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Restaurant News

Openings & Closings: Pico's Mex-Mex and More Are Movin' on Up

If this week's roundup of openings and closings had a theme song, it would be "Movin' On Up" from The Jeffersons.

Pico's Mex-Mex is doing just that, by vacating its old Bellaire location to move into the recently closed Maggie Rita's at Richmond and Kirby. The Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook broke the news earlier this week that owner Arnaldo Richards will open the new-and-improved Pico's in about eight months.

Richards had long been looking to move his popular Mexican restaurant inside the Loop, but our own tipster tells us that the old Bellaire location won't be abandoned completely; Richards will likely use the space to house Pico's massive catering operations.

Cook also broke the news that Karanchos -- the Channelview taco trailer which recently topped our list of Houston's 10 best tacos -- is opening a second location in Seabrook.

Earlier this week, we reported on the news that Bobby Heugel and Alba Huerta of the newly-formed Clumsy Butcher restaurant group would be opening a tequila bar at 310 Main. But if you paid attention to that post, you should have noticed an additional blind item: a dessert and coffee cafe that's slated for the old Cielo space at 300 Main.

Elsewhere downtown, the second location of Korean fusion restaurant Kobecue is now open at 1001 Texas. The old tenant, Napoli Ristorante Italiano, has opened in a swank new spot at Bayou Place, next to new wine bar The Wine Cellar -- both at 540 Texas. And another downtown watering hole is now open: Bad News Bar at 308 Main, which served its first drinks last week.

Swamplot reports that beloved South Houston diner Frank's Grill is moving -- but not very far from its old Telephone Road digs. The grill is "closing and moving south about a tenth of a mile," says the real estate website, into "the recently completed strip center on Telephone and Fairway."

The website also reports additional Telephone Road activity closer to town. A new ice cream shop is moving into the Tlaquepaque Market next to Bohemeo's and Kanomwan: Scoops, which is replacing a nail salon at 724 Telephone.

And in a final bit of sweet news, it's been confirmed that the first Inner Loop location of Dunkin' Donuts is headed into the old Arby's spot at Shepherd and Fairview. An additional 15 locations of the chain are planned for the greater Houston area.



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Katharine Shilcutt