Handies Douzo, 9936 Westview, opens August 18 in Spring Branch. It’s the third location for the concept from Duckstache Hospitality which operates several Japanese restaurants including Aiko, Kokoro and Doko, among others. Chefs Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham are both alums of Hai Hospitality’s acclaimed Uchi restaurant. The duo founded Duckstache in 2019 and have been rolling out successful concepts ever since.
The idea of Handies Douzo came about when the chefs were inspired by Pham’s late night hand rolls made for staff after service. They wanted to create a space that showcased the craft of hand roll making while creating a cozy space for camaraderie and socializing. The first Handies Douzo opened in the Heights in December 2019, followed by the Montrose location in 2022. The new Spring Branch spot will retain the intimate seating arrangement with room for 26 guests.
Originally slated to open August 8, the Spring Branch restaurant had to deal with an illegal dumping incident, as we reported here in the Houston Press. The team quickly did what was necessary to remedy the situation in order to get the location open as quickly as possible. Despite the unfortunate occurrence, the crew is thrilled to be opening in Spring Branch, an area they have been eyeing for a long time. Martin Dennis, COO of Duckstache Hospitality said, “There are a lot of exciting things happening in the neighborhood and we’re looking forward to adding our high-quality handrolls to the mix.”
La Calle Tacos, 2920 Riverby, is coming to the East River development later this year, with plans to open November 2025. The authentic taqueria already has two Houston locations and is known for its Mexico City-inspired street tacos, breakfast tortas and quesa birria.
La Calle had another location on Ella Boulevard, but a fire destroyed much of the restaurant. Owner Ramon Soriano said that it was not feasible to reopen that location despite the best efforts of he and his team to bring it back for the residents of Garden Oaks. ” We are thrilled, however, to join the community at East River and introduce a whole new audience to our menu,” Soriano said in a press release. “It’s an exciting time for La Calle and we can’t wait to celebrate over tacos and margaritas at our brand new location.”
The new location will seat 240 guests in its 3,750 square foot space, including a scenic patio overlooking Buffalo Bayou. There will be a full bar, plus a quick-serve, street style taqueria. The menu and daily specials will be the same as its other locations with Margarita Mondays ($5.99 frozen magaritas) and Taco Tuesdays ($1.69 street tacos).
The Road to Nowhere, 1617 Richmond, made its rummy debut August 14, inside The Toasted Coconut. Owners Sara and Martin Stayer have used the private dining room space inside their bar and restaurant to experiment with different bar concepts before, including Quiote, an intimate bar and restaurant that operated on and off, serving tequila and mezcal cocktails, along with a small menu of Mexican cuisine. The new speakeasy-style bar will focus on tiki drinks and tropical cocktails.
The interior offers the romance of a hidden getaway where guests can enjoy a cocktail program created by head bartender Tiffany Kirk. She’s been with The Toasted Coconut crew since 2022, having previously worked at local establishments such as Omni Houston and Miss Carousel. The drinks-only menu features 16 cocktails, 8 of which are original creations, and 8 tropical and tiki classics. The cocktails are $17 and up. The bar is fully-stocked with spirits, but the emphasis is heavily on specialty rums from around the world. Kirk says that stepping into the bar is an invitation to “slow down reality, be as nerdy as you want with rum, or just enjoy the ambiance.”
And it’s not just rum nerds who will be pleased with the selection. Vinyl enthusiasts will appreciate the vintage hi-fi system expertly put together by Uncanned Music. And for unique visuals, Moon Pappas Art has surprises strewn about for those who explore the space. The buildout itself was done with Pruitt Structures.
The Road to Nowhere will be open Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight for walk-ins only. New citizens of the Republic of Nowhere must be 21 and over. The new speakeasy does not have a food menu, but guests can always grab a meal at The Toasted Coconut before, or after, slipping into the dimly-lit retreat.
Via 313, 20725 Tuckerton, opens August 15 in Cypress. It’s the fifth location for the Greater Houston area and the 25th overall for the brand, which sells Detroit-style pizza. The grand opening runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with all kinds of fun stuff like a prize wheel, a photo booth activation by Bub’s Photos and ticket giveaways with White Oak Music Hall. There will also be product sampling from Eureka Heights Brewery and Still Austin. Via 313 will donate 25 percent of opening day proceeds to Cy-Fair Helping Hands, a local non-profit that provides emergency services, outreach and self-sufficiency strategies for the homeless and food-insecure.
The pizza concept began as an Austin food trailer in 2011, founded by brothers Zane and Brandon Hunt, both natives of the Motor City. Eventually the duo opened three brick and mortar locations in Austin before partnering with Savory, an investment firm, to expand the brand.
Detroit pizza began as a tavern snack in 1946, attributed to Gus Guerra, owner of Buddy’s Rendezvous, a neighborhood bar. Instead of being a pie, the pizza is rectangular with the cheese melted right to the edges of the crispy crust. At Via 313, the Detroit-style selection includes The Original Pepperoni, the veg-heavy Herbivore. the meat-heavy Carnivore and The Cadillac, a gourmet delight topped with prosciutto, gorgonzola, parmesan, fig preserves and balsamic drizzle.
There are also Bar-style pizzas which are round like standard pizzas, but also have cheese to the edge and a chewy, thin crust. Some of the options include Plain Cheese, The Funkadelic Chicken and The Stooges, a pie topped with baby spinach, marinated artichokes, shallots and parmesan crisps.
The restaurant’s menu also has several salads and appetizers like cheese bread, meatballs with marinara and roasted broccoli and cauliflower. Don’t miss the Hub Cap, a baked-to-order cookie topped with vanilla ice cream.
Via 313 has a full bar and a selection of soft drinks, but if you’re having Detroit-style pizza, you might want to accompany it with a Faygo Pop, a Detroit-born soda brand.
Einstein Bros. Bagels, 23701 Cinco Ranch Boulevard, opened August 12 in Katy. The bakery and cafe is known for its fresh-baked bagels and double-whipped cream cheese, plus breakfast and lunch sandwiches. It also offers a selection of sweet pastries, along with coffee and espresso drinks. Guests who order at the bakery, online, or in the app can get a buy one, get one free egg sandwich from now until August 26 with the code BOGO.
Some of its breakfast sandwiches include Texas Brisket Egg and Maplehouse Egg, plus its new Country Bagels and Gravy Egg Sandwich. There are also Morning Mocktails in flavors such as Passionfruit Sunrise and Dragon Fruit Lemon Drop. Its bagels some in a wide variety including pretzel, ancient grain, plain, chocolate chip and pumpernickel.
There are also brunch boxes, plus catering for larger groups.
Yuma HTX is popping up at Third Place, 420 E. 20th, for a special lunch service August 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a return lunch service August 29 through August 31. The Brazilian and Cuban sandwich concept comes from married couple Miriam Leek-Meira and Mike Hartley. Leek-Meira’s Brazilian heritage inspires many of the dishes on the menu while chef Hartley creates each sandwich and menu item from scratch. He is also the owner of MMH Provisions Bakery and he creates the bread for the sandwiches from imported flour.
Some of the pop-up items include the Classic Cubano, the El Penny Cubano Banh Mi and the Sampa Gallo Chicken Sandwich. The A Caipira is a Brazilian twist on a Philly cheesesteak. There is also a vegan sandwich, El Jardin, made with tostones, sofrito, mustard greens and black bean puree. Non-sandwich items like Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheesesteak rolls, Croquetas and Pastel de Bife (Brazilian beef empanadas) are also on the menu.
Yuma HTX also pops up regularly at Catbirds Bar, Axelrad, Rice Village Market, Heights Mercantile Farmers Market and Urban Harvest Farmers Market. Its schedule is listed on its social media @yumahtx.
Third Place is located at JUN, the highly-acclaimed restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chefs, Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu. The duo debuted Third Place as a daytime cafe this past April and also introduced a Chef Residency Program which has included Top Chef: Season 22 champion Tristan Epps and Master Chef: Legends finalist Suu Khin.
Trill Burgers, 6810 Louetta and 3607 S. Shepherd, is launching its Easy Money Burger in collaboration with NBA superstar Kevin Durant August 15 through August 22. The company will also begin sales of its special Kevin Durant T-shirt online very soon. Proceeds from the limited time menu item and online t-shirt sales will benefit the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.
Based on Durant’s favorite burger toppings, the Easy Money Burger will have ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles and American cheese. It’s served in a custom-designed box that features Durant in his days at the University of Texas at Austin. Durant recently signed on with the Houston Rockets after a championship career with teams like OKC Thunder and Golden State Warriors.
Co-owner and rap legend Bun B says that Trill Burgers is honored to join forces with Durant for a cause close to the heart, “This partnership is dedicated to the Central Texas Hill Country area-where KD played college basketball,” he said in a press release. “We wanted to create something that will give back to the community Kevin is connected with and passionate about, and we hope to provide meaningful support for our Texas neighbors as we all work together to recover from this devastating flooding.”
