Shake Shack is scheduled to open its doors Friday, November 4, setting up shop at 5015 Westheimer Road in the center of Galleria I. Shake Shack, known for 100 percent all-natural Angus beef burgers, is offering a “Texas-exclusive called the Lockhart Link Burger, a cheeseburger topped with griddled Kreuz Market jalapeño cheese sausage link, pickles and ShackSauce. Look for Greenway Coffee and devil’s food cake from Fluff Bake Bar as well.
Falling in line with its mission to “Stand for Something Good,” Shake Shack will donate 5 percent of sales from the Vietnamese Coffee & Donuts to support the Houston SPCA and team members will participate in local volunteer events for the organization.
Baton Rouge-based Raising Canes opened at 5236 South Rice on November 1, the 22nd location in Houston and its 300th location overall. According to a press release, a 23rd location is slated to follow in Kingwood by mid-November.
Amar Indian-European Cuisine recently opened in mid-September at 1855 Barker Cypress Drive, Suite 100. A reader’s tip recommends dining at the buffet for the best selections. The menu features traditional Indian fare including saag paneer and chicken tikka. Chef Mandeep Singh has more than 30 years of experience with previous restaurants in Finland and New York City.
Operating hours are Monday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday noon to 10:30 p.m.
A reader’s tip notified the Houston Press about the closing of Rockwell Tavern & Grill, 12640 Telge in Cypress. The restaurant bid farewell to its customers and friends on October 30 on Facebook:
“We appreciate the opportunity to serve you and your families over the past years! We’ve enjoyed getting to know you and your families in our community. . . We are still working out details but it looks like with the support of others in our community, we will have access to a commercial kitchen and even space to hold our Annual Buffalo Bayou Christmas Beer Dinner.”
Chef Ara Malekian told the Press that his passion project, Harlem Road Texas BBQ is finally coming to fruition. He is a well-known local pop-up chef and barbecue pit master and has worked with greats like Wolfgang Puck internationally. From the Roaming Kitchen to Aracan Gourmet Catering, Malekian has been in the Houston culinary scene for many years. He’s finally hitching his horse to a post in Richmond at 9823 Harlem Road. He says he hopes to open by the first week of December.
Beaver’s is opening a second location in the former Texadelphia space at 6025 Westheimer near the Galleria. The outdoor covered patio at that location has long been a popular meeting place for cold brews, friends and sports. A tip from an insider said that the opening date has been set for early December. Look for more creative barbecue dishes on this menu along with Beaver favorites. Beaver’s first location is at 2310 Decatur in the Washington area.
Thanks to a reader’s tip, the Press learned about Zen Japanese Izakaya’s soft opening on October 28 at 2015 South Shepherd in River Oaks. Owner Ken Ren told the Press that the signature dish here is the Bento Box, claiming that “no other Japanese restaurant chef can make it the way it’s created [at Zen].” With seating for only 50, the space is small, but the décor is elegant and contemporary in style.
Denver-based Snooze, an A.M. Eatery announced plans to expand with three more stores in the Houston area. Houstonia reported that the future spots include the Heights, Memorial, near Town & Country and Cinco Ranch. In a more recent article, Snooze’s CEO David Birzon told the Houston Business Journal that there are plans to open ten to 12 more locations in Houston over the next several years. The first Snooze opened in Houston at 3217 Montrose in July.
A fourth location of Houston-based Big City Wings is opening at 9721 Broadway in Pearland. A representative of the restaurant told the Press about plans for a soft opening this weekend and announced that “we plan on being aggressive next year with a projected four more locations.” The menu includes burgers, waffles, baked potatoes and an assortment of wing options and sauces.
A tip from Jamie Alvear of The Drunken Diva said that Cape Cod Café opened at 19640 Kuykendahl in Spring. The restaurant announced on its Facebook page that it will celebrate the Grand Opening at 11 a.m. on November 3. The New England menu includes seafood rolls, chowder, bisque, salads, whole steamed lobsters, and a variety of seafood that is baked, fried or chargrilled.
Hours of operation are Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Now, here’s a review of the Openings and Closings that were reported in October:
Reported Opened or Plans to Open:
Bacon Brothers – Public House, Sugar Land Town Square (December 2016)
Cane Rosso, 4306 Yoakum (October 21, 2016)
Chai Shai, 10581 South Highway 6 (October 22, 2016)
Cousins Maine Lobster, Bernie’s Backyard, 22314 Interstate 45 North (mid-October 2016)
Cousins Maine Lobster, Deacon Baldy’s in Magnolia at 5447 FM 1488 Road (mid-October 2016)
Cowboys & Indians Indo-Tex Kitchen,1901 Taft (October 31)
Daddy O’s Pizza, 861 Dairy Ashford (mid-to-late November 2016)
Denny’s, 8401 Westheimer (October 5, 2016)
Edison, 4203 Edison Street (October 20, 2016)
Field & Tides, 705 East 11th (before Christmas 2016)
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, 21420 Kuykendahl, Spring (fall 2016)
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, 2620 Pearland Parkway, Pearland (spring 2017)
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, 4637 E Sam Houston Pkwy S, Pasadena (early 2017)
Green Lane, 10455 Briar Forest (mid October 2016)
Hubcap Grill & Cocktail Bar, 2021 Strand (October 20, 2016)
Ivy & James, Evelyn’s Park Conservancy (spring 2017)
Kitchen 713, 4601 Washington (December 1, 2016)
Korean Noodle House, 10016 Long Point (mid-to-late November 2016)
La Calle Tacos & Tortas, 909 Franklin (September 26, 2016)
Lucky Fig, Deacon Baldy’s in Magnolia at 5447 FM 1488 Road (mid-October 2016)
Maclane’s Café, 6395 Woodway (March 2017)
McIntyre’s Spirits & Friends, 1235 West 19th (October 20, 2016)
MidiCi, 2925 Richmond (before Super Bowl)
NAO Ramen House, 5510 Morningside (early December 2016)
Night Market, adjacent to Mein, 9630 Clarewood (November 2016)
One Fifth, 1658 Westheimer (January 2017)
Osso and Kristalla, 500 Crawford (December 2016)
Pasta del Giglio, inside Nundini Chef’s Table at 500 North Shepherd (week of October 7, 2016)
Peli Kitchen, 1010 Campbell (October 18, 2016)
Pluckers, 10407 Katy Freeway (October 17, 2016)
Presidio, 911 W 11th Street (November 2016)
Providence Bar, 1308 West 20th (soft opened in late October, opening in early November 2016)
Ramen Bar Ichi, 1801 South Dairy Ashford (late November 2016)
Relish Restaurant & Bar, 2810 Westheimer (October 10, 2016)
Rotana Mediterranean Restaurant, 3111 Chimney Rock (unknown date at this time)
Spanky’s Pizza, Pasta and Amore, 4010 Spencer Highway, Pasadena (November 2016)
The Frio Hill Country Grill, 16410 Mueschke, Cypress (November 2016)
Third Coast, 6550 Bertner (October 6, 2016)
Tony Luke’s, 9762 Katy Freeway (October 21, 2016)
Union Kitchen, 3452 Ella (October 17, 2016)
W Grill Margaritas to Go, 8303 Long Point (November 8, 2016)
Willy Burger, 6191 Highway, suite 101 (October 12, 2016)
Worcester’s Annex, 1433 North Shepherd (unknown date at this time)
Reported Closed or Plans to Close:
55 Bar & Restaurant, 5510 Morningside (early November 2016)
Absinthe Brasserie, 609 Richmond (September 30, 2016)
Black-eyed Pea, 5410 Bellaire (September 27, 2016)
Mo’s . . . A Place for Steaks, 1801 Post Oak Blvd (October 29, 2016)
Nit Noi, 6395 Woodway (lease ends on December 1, 2016)
Ponzo’s Italian Food, 2515 Bagby (October 9, 2016)
Rangoli Fine Indian Cuisine, 10728 Cypress Creek Parkway, Cypress (September 19, 2016)
Rico’s Mexican Grill, 25250 Northwest Freeway, suite 190 (late September 2016)
That’s it for this week’s restaurant openings and closings! Leave us a comment or send us an email to let us know if we missed something.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2016.
