The month of May is going to be an exciting one for many restaurants, bars, bakeries and coffee shops. Alba Huerta of the upcoming Julep posted a picture of a walk in cooler on Instagram on April 24, while Sal y Pimienta South American Kitchen recently posted pictures on Facebook of the doors, sign, the kitchen and interior concrete walls.
No word yet on when Siphon Coffee will finally open, but it's definitely going to be soon. Lillo & Ella, from chef Kevin Naderi, is expected to open this month as well.
But, enough talk about what's coming soon, let's look at what restaurants have recently opened.
Ninja Ramen opened this week, but is only serving cocktails and Japanese beers for now. One Facebook user asked when Ninja Ramen would be open and the ramen restaurant replied back, "Our bar is open for drinks this week! Food will be a little later..." Hopefully you'll be able to pair those cocktails with bowls of ramen soon.
You can now get döner kebaps in River Oaks. The second VERTS location opened this week at 1572 West Gray between Mama Fu's and Sally Beauty Supply. The newest VERTS held its grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 26.
Mai Pham reported that Songkran Thai Kitchen took over the previous space of 1252 Tapas in Uptown Park. The new Thai restaurant, which opened on Monday, April 28, is headed up by chef Junnajet Hurapan of Blu in Sugar Land. Pham asked chef Jett what his favorite dishes on the menu are and he says he enjoys Khai Luk Koei (double cooked egg with tamarind sauce and crispy shallots); Yum Ka Moy (Royal chili lime chicken salad); and Nuer Siam (braised wagyu beef with Thai herb dipping sauce).
Houston welcomes Solero Estate Winery on Saturday, May 3, as it opens its second location at 330 TC Jester Boulevard. The flagship estate and vineyard is in Dripping Springs near Austin, and will now open an urban winery in Houston. During the grand opening, those who make reservations will be able to taste a variety of Solero wines, including a 2009 MGT, 2012 Estate Barrel Reserve Barbera and First Barrel Port. Tastings will be held at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Eater Houston mentioned this week that Boil House plans to open during the first week of May (aka, next week). According to the crawfish joint's website, Boil House will give customers the option to purchase crawfish through the drive-thru, or come inside to buy everything they need to boil the mudbugs at home. You'll be able to purchase the crawfish by the pound, as a five-pound platter with one corn and three potatoes, or an eight-pound platter with three corns and five potatoes. Pair it all with King Cake or pralines.
A new Fresh Market will open on Wednesday, May 7 in Webster at 1519 West Bay Area Boulevard. This new location comes just a couple months after the River Oaks Fresh Market closed.
JW Marriott Houston Downtown at 806 Main will open during the summer, and the luxury hotel has hired award-winning pastry chef Plinio Sandalio to join the culinary team for JW's restaurant, Main Kitchen and bar, 806 Bar & Lounge. Sandalio is known for creating inventive desserts, such as blending grapefruit sorbet with Campari pop rocks and angostura bitters mousse -- it will be a treat to see what type of desserts he will create for the hotel's culinary program.
Head to the next page for a complete list of openings and closings in April.
