TxMo Best New Restaurants

Houston sushi star's Montrose eatery tops Texas Monthly's best new restaurants list

Texas Monthly editor Patricia Sharpe has published her list of Texas’s Best New Restaurants in 2024. Numbered one to 10, the 23rd edition of the magazine's list is open to establishments that opened between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023, and it must be a restaurant's first Texas location.

As it did last year, Houston not only leads the way with three entries in the top 10 but also takes the top spot for the second year in a row. Katami, the upscale Japanese restaurant from the team behind Kata Robata, ranks as the state’s best new restaurant. It’s joined in the top 10 by Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition (fifth) and Midtown pizzeria ElRo Pizza & Crudo (ninth). Jūn and Little’s Oyster Bar earn honorable mentions.

Sharpe praises nearly every aspect of Katami, calling it “the most exciting restaurant to open in Texas this past year.” In her review, she hails the “polished and coolly contemporary” environment, its “spectacularly fresh” seafood, and traditional Japanese dishes such as chawanmushi and okonomiyaki.

At Josephine’s, she recognizes chef Lucas McKinney’s redfish dip and barbecue shrimp as well as pastry chef Emiy Rivas’s corn flan. ElRo Pizza & Crudo earns her admiration for its sausage and rapini pizza and the chopped tuna crudo on toast.

Dallas is represented by French restaurant Quarter Acre (third) and Italian restaurant Via Triozzi (eighth). Sushi restaurant Naminohana earns an honorable mention.

Le Margot (second), a French restaurant from former Masterchef judge Graham Elliot, and Italian restaurant 61 Osteria (fourth) give Fort Worth two spots in the top five.

Bureau de Poste (sixth), a French restaurant from Top Chef contestant Jo Chan, and Ezov, an Israeli restaurant, represent Austin. Top Chef winner Gabe Erales’s Mexican restaurant Bacalar earns an honorable mention.

Turning to San Antonio, its sole representative in the top 10 is Peruvian restaurant Leche de Tigre Cebichería Peruana (seventh). Japanese restaurant Nineteen Hyaku and Padadar, a Mexican and Cuban restaurant, land honorable mentions.

“The Texas restaurant scene is as delicious as it’s ever been,” Sharpe declares, but the writer has some concerns about the present dining moment. Her complaints include the push towards ever more prominent (and more expensive) cocktail lists and the vibe dining trend, but her introduction ends on an optimistic note.

“But even though drinking while dining is fast becoming the new normal, I’m glad to report that kitchens are as disciplined and chefs as talented and ambitious as ever,” she writes.

The full list in order is as follows:

1. Katami, a Japanese restaurant in Houston
2. Le Margot, a French restaurant in Fort Worth
3. Quarter Acre, a French restaurant in Dallas
4. 61 Osteria, an Italian restaurant in Fort Worth
5. Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, a seafood restaurant in Houston
6. Bureau de Poste, a French restaurant in Austin
7. Leche de Tigre Cebichería Peruana, a Peruvian restaurant in San Antonio
8. Via Triozzi, an Italian restaurant in Dallas
9. ElRo Pizza & Crudo, a pizzeria in Houston
10. Ezov, an Israeli restaurant in Austin

Photo by Casey Giltner

Chef Hori-san leads Katami.

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not so common

Growing Houston cafe's new location bakes up comfort and convenience

Houstonians had two options when deciding which Common Bond location to visit — either a sit-down Bistro location with a full menu or an On-The-Go store with a quick service menu and a drive-through lane. Now, the company is offering one location where diners don’t have to choose.

At its recently-opened Spring location (21620 Kuykendahl Road), Common Bond has combined both its Bistro and On-The-Go models into one convenient outpost. Those who choose to dine-in will find a 78-seat interior and a 32-seat patio. Customers who need something more quickly may use the drive-through to order from a menu of sandwiches, cookies, pastries, coffees, and more.

The new store is Common Bond’s second Spring location, joining a Bistro location in City Place that opened in 2020.

Another way this location gives its customers more choices is by serving both its breakfast and lunch menu all day. That includes dishes such as lemon-stuffed French toast, shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, and the fan-favorite Nashville hot chicken sandwich.

Of course, the cafe is also known for its extensive selection of pastries, sweets, and other baked goods. Signature items include croissants, kouign amann, chocolate chip cookies, and the espresso martini entremet. A rotating selection of features incorporate seasonal fruits and pay tribute to holidays.

Customers who join the restaurant’s loyalty rewards program get access to a number of discounts, including $10.99 flatbreads on Tuesday, 50 percent off loaves of bread on Wednesday, $1 mimosas on Thursday, and $3.99 kids’ meals on Sunday (with minimum $13.99 purchase).

As part of its grand opening celebrations, kids eat for free with an adult purchase of $14 or more through July 1 (limit one free meal per adult purchase).

Common Bond opens daily at 7 am.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Common Bond recently opened its second location in Spring.

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