Comalito, 2520 Airline, opens November 17 at Houston Farmers Market. The new CDMX-inspired taqueria is a collaboration between Underbelly Hospitality and Nixt, a restaurant group led by internationally-known chefs Luis Robledo Richards and Atzin Santos. Co-founder Richards said in a press release, "Our vision for Comalito is to create a fun, affordable and approachable concept where Houstonians can immerse themselves in a vibrant culinary landscape of a traditional Mexico City taqueria."
With the restaurant being located in Houston's oldest market, the owners hope to showcase the cultural heritage that has been the veins of the market with a number of produce and spice vendors having been at the market for years. However, much of it has changed as restaurants have joined the line-up, changing the landscape of the market as it became more upscale. Over the past couple of years, concepts such as Wild Oats have struggled to find a regular clientele in the space. Wild Oats is instead moving to Spring Branch along with a second location of Underbelly Burger while Comalito opens in the former Wild Oats space.

With the market's heritage as a guide, Comalito plans to pay tribute to the tapestry of Mexican cuisine with a traditional menu inspired by the flavors and tastes that can be found everywhere in the busy streets of Mexico City. Diners will find tacos al pastor, charbroiled tacos de parilla, braised beef tacos and tostadas. There will also be alambres which are beef skewers cooked with bell peppers, onion and bacon, served in taco form. Other items include quesadillas, soups and salads.
In addition to the delicious variety of meats, Comalito will also offer a selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes. Tacos such as mushrooms al pastor and cactus and purslane salad will offer tasty options for non-carnivores.

Houstonians love their salsas and the restaurant will feature six house versions including roja, verde, morita, verde cremosa, arbol and pico de gallo. Comalito will also have an in-house tortilla program using imported endemic, orgainic heirloom corn from Central Mexico. The corn is then nixtamalized before being finely ground into masa for the tortillas.
The beverage offerings at Comalito include aguas frescas, tequila and mezcal cocktails along with Mexican beers and spirits. The agave bar at the restaurant has damajuanas, or demi-johns, hanging from the ceiling, a sight commonly seen in mezcalerias throughout Mexico. There will be a daily happy hour in the bar as well as on the patio which overlooks the green space at the market.

The restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner with breakfast service to follow in the coming weeks.
Underbelly Burger, 1222 Witte, opens November 18 in Spring Branch. It's the second location for the burger joint which first opened in 2021 when chef Chris Shepherd was still a major player at Underbelly Hospitality. Shepherd left the restaurant group he helped to found in July 2022 to follow other projects and to concentrate on his non-profit, Southern Smoke Foundation.

With the success of its first outpost at Houston Farmers Market, the counter-service concept is expanding its footprint joining Wild Oats in the same development. Wild Oats is expected to open in the coming weeks.
Underbelly Burger has cemented its reputation with high-quality ingredients such as the locally-sourced meat for the patties. On the menu are two different double patty burgers, one made with 44 Farms Black Angus and another using R-C Ranch Wagyu beef. R-C Ranch also operates its butcher shop at Houston Farmers Market.

There is also a veggie burger, chicken sandwich and bacon sausage hot dog to complete the menu along with its signature Sidewinder Fries and even a kale salad. There's also a selection of milkshakes and floats plus beers and hard seltzers for grown-ups.
The family-friendly restaurant with its green space and outdoor patio is a perfect fit for the neighborhood which is close to schools and athletic fields. High school students can receive 15 percent off burger combos with a valid school ID.
The Decoy, 1222 Witte, opened November 16 in the same Spring Branch mixed-use development as Underbelly Burger and the upcoming Wild Oats. It comes from some of the owners of the Wakefield Crowbar including co-owner and managing partner Omid Rafiei, co-owner and managing partner Aly Valiani and Area General Manager Miguel Cruz. It offers the Spring Branch community a place to hang out, socialize, watch sports games and play. With three sand volleyball courts, corn hole and other games, there is plenty more to do than just sit and drink a beer. But, you can do that too, if that's your pleasure.

With 10,500 square feet of space, there are 75 seats inside and outside seating on an expansive patio adjacent to a green space. To further appeal to the mingling crowd, there will be theme nights, DJ sets and different seating configurations for volleyball viewing or just relaxing with a cocktail under the pergola.
Speaking of libations, The Decoy will offer drinks like the Spicy Pineapple Margarita, Lemon Mint Sparkler and Riz-berry Cosmo. For food, guests are welcome to bring in orders from local dining spots such as Underbelly Burger and Wild Oats. In the future, The Decoy will have steak nights, crawfish boils and other culinary pop-ups.
Mi Cocina, 4410 Westheimer, opens November 29 in River Oaks. While we at the Houston Press await photos of the interior, readers can enjoy some of the delicious food and beverage images as a tease of what's to come. The Dallas-based Tex-Mex concept from M Crowd Restaurant Group has 22 locations across Texas and Oklahoma but the River Oaks restaurant is the first for Houston. Its original location opened in Dallas 32 years ago so it's about time MiCo, as Dallasites call it, rolled into the Bayou City.
Mi Cocina Houston takes over the former home of Seasons 52 and will feature a large upscale bar with a speakeasy vibe serving premium spirits plus its famous Mambo Taxi margaritas. The interior draws on contemporary designs from Mexican artisans including a custom painting commissioned by Luis Sottil, a native of Tampico, Mexico who is credited for creating the "Naturalismo" style of art.
The menu at Mi Cocina is typical of what many Houston Tex-Mex joints serve like lunch combo plates, street-style tacos, nachos and a selection of burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. There are entrees like the Ribeye al Carbon and seafood dishes such as Grouper Verde and Shrimp Brochette. Vegans will find several choices with vegetables and mushrooms.
Jonathan's the Rub, 2929 Navigation Boulevard, is set to be the third location of the popular Houston restaurant from owner and chef Jonathan Levine. The lease has been signed with Navigation 2929 Partners LTD, LP for a 5,500 square-foot space with an additional 1,550 square feet of patio area.

Levine, who was raised in Brooklyn, New York, began his career as a commodities trader but his passion for cooking took over and he opened and worked in several restaurants in Cape Cod. In 2000, he moved to Houston where he first worked as a personal chef before opening Jonathan's Catering. Eventually, it morphed into a brick and mortar restaurant at 9061 Gaylord as Jonathan's the Rub. That location would eventually close and relocate to 9090 Katy Freeway. A second location opened in 2018 at 12505 Memorial.
The upcoming third restaurant will have the same extensive menu as its predecessors but there will be the addition of a pizza menu as well. Levine says he and his family are thrilled open in the culturally diverse East End community which has a rich history and has been experiencing some economic growth with its proximity to Houston's major sports stadiums and entertainment venues.

In a press release Levine stated, "We can't wait to incorporate our heritage even more into the menu at this new location and offer authentic New York-style pizza like the kind I grew up with." He added, "We're having a lot of fun working on that part of the menu now just to get it right."
Seth Siegel-Gardner is taking on the role of Culinary and Creative Director for all of Benjy Levit's restaurants including Local Foods, Lees Den, Eau Tour and a soon-to-open Mexican concept in West University. Levit and business partner Dylan Murray have given Siegel-Gardner oversight for the menu directions for each concept and he will collaborate with the chefs for special events and holiday offerings.

Most Houstonians recognize the acclaimed chef from the now-shuttered Pass & Provisions, a dual restaurant concept that earned Siegel-Gardner and chef/friend Terrence Gallivan a spot on Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants of 2013. Siegel-Gardner moved to Marfa, Texas in 2019 to open two restaurants and a distillery, The Marfa Spirit Company with partners Josh Shepard and Morgan Weber.
Siegel-Gardner's culinary career began as a young teen rolling napkins at Tony Mandola's original restaurant and he continued working in the hospitality industry through high school and college. In 2003, he did a stint as a line cook for celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant Aquavit and in 2008, he opened Gordon Ramsay's London Hotel restaurant in New York City. Before opening Pass & Provisions in Houston, he worked with Gallivan and another chef/friend Justin Yu to operate a limited-run restaurant, The Just August Project, in 2012.

Siegel-Gardner has a close relationship with chef Chris Shepherd and the Southern Smoke Foundation. In honor of that bond, Eau Tour will offer a dish, Crispy Pork Rillette, for $14 through the month of November. All proceeds from the special menu item will got to Southern Smoke Foundation.

Atomic Wings, 11200 Northwest Freeway, will open as the first drive-thru location for the brand December 20 with a grand opening planned for January 13.  Owners Jalal and Shermeen Kapadia are adapting to the ever-changing restaurant industry by creating a drive-thru feature that streamlines the process by reducing the cooking time for wings from 12 minutes to just two or three.

The Kapadias have deep roots in Houston and are excited to be able to revolutionize the wing restaurant concept with not only innovative business practices but also by providing 100 percent Halal-certified chicken wings in a city with a large Muslim population.
Sushi by Hidden, 5216 Morningside, is now offering its $60 omakase at lunch with 12 courses served in a 30 minute experience. Chef Jimmy Kieu has worked for a long time to bring the extended hours to the 10-seat sushi restaurant which opened for dinner omakase December 5, 2022. Located behind an art gallery, the tucked-away speakeasy feel adds to the exclusivity of the dining destination. With its intimate setting, guests are guided through the sushi line-up for a more personal touch.

With the launch of lunch seating, Kieu and sous chefs Alan Do and Anthony Tran have created new menu items such as Shima Aji, skipjack with fresh ginger and chives, and Medai, Bluenose Butterfish with umeboshi and fried garlic. Other new sushi dishes include Itoyori, Hirame and Scallop Foie.
There are also new cocktails to pair with the sushi including a Lychee Sake Cocktail and Spicy Sake Margarita. There are also four types of cold sake by the bottle.

Kieu has received requests from guests about extending the dinner service experience so, beginning November 28, the omakase dinner will be priced at $75 and last 45 minutes.