Landry’s Seafood House, 19740 Southwest Freeway, opened August 24 in Sugar Land. Part of Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s Inc., it joins several others in the Greater Houston area and Galveston, plus locations across Texas and several other states.
Inspired by the lively charm of New Orleans, the restaurant serves Gulf Coast seafood and Southern bites like fried alligator and fried pickles. The French Quarter section of the menu features dishes like catfish Atchafalaya and crawfish etouffee, while the Big Easy Flavors lineup includes Crescent City snapper and coastal seafood pasta. For non-seafood eaters, there are a couple of steaks plus a signature smashburger.
There are lunch entrees like St. Arnold’s IPA fish and chips that won’t break the bank, and even better, guests can add a house salad or cup of chicken and sausage gumbo for just $1.99. Other lunch items include seafood po-boys, fried chicken sandwich and shrimp Creole.
There is also a great weekday happy hour in the bar and on the patio from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., offering amazing drink prices like $3 and $4 beers, $5 and $7 select wines, $6 and $7 select cocktails, plus a menu of bargain bites.
There is also a kids menu and an enclosed playground.
Handies Douzo announced that it is expanding by adding three new locations to its portfolio. Back in March, we reported that Duckstache Hospitality was planning a location at 2000 Post Oak Boulevard in the Central Park Post Oak redevelopment. It’s expected to open in late 2026. Along with that new restaurant are ones planned for West University, 3908 Bellaire Boulevard, and East Downtown, 1107 Hutchins. Both are slated to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
Duckstache Hospitality is a chef-led restaurant group with Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham at the helm, along with business partner Clinton Short. Founded in 2019, the Duckstache team has opened a number of Japanese hot spots including Kokoro Handroll Bar, Kokoro Sushi & Yakitori, Aiko, Himari, Bar Doko and, of course, multiple locations of Handies Douzo. Pham’s familiar moustache is part of the inspiration for the name, along with the signature rubber duckies that are ever present at the restaurants and sushi counters.
The expansions are part of the group’s “intentional” growth. Co-owner and chef Lee says, “We’re focused on bringing our concepts to neighborhoods where they feel like a natural fit, while continuing to evolve the experience with each new location.”
While some upscale sushi spots can be very formal (and very pricey), Handies Douzo is more casual, with a younger vibe and a bit of playfulness. However, that doesn’t mean scrimping on ingredients. Both Pham and Lee honed their craft at Tyson Cole’s lauded Uchi restaurants, so the sushi is taken very seriously with handrolls like hamachi, Holy Shiitake and masu, plus a variety of sashimi. Crudo options include bluefin tuna, and hotate (scallop).
The beverage list, however, still lends itself to a bit of fun, with fruity cocktails and juice boxes of sake.
Pizaro’s Pizza, 9150 Chimney Rock, is slated for a grand opening March 2027 in Meyerland, but before that, the locally-owned pizza brand will open a restaurant at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport in the United Airlines terminal this October.
The airport location is still working out the details but travelers can expect six different pizza options, plus breakfast and dessert items, The airport menu will also feature a selection of sandwiches, conveniently packaged to go for in-flight noshing.
The Meyerland expansion builds on the success of its Memorial and Montrose locations. Bill Hutchinson, who was an avid pizza hobbyist, was encouraged by his friends and family to open a restaurant. After trips to Italy and many pies later, he and his son Matt had mastered the craft of pizza Napoletana and they opened, along with Bill’s wife Gloria, the first Pizaro’s on Memorial Drive in 2011. Daughter Nicole and her husband Brad Bean joined the family business in 2013. By 2015, the family had opened a second restaurant in Montrose and had expanded the pizza options to include New York-style and Detroit pan pizza. In 2018, Pizaro’s closed its original location and moved to 11177 Katy Freeway, with Hutchinson turning over operations to his children.
The airport expansion is being led by Nicole Bean and husband Brad, along with brother Matt Hutchinson. The Beans will be in charge of managing operations at the Meyerland to-go restaurant. Its Chimney Rock spot will offer a convenient drive-thru, call ahead options and delivery. Because the pizza Napoletana is meant to be eaten fresh, it won’t be on the Meyerland menu but customers will find different styles like New York, Detroit and Chicago cracker-thin pies.
Passerella Ristorante & Wine Bar, 9945 Barker Cypress, closed last week. The owners made the announcement via social media August 25. Though the statement expressed gratitude to the team, community and guests, there was no mention of why the restaurant had quietly shut its doors. As recently as July 28, it had posted on Facebook that it was expanding and hiring.
However, Gr8 Plate Hospitality owner Paul Miller told CultureMap Houston that the traffic was inconsistent. The weekends brought in special occasion diners for its upscale ambiance and regional Italian cuisine but the weekdays were not quite as busy.
The Cypress restaurant first opened at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake in 2022, with a stylish dining room and an outdoor patio with great views of the lake. In May 2023, Gr8 Plate Hospitality owners, Paul and Doris Miller, expanded the Passerella concept to Washington Avenue. Unfortunately, it closed two years later.
Gr8 Plate has seen other changes recently, including the shuttering of its Jax on the Tracks in Garden Oaks, which had opened in the former The Union Kitchen space, another of the Millers’ concepts. The family-owned restaurant group had transitioned the TUK space into Jax in February 2026, only to close it in May, a few months later. Currently, Gr8 Plate Hospitality operates three TUK locations along with two Jax Grill restaurants which have been around for over 30 years.
Mack Allen’s, 4400 Post Oak Parkway, is getting ever closer to opening. The highly-anticipated debut of Mack McDonald’s luxe fine dining restaurant will take place in September at the 5POP office tower, where it will occupy the entire first floor of the 28-story building. It will feature three private dining rooms, a statement bar and a lush patio inspired by verdant botanical gardens.
The elevated cuisine will include New American dishes such as prime beef and American wagyu, along with fresh seafood, sushi and caviar.
Neo, 1711 Indiana, is planning to reopen in late fall 2026. The Michelin-recognized omakase restaurant has been closed since late 2025 for renovations. Located in an upscale clothing store, Glass Cypress, it has been a favorite among fans of Japanese tasting menus for its innovative sushi, cozy ambiance and complimentary sake and wine pours. It also allowed guests to bring in their own booze without a corkage fee.
Whether or not the BYOB policy will remain is unknown at this time. However, a press release promises a refreshed space and the same intimate omakase experience with an evolved take. With the team at Comma Hospitality behind it, it should be an impressive revamp.
