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.
April Openings
Abuelos Mexican Grill, 8111 N Sam Houston Pkwy. W., Ste. 100, 832-604-7305
Barcelona Restaurant & Lounge, 110 Vintage Park Blvd., Bldg. J, Ste. B, 832-698-4155
Bradley’s Fine Diner, 191 Heights Blvd., 832-831-5939
Buttz Gourmet Food Truck, food truck
Cadillac Coffee, food truck
Caribbean Cools, food truck
Chuanr, 9889 Bellaire Blvd., Ste, C-305, 832-980-0801
Crawdaddy Crawfish, 10613 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. A125, 281-575-0272
Doughmaker Doughnuts, food truck
Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins, 10840 Scarsdale Blvd., 832-523-1226
Facon Brazilian Steakhouse, 126 Vintage Park Blvd., Bldg. D, Ste. H, 281-257-6100
Georges Bistro, 219 Westheimer, 832-831-0921
Gyu-Kaku, 510 W Gray, Ste. A, 713-750-9520
House of Pies, 3112 Kirby, 713-528-3816
Island Grill, 979 Bunker Hill Rd., 832-831-7071
Juice Girl, 238 W 19th St., 713-478-7486
Marco’s Pizza, 536 E. Tidwell, 832-857-0888
Mercantile, 3321 Stanford, 713-360-7947
Midtown Mobile Cuisine, 4002 Almeda Rd., 281-896-8425
Ninja Ramen, 4219 Washington
Piatto Ristorante, 1111 Studewood, 713-802-2000
Rakuu, 5200 FM 2920, Ste. 190, 281-651-5464
Songkran Thai Kitchen, 1101-08 Uptown Park Blvd., 832-582-8445
Szechuan House, 9252 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. C, 713-778-0910
The Boot, 1206 W. 20th St., 713-869-2668
The Bubbly Pot, 9889 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. C-305, 832-384-9573
The Gaslamp, 2400 Brazos, 713-301-6209
Thien An, 2611 San Jacinto, 713-522-7007
Uncle Wankie’s Restaurant, 4660 Louetta Rd., Ste. 130, Spring, 832-663-5437
VERTS, 107 Yale, 713-714-8101
VERTS, 1572 West Gray, 832-801-7735
Warehouse Bar & Chill, 3333 W. 11th St., 832-922-5646
Wild Cajun, 13602 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. A, 281-564-6500
April Closings
Cellar 17, 6608 FM 1960, Ste. C
Crawfish 4 You, 13602 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. A1
Crescent City Beignets, 3260 Westheimer
Dirk’s Coffee, 4005 Montrose
Eighteenth Cocktail Bar, 2511 Bissonett
Pho LN Sushi Bar & Grill, 8408 Katy Freeway
This article appears in May 1-7, 2014.