Kirkwood, 11720 Katy Freeway, opens May 11 in the Energy Corridor. The highly-anticipated restaurant from Mac Haik Restaurant Group has been in the works for a while. Founder Mac Haik is well-known in Houston for his car dealerships and real estate developments but the new restaurant is a very personalized one, with custom elements throughout the nearly 7,000 square-foot space that pay tribute to his career and his family.
Designed by gin design group, one of the hottest restaurant designers in the city, the restaurant wows guests immediately with a replica Astrodome ceiling that echoes the day when Haik scored the first professional touchdown in the stadium, as a Houston Oiler, in 1968. Photos recording that moment, as well as a painting from Lucy McQueen of “The Grove” at Ole Miss, Haik’s alma mater, are just a few of the personal touches throughout the restaurant.
The dining room itself is set around a copper-clad open kitchen and seats 154 guests, while a private dining space, the Frances Room, pays tribute to Haik’s mother. The Sunny Room is named for his wife and can accommodate 72 diners, with a curved double-sided fireplace serving as a focal point.
A stunning restaurant requires an equally impressive chef and Haik has tagged Stephen Chiang as executive chef and culinary director for the project. Chiang’s resume includes local eateries like UB Preserv (now closed) and The Blind Goat, as well as Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York. The menu features dishes like hamachi crudo and miso tuna wonton tartare, as well as entrees such as double-bone Duroc pork chop, steak frites and truffle parmesan ravioli. The spectacular Chateaubriand, a prime, center-cut beef tenderloin from McClaren Farms, is carved tableside and serves two to three people.
In keeping with the personal design elements, the cocktail program reflects the Haik legacy with signature drinks like the Oiler 86. It’s a twist on a French 75 and pays tribute to Haik’s early football career, when he wore the number 86 for the Oilers. In keeping with the clubby atmosphere, there are grown-up cocktails like The Kirkwood Old Fashioned, made with beef tallow-infused Woodford Reserve. There is also a thoughtful wine list to pair with the classic menu.
1111 Cocktail Lounge, 1111 Westheimer, opens May 4 in the heart of Montrose. The preview menu will be limited during the initial opening as more options begin to roll out at this elevated cocktail bar and restaurant. Located right next to the recently-opened Doc’s Jazz Club, it comes from hospitality veterans Army Sadeghi and Brandon Duliakas, the duo behind Melrose, another stylish Montrose lounge that opened last year. Whereas Melrose was inspired by the Mayan ruins of Tulum and its coastal setting, 1111 is the result of the duo’s travels to Mexico City, which has seen a boom in culinary tourism in the past few years.
Beyond just stylistic elements like a custom-designed oval bar and mood lighting, Sadeghi and Duliakas wanted to create a space where food, cocktails and design are integrated rather than separate components. Sadeghi said in a press release, “1111 sits in a lane that is more experiential and hospitality driven – polished without feeling rigid and elevated while still approachable.”
To help achieve that flawless integration, the owners have turned to chef Emmanuel Chavez of the Michelin-starred Tatemo to create the food menu. Chavez himself is a native of Mexico City and also a 2024 finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef: Texas. He collaborated with Sadeghi and Duliakas on the small menu at Melrose, but the food offerings at 1111 will be a little more extensive with a mix of tapas and larger plates. Small bites like empanadas, tuna tostada and guacamole will be on the menu, along with a whole grilled sea bass, served with salsas and house-ground corn tortillas.
The bar program at 1111 is just as curated, with mixologists from Handshake Speakeasy helping to create a list of signature cocktails using modern methods like fat washing, clarification and infusions.
Joe & The Juice, 1121 Uptown Park Boulevard, will join the lineup of EDENS new retail and dining spots at Uptown Park, which includes Uptown Sporting Club, Design within Reach and Lazzoni. Other restaurants at the mixed-use development include URBE, Etoile, Flower Child, McCormick & Schmick’s and Postino.
The juice bar and cafe was founded in Copenhagen and has over 380 locations across the globe, including Europe and the Middle East. Its U.S. presence is concentrated in large metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Uptown location will be the first for Texas.
The shop sells smoothies and juices, plus a multitude of tea and coffee drinks. On the food side. The brand is known for its rectangular, pressed sandwiches made with whole wheat bread. Options include Tunacado, Prosciutto and The Steak. The menu also offers breakfast bowls and snacks like protein bars, muffins and brownies.
Uptown Sporting Club, 1131 Uptown Park Boulevard, will take over the former home of Duchess, a gorgeous upscale restaurant that debuted in February 2024 and closed in November 2025. Two of the hospitality veterans behind Duchess, Daniel Chang and Roveen Abante, are transforming the 3,833 square-foot space into an elevated neighborhood bar and restaurant which will offer a lively atmosphere for socializing as well as craft cocktails and shareable bites.
Dean’s Downtown, 316 Main, went out with a bang April 26, with dozens of loyal customers swarming the bar for one last call. However, it may quickly return, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The announcement was made via social media, but the bar may just be changing hands, as it has done before. Located in the Kiam building, which was the tallest structure when it opened in 1893 in Houston’s downtown, the ground floor was a clothing store for decades, also switching hands and names over the years. It became Dean’s in the 1930s and operated until 1981. After that the store remained vacant until 1999, when it became Dean’s Credit Clothing, its exterior glowing under a 1950s neon sign.
It was a solid dive bar and music venue at a time when night life was returning to downtown Houston. With the Market Square revival and Houston’s burgeoning restaurant scene, Dean’s underwent renovations in 2013 and became a more traditional lounge, celebrating the once thriving retail businesses that lured shoppers downtown with stores like Foley’s and Woolworth’s.
Its interior of reclaimed wood and exposed brick reflects the building’s history and the history of our city. Hopefully, whatever takes its place remains true to the roots of the space.
Ember & Vine, 23931 Gosling, is in pre-soft opening mode, with limited hours, Thursday through Sunday. Taking over the space that was previously The Butler House, the restaurant’s dining room has an adjacent cigar lounge, bar and covered patio. In conjunction with The Woodlands Cigar Club, the restaurant is hosting an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil May 2. There will be live music, raffles, beard facials and, of course, crawfish. The minimum donation is $50.
We’ll have more information on the restaurant’s full opening anon.
Graze HTX, 3417 White Oak, opens May 5 in the Heights, with a grand opening celebration May 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be bites and light refreshments, raffles and pop-ups from local partners like Her & Reese Charm Bar.
This is a new venture for the charcuterie brand which was founded in 2019 by Alyssa Case. It offers a variety of curated charcuterie boards for home parties and stunning grazing tables for catering events. The new brick and mortar storefront gives clients an opportunity to stop in for a bottle of wine and some cheese, purchase a gift basket or grab a charcuterie pack.
The elegant shop will also have handmade ceramic trays from Johnny Beavers, locally-grown flowers from Bungalow Blooms, handcrafted cutting boards by Tegtmeier Woodworks and Texas pecans from Evie’s Snacks.
Panera Bread, 8845 W. Loop S., opens May 6 at 6 a.m. in Meyerland Crossing. It’s the first location of the bakery and cafe to open under the leadership of Alex von Waaden, who became president of his family’s Panera Bread franchise in 2025. His parents, Monica and Mark von Waaden, began their Panera franchise journey in Pasadena in 2003 and have grown their family business across Greater Houston for over two decades.
With the new Panera there are more ordering options for customers than ever before. There’s curbside pick-up, drive-thru, its trademarked Rapid Pick-Up and delivery through its app and website. For on-site dining, there are various seating areas, plus an outdoor patio.
For opening day, the first 100 guests will receive a free You Pick Two for a Year coupon, which allows recipients a You Pick Two each month for a year. The first 250 guests will get a free baguette.
Taco Palenque, 21340 Kuykendahl, opened March 26 in Spring. It’s the third location for the brand which was founded in Laredo in 1987 by Juan Francisco Ochoa. Better known as Pancho, Ochoa is also the founder of El Pollo Loco, which debuted in Los Angeles in 1980.
Taco Palenque has exploded across Texas and Mexico with more than 80 locations. Diners love the breakfast tacos, Panchos nachos, quesadillas and the wide variety of tacos. Its bestseller, the Pirata, is two flour tortillas filled with steak fajitas, cheddar cheese and delicious refried beans. Though there is a drive-thru, it’s worth dining in to take advantage of the amazing salsa bar.
Potbelly Sandwich Works, 295 Enclave, opens May 5 in Conroe. The new franchise is owned by Ralph Baig and Omair Farooqui. The restaurant will host a grand opening May 16, from 10 a.m. to noon, with the opportunity for the first 25 guests to receive Free Potbelly for a Year. There will also be Plinko games for a chance to win prizes and merch.
Located in south Conroe, it puts the restaurant in the Greater Houston area, which already has 20 locations. Founded in 1977, Potbelly serves toasty sandwiches like Prime Rib Steak, Mama’s Meatball, Cubano and Chicken Club. Its menu also features wraps, salads, soups and handspun milkshakes. Currently, it has two limited-time items: Street Corn Chicken Sandwich and Toffee Butter Brickle Cookie. We’ll take one of each.
Savoir, 1344 Yale, was taken over by chef/owner Jose Hernandez last August with some new decor and menu tweaks. Now, Hernandez is rolling out a new menu that reflects his culinary point of view, blending Mediterranean fare with European style. Some of the new dishes include baked beef cheeks agnolotti, made with homemade pasta, and beef short rib chilaquiles. There are Spanish dishes like gamba al ajillos, the famous garlic shrimp tapa, plus hearty fare such as lamb shanks and steaks.
Hernandez has drawn on his expertise as an award-winning baker for desserts like butterscotch bread pudding and cheesecake. Savoir is also open for Sunday brunch with options like chili-topped Cowboy omelets and croque madame.
Angela’s Oven, 1020 Studewood, is temporarily closed for renovations, but the location at 204 Aurora is open for your pastry, coffee and bread needs until then.
Truluck’s, 1900 Hughes Landing Boulevard, reopened April 23 after a nearly three-week closure for refreshing the interior with new furnishings, drapery and tables.
Restaurants Reported Open April 2026:
Atlantic Ocean, 6011 Washington, opened April 1
The Chef’s Table, 2055 Westheimer, opened April 23
Einstein Bros. Bagels, 9490 FM 1960 Bypass, opened March 26
Exilio Latin Flair, 2817 Dallas, opened mid-April
Golden Chick, 2008 S. Wayside, opened April 6
Golden Chick, 11418 S. Sam Houston Parkway E., opened April 7
Graze Craze Charcuterie, 7925 Katy Freeway, opened early April
Osteria di Mercato, 3642 University Boulevard, opened April 1
P. Terry’s Burger Stand, 20103 Bridgeland Creek Parkway, opened April 27
Toga, 2800 Kirby, opened April 21
Restaurants Reported Closed April 2026:
Be More Pacific, 544 Waugh, closed March 31
Double Dave’s Pizzaworks, 7312 Louetta, closed for relocation March 31
Fleming’s Prime, 2405 W. Alabama, closed April 18
Mo’s Irish Pub, 14102 Mueschke, closed in March
True Anomaly, 2012 Dallas, closed April 30
