The Zeppelins are made with freshly baked artisan baguettes which are toasted to order. The interior is cored out, then filled with customized chopped salad. For the bowls and sandwiches, guests can choose from five lettuce bases or grain options before selecting from nearly 40 fresh vegetables, fruit, crunch or cheese toppings. There are also protein choices including herb-marinated chicken, shrimp, turkey and fire-grilled flank steak. BZ offers 15 made-in-house dressings.
There are vegan items as well as a kids menu. House-made soups, fresh-baked cookies and its popular Bread Pudding round out the menu.
The new location is owned by Avalanche Food Group, a locally-owned culinary company that also operates a number of Twin Peaks restaurants across Texas. AFG also opened the first Houston location of Bread Zeppelin in June 2021 at City Place.
Trill Burgers will join the concessions at NRG Stadium for the Houston Texans football season. It will have four locations within the stadium at Sections 115, 135, 520 and 548. The booth at Section 135 will feature a convenient self-checkout system while section 548 will have Zippin, an AI-powered technology that streamlines the ordering process. Its Trill Burger packages will be available for order in the luxury suites.
The partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment means that football fans can enjoy the smashburgers made famous by Bun B, the Houston rap artist who is the face of the brand along with partners Andy Nguyen, Nick Scurfield, Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares. The menu at NRG will include the award-winning OG Burger that was named "Best Burger in America" in 2022 by Good Morning America. It features two smashed beef patties, Trill sauce, American cheese, pickles and caramelized onions on a potato bun. There is also the option of the Vegan OG Burger made with Impossible patties and vegan cheese. The menu will also include seasoned fries and soft drinks.
Slowpokes, 3401 Canal, will open in a former gas station and tire shop at The Plant in Second Ward, per a press release from Concept Neighborhood, a Houston-based real estate investment, development and management company. A lease was recently signed for the 2,000 square-foot space on the corner of Canal and Sampson, a spot Slowpokes owner, Mazen Baltagi, has had his eye on for more than ten years.
The hybrid coffee shop and cafe has four other Houston locations offering in-house roasted coffee, craft beers and curated wines along with a food menu of sandwiches, flatbreads and shareable munchies. It also offers breakfast all day. In addition to its breakfast, lunch and dinner services, the new location will feature its happy hour menu as well.
Slowpokes will join the walkable development in Second Ward.
Rendering by Slowpokes
ZOA Moroccan Kitchen, 3303 Richmond, will celebrate its grand opening August 24. The first 100 customers will receive a card redeemable for one free item. Most will be for a free bowl while 10 lucky customers will receive a card for a free meal package valued at $39. Then, ZOA will offer all guests complimentary bowls from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the grand opening day.
The fast casual concept from locally-owned Bella Restaurants Group (Mia Bella, Coco Crepes) is a counter service eatery where guests can order customizable bowls or sandwiches served on homemade Fatima Bread, which was named for owner Youssef Nafaa's mother. There are also ready-made combinations and favorites like the signature Casablanca and the Marrakesh. For drinks, there are favorites such as Moroccan Mint Tea and Moroccan Lemonade.
ZOA also offers Meal Prep packages.
Lustre Pearl, 2106 Dallas, is currently under construction and, according to its Instagram page, on track to open soon in the East Village development. It will be the 6th location for the brand from Dunlap ATX. The Austin-based bar group was founded by Bridget Dunlap who opened her first venture, Pearl Bar, in Houston. The success of that concept led her to open Lustre Pearl in Austin, eventually selling off her Houston bar.
Her success led to more concepts such as Clive Bar and Bar 96, followed by more Austin locations of Lustre Pearl along with two expansions to Denver, Colorado and Portland, Oregon. The Lustre Pearl locations each have a different look but they all blend vintage, rustic and modern accents.
Olio & Farina, 24230 Kuykendahl, launched its brunch service this week. The craft pizza restaurant opened for dinner service July 22, as we reported here in the Houston Press. The prix-fixe weekend brunch is available Saturday and Sunday beginning at noon. For $24.95 per person ($14.95 ages 3 to 12), guests will be able to indulge in a variety of pizzas from traditional red sauce to pesto pizza and even an elotes-style pie. There are even sweet versions like Nutella or blueberry-ricotta. Children under three can dine for free.
There are cocktails available for purchase along with craft beer and wine. The prix-fixe menu does not include tax, tip or beverages.
Dooki Tteokbokki, 9750 Bellaire Boulevard, softly opened the first week of August. It's an all-you-can-eat Korean restaurant serving tteokbokki, a Korean rice cake, plus fish cakes, bulgogi bowls and a ramen station. Diners can make their own sauce at the table but be forewarned that there is one burner so choose companions who are comfortable with the same spice level. There is ice cream for dessert.
Jeremiah's has a frosty answer to Houston's triple digit heat.
Photo by Amir Haghighi
It was founded by Jeremy Litwack who began selling Italian ice as a high school student. After attending the University of Delaware, he grew the business into a pushcart and ice cream truck enterprise, according to its website. The first Jeremiah's Italian Ice opened in 1996 in Winter park, Florida.
It serves a variety of Italian ice and soft ice cream. For the best of both frozen worlds, customers can blend the two with its Gelati menu. There are 40 flavors of Italian ice including mango, passion fruit, horchata, cotton candy, pumpkin pie and cake batter. The shop offers free samples for indecisive types. The soft serve is available in vanilla, chocolate and swirl.
El Refu Tex-Mex, 17111 Tomball Parkway, had its grand opening August 7 with free food and lots of partying. It's the second location for the Mexican restaurant and bar which also has a spot in Humble. It serves the usual Tex-Mex fare along with margaritas, beer and cocktails in a large and colorful space. There's also plenty of outdoor seating for the eventual cooler weather.
The new restaurant is located in the building which formerly housed Brick House Tavern + Tap.
Oh Mmm Gyros, 8620 Barker Cypress, opened August 12 in Cypress. It's the second location for the gyro restaurant which first opened at 3801 Jeanetta in 2021. In addition to gyros, it offers wraps, platters and quesadillas with most items ranging from $6.99 to $8.99. Protein choices include chicken and beef gyro plus other fillings like falafel and Poppin Potatoes.
There are three sauce options including the signature white sauce, hot sauce and its OMG sauce. The OMGyros Fries are loaded with chopped gyro meat, feta cheese and Hot Cheetos with a drizzle of both white sauce and mild hot sauce. There are churros for dessert.
Railway Market, 8200 Washington, is hosting its Rise Artisan Market August 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be arts, plants, Hawaiian hula dancers, Hawaiian ice, tropical drinks and special culinary delights from its food vendors.
Southern Smoke Foundation has begun a disaster response to last week's catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii. So far, the non-profit has been able to grant $42,000 to approved applicants in the food and beverage industry. For those who would like to help financially, donations can be made at southernsmoke.org.
