From morocco to Memorial

Growing Houston Mediterranean restaurant picks Memorial for 3rd location

A rendering previews the Memorial location of Zoa Eateries.

Courtesy of Zoa Eateries

A casual, Houston-based Mediterranean restaurant is coming to Memorial. Zoa Eateries will open a new location this summer at 9807 Katy Fwy.

Opened in 2020 as Zoa Moroccan Kitchen, chef-owner Youssef Nafaa has rebranded the concept. Along with the new name, the fast casual restaurant will roll out a new menu with simplified sandwich offerings, more grab-and-go options, and new breakfast items.

Nafaa, the owner of concepts such as Mia Bella Trattoria, Coco Crepes & Coffee, and Mi Luna Tapas Restaurant & Bar, is working with his sons Zack, Omar, and Adam — the brand’s namesakes — on the restaurant. It currently has locations in Greenway Plaza and near the intersection of Shepherd Dr. and Washington Ave.

"Memorial means a lot to our family,” Adam Nafaa said in a statement. “I grew up in the area and attended Spring Branch ISD schools, including Memorial High School. Bringing it to the neighborhood I grew up in feels personal. I remember hanging out at Southwells after school, which, for those who know that location, was an institution, excited to be entering a market that influenced the formative years of my own growth.”

While the menu is being refreshed, it still revolves around build-your-own bowls and sandwiches made with braised beef tagine, roasted lamb meshwi, and beef kefta. Sandwiches are served on house made bread. Bowls can be enhanced with 20 toppings and nine sauces, including red and green harissa.

The restaurant itself is approximately 1,800 square feet and will offer indoor seating for 42 along with an outdoor patio. It will be open daily from 8 am until 10 pm.

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GMA in HOU

Houston's Asian American diner featured on Good Morning America

Photo by Vivian Leba

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An award-winning Houston restaurant is basking in the national spotlight. Good Morning America visited Agnes and Sherman this morning (Wednesday, August 12).

Part of a weeklong series on diners across America, reporter Becky Worley celebrated some of the restaurant’s signature dishes, including its scallion waffle with sambal butter, shrimp toast, and the fan favorite cheeseburger fried rice.

“It’s too classic flavors you know and love mashed together in a different format,” chef and co-owner Nick Wong tells Worley.

Wong and his business partner Lisa Lee opened Agnes and Sherman last year on 19th Street in the Heights. Since then, the restaurant has earned wide acclaim, including a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide, a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant, and being named Texas Monthly’s best new restaurant for 2026.

Lee and Wong first met as college students at the University of California, Berkeley. Over time, they became best friends and business partners. The GMA segment ends with a surprise update that their personal relationship has taken another turn.

“It’s safe to say this restaurant made us fall in love, and now we’re engaged,” Lee says.

Good Morning America is no stranger to Houston restaurants. In 2023, the program featured Bellaire’s Dandelion Cafe as one of America’s best breakfast restaurants. Trill Burgers won the title of “America’s Ultimate Burger Spot” in 2022 when it was still a pop-up, paving the way for its growth into a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

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