Slowpokes Memorial, 13210 Memorial, opened January 18. It’s the fifth location for the coffee shop and cafe which was founded in 2016 by Mazen Baltagi in the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area. It has expanded over the years to include locations in Spring Branch, Kirby Grove and West University. The Memorial location is the first to offer a walk-up window.
The atmosphere at Slowpokes is laid back and guests are welcome to enjoy a quick breakfast, leisurely lunch or fun happy hour. It’s also a comfortable place for ordering a couple of stiff espressos while answering work emails or writing the “great American novel”. Or the next vampire romance.
The classic coffee offerings include espresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiato, flat white and Americano plus specialty and seasonal drinks. The breakfast menu features items like the Breakfast Biscuit, Ham & Brie Croissant, bagels and kolaches. There is a selection of flatbreads including the Sooo Meaty and Avocado Mash plus sandwiches like the Chicken Pesto Panino and Prosciutto & Fig.
There are meat and cheese boards for sharing plus treats like churro doughnuts and cake balls. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to close. Its local rotating tap list usually includes beers from businesses such as Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Karbach, No Label and others. There is a wine list which also rotates to include unique finds.
Hando Spring Branch, 8211 Long Point, opened this week. It’s the second location for Hando, which first opened its hand roll concept in the Heights in December 2019. Co-owner Raymond Chan said that a number of factors made Spring Branch the logical choice for the second restaurant. The new location is slightly bigger than the sister restaurant and is designed to evoke the feel of stepping into a random sushi bar in a Japanese subway station. While much of the interior is similar to Hando Heights, there are unique touches to set it apart as well.
Co-owner Jason Andaya is excited to share the Hando experience with the neighborhood. He said in a press release, “Everyone on the team has been working so hard to make sure Spring Branch gets the same friendly service, fresh food and creative drinks that our Heights guests have enjoyed over the last four years.”
It features a 30-seat hand roll bar where diners can watch the sushi chefs in action. Along with a la carte hand rolls and small plates such as Wagyu Gyoza and Miso Soup, it will offer the same ‘Handokase’ service as its predecessor with a choice of 3, 4 or 5-pieces. The kitchen will be overseen by Hando’s executive chef Man Nguyen.
Hando Spring Branch will also serve fun and cleverly-named cocktails such as Everything’s Lychee Keen and Matcha Painkiller.
Layne’s Chicken Fingers, 2359 S. Shepherd, opened January 17. There will be a grand opening January 20 with giveaways and a DJ. The first 10 people in line and first 10 cars in the drive-thru will receive a free meal for every month in 2024.
The new location of the Texas-bred franchise comes from entrepreneur Masroor Fatany who has opened 7 franchise locations of The Halal Guys in the Houston area plus two other Layne’s in Katy and Beaumont, Texas. Fatany says he is thrilled about opening his third Layne’s in Houston. “It has been incredible to see how supportive the corporate team is and how much they want to see franchisees succeed. Post-pandemic, the simple menu has been thriving and the brand has retained their young audience. “
That young audience began when Layne’s Chicken Fingers first opened in College Station in 1994, making happy the hearts and taste buds of college students and residents alike. It opened corporate locations across Dallas-Fort Worth then turned its focus to franchising. It plans to open 100 locations across its top markets in the next four years in states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida and New Mexico.
The menu offers chicken finger meals with crinkle-cut fries and Texas toast plus sandwiches made with the same chicken fingers, which can be ordered original or spicy. There’s also a grilled cheese sandwich and grilled chicken wraps. There are 6 different sauces for the chicken in flavors such as jalapeno ranch, buttermilk ranch, Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq, gravy, honey mustard and its signature Layne’s sauce.
For drinks, there are sodas, sweet tea, lemonade and milkshakes.
Snooze A. M. Eatery, 12333 Southwest Freeway, opens in Stafford February 7. Before its official debut, the restaurant will host a series of “Grow to Give” community soft openings. The events will be a partnership with local non-profits Sole Loved and Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Family Alliance plus the Snooze Compass Foundation which provides emergency grants to Snooze team members.
The new location will seat 118 guests indoors with an additional 44 seats on the outdoor patio. It will be open weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and weekends from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., allowing for lazy bones to enjoy a late breakfast or brunch.
Its menu includes breakfast favorites such as Blueberry Danish Pancakes, OMG French Toast and a variety of eggs Benedict, or Bennies, including the Parmesan-Panko Crab Cake Benny. Guests who are indecisive (like this writer) can opt for the Signature Pancake Flight with three different flavors or the Benny Duo, which offers two different Benedicts. There are also breakfast sandwiches, bowls, tacos and omelets.
The eatery features a full bar with morning cocktails such as spiked coffees and mimosas. Its Bloody Mary selection gets spicy with its Thai Bloody, Spicy Bloody and Kimchi Bloody plus a Brit-friendly gin version called Bloody Bloody. There are also juices, mocktails and signature beverages like its Blackberry Mint Limeade.
Founded in Denver, Colorado in 2006, the daytime eatery has more than 65 locations throughout 10 states with more in the works.
The Brass Tap, 4635 Kingwood, opens January 22. The Kingwood location is the first of six locations being opened by Tommy and Honey Bumstead along with their son Blythe. The Bumsteads have wanted to open a business for the past 15 years and The Brass Tap, with its delicious food and beer along with a strong corporate team, proved to be the perfect fit for the family. Tommy Bumstead is a retired school science teacher and is currently Global Vice President of Learning and Development at M.C. Dean.
His son Blythe, who will serve as general manager at the upcoming Kingwood location, said in a press release “When I heard about my parents’ plan to franchise with The Brass Tap I was immediately interested in getting involved. Building this family business allows me to create something for myself and have some control over my future.”
The Kingwood location will offer a variety of brews on tap, many of them from local breweries such as Back Pew, 11 Below, 8th Wonder and Eureka Heights. There are also brews from Austin favorites like Jester King and cider from Austin Eastciders.
The food menu starts with bar food such as nachos, chicken wings, and gourmet pretzels, perfect for pairing with cold, draft beer. The menu also includes a selection of tacos, burgers, and pizzas plus chicken tenders, fried shrimp and salads.
The Brass Tap brand currently has almost 50 locations across 16 states with 23 more openings scheduled for the next year. The Kingwood spot will be number 15 for Texas.
Chi’lantro BBQ, 10850 Louetta, will open in early 2024 in the Vintage Park area. Founded in Austin as a food truck in 2010 by Jae Kim, it opened its first Houston brick and mortar in April 2023 in the Heights.
Serving a fusion of Korean and Mexican flavors, the brand is known for its Original Kimchi Fries and its Ssams, a Korean-style wrap. The OG Kimchi Fries have been featured on the Food Network and ABC’s Shark Tank. The item starts with crispy French fries that get topped with caramelized kimchi, a cheddar and Monterey jack blend, onions cilantro, ‘magic sauce’, sesame seeds and a drizzle of Sriracha. Customers can add various proteins for an additional cost which means these fries can get pricey. They can also be ordered wrapped up in a large Ssam.
There are rice bowls such as the Chi’lantro B’Bimbap, Korean Esquites Bowl and K’ Pop Chicken. Starters like Chi’Jeu Queso and Chips or Korean Esquites and Chips take their inspiration from some of Texans’ favorite munchies, queso and street corn.
Ugly Donuts & Corndogs, 17454 Highway 290, is coming soon to Jersey Village, according to Community Impact. Originally slated to open in late 2023, it is expected to open in the first quarter of 2024. It will be the second location for the Korean street food brand in the Greater Houston area. The first opened in Pearland in July 2022.
Founded in New York City, the company now has five stores in three states. The menu offers an array of crazy corn dogs, or UG Dogs, which are coated with a chewy and crunchy batter. They range from a simple Original UG Dog to over the top versions such as the Premium Pizza or La Mexicana. The Dynamite UG Dog is covered in a Korean sweet and spicy sauce, then topped with peanuts and parsley.
Its UG Nuts originate from a Korean dessert called kkwabaegi, a twisted donut made with glutinous rice. The vegan UG Nuts come in original, blueberry and scallion. Its filled donuts include Nutella, dulce de leche and red bean and cream cheese.
It also offers rice bowls, topokki, ramen and different dips for the donuts. For beverages, there are a number of sparkling water-based drinks made with homemade fruit syrups.
The Angry Elephant, 15103 Mason, is expected to open February 1 in Cypress. Touting itself as a politically-themed bar, it professes to cater to all political affiliations and allegiances despite its logo being an elephant and an angry one at that.
First opened in San Antonio in 2012, it now has locations in College Station, Bryan and Magnolia, towns that lean heavily toward the angry elephant side. The new location in Cypress will be followed by another in Frisco, Texas.
With its motto of “like your politics, love your bar”, it claims to offer every political event on its televisions and ‘”liberal cocktails at conservative prices”. The food and drink menus have tongue-in-cheek names for its items including Merica Chicken Wings, The Al Gore Frito Pie and The Constitutionalist Shrimp Cocktail. Keeping to its theme, the Seething Sandwiches include the Ron Desanctis Chili Cheese Burger, Ronald Reagan Burger and The CNN Beyond Burger with its #fakemeat.
Other items like The Original Angry Dogs get more democratic but not with necessarily flattering descriptions. The loaded hot dogs include Obama Chicago, Beto O’Rourke Mexico, The LBJ Chili Cheese Texas Works and The Bill Clinton Dirty Chili Cheese which comes with a warning about ending up in your lap. The Healthy Rage side of the menu sticks to basics like salads.
Maine-ly Sandwiches, 2313 Edwards, is having its grand opening January 27 in Sawyer Yards from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Though it actually opened in summer 2023, it is describing those months as a “soft launch”. Taking over the former home of Sticky’s Chicken, the new location is the third to open in Houston for the locally-owned business. The original opened on Shepherd in 2013 followed by a second location off I-10 in 2017. Unfortunately, the first location closed due to Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath so the new spot makes two for the time being.
Known for its Maine lobster rolls, clam chowder and fried clams, the eatery is inspired by New England and its food. Co-founder Buddy Charity, who has the best name ever, says, “There is little Maine or New England cuisine in Houston and we wanted to change that.” He said the location in Sawyer Yards was perfect, especially since it provides plenty of parking which the Shepherd spot did not.
It features the same menu as the original with a selection of lobster rolls that get a little Lone Star twist including the Texas Heat which is topped with fresh jalapeno slices, avocado and Tabasco. The Southern Crunch is a classic lobster roll with the addition of red onions, celery and Tony Chachere’s seasoning. There are shrimp, scallop and crawfish rolls as well.
For non-seafood eaters, there are Maine Italian Sandwiches including meatball, turkey, ham, grilled chicken BLT, roast beef and veggie. Diners can add sides such as onion rings, fries, coleslaw, sweet potato fries and corn. There are kids meals for a very reasonable $4 which is in line with the value pricing for much of its menu. Lobster rolls begin at $16.50 for the small while a crawfish roll is only $8. Most of the Italian meat sandwiches are $5.50 for the small and $9 for the large.
It does not serve alcohol but guests are welcome to BYOB at both locations. A cold beer with fried clam bellies sounds pretty darn good to us.
Paris Baguette is coming to Tomball though we know not whither or when. We do know who, however, is bringing the bakery to the area. Armando Cordova, a native of Mexico City, moved to the United States 11 years ago. Beginning with experience in the restaurant industry, Cordova soon became minority owner of several franchise concepts. He noticed that his community of Tomball had relatively few bakeries so he decided to partner with Jorge Molina to venture into business ownership with Paris Baguette.
Currently, Cordova is still scouting for a site with the goal of opening this summer.
Trill Burgers is returning to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for its third consecutive year. Considering it won “Best Classic Fair Food” at the Gold Buckle Foodie awards 2023, it’s no surprise that the much-hyped, much-craved burgers from rap artist Bun B and his team of partners would be returning to the Rodeo. In 2022, Trill Burgers served more than 12,000 of its smashburgers to the Rodeo attendees, then broke that number by selling over 41,000 at HLSR 2023.
The burgers will be available at Booth RP65 in Rodeo Plaza at NRG Park. It will also be serving inside NRG Stadium at Sections 115,135,522,and 548, the same four stands at which it operates during the home Texans games.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
