephante and Bar Bambino will join a number of other restaurants coming to phase 1 of Central Park Post Oak. They include:

    • Buck & Rider, an Arizona-based seafood restaurant known for its oyster bar and lively brunch
    • The Henry, the “ultimate neighborhood restaurant” from Flower Child owner Fox Restaurant Concepts
    • Sparrow Italia, an Italian steakhouse from Toca Madera owner Noble 33
    • Handies Douzo, the growing hand roll restaurant from Houston’s Duckstache Hospitality.

    Announced in 2025, Central Park Post Oak will consist of three buildings with a combined 1.2 million square feet of office space separated by a three-acre lawn. Houston-based real estate development firm Midway, working with real estate investment firms 3Edgewood and Parkway, is developing the property. Construction on Phase 1 is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026 with the restaurants openings to follow.

    “Élephante and Bar Bambino will elevate the culinary and social landscape of Central Park Post Oak and underscore the kind of experience-driven mix that we are creating,” said Midway executive Clayton Freels. “As Phase 2 takes shape, these concepts will build new energy around the green space and further strengthen the property as a destination for tenants, visitors, and the broader Uptown community.”

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