Woodland Social, 313 E. Woodland, opened March 1 near downtown Houston. The newest venture from Piper's Hospitality Group will offer 15,000 square feet of space for drinking, dining and socializing. Piper's Hospitality is owned and operated by brothers Justin, Brandon and West Piper who also own Preslee's Southern Good Eatery and Piper's Burgers. The trio joined forces with Will Garwood of W2 Development to bring the concept to fruition. Garwood was one of the principals behind the opening of White Oak Music Hall.
Located in one of Houston's oldest historic neighborhoods, the expansive venue sits on two acres, offering a large patio bar and lounge plus three volleyball courts and space for outdoor games. Those who prefer to watch games instead will have 21 high-definition televisions inside and a grand 20-foot LED screen on the patio for a variety of sports-viewing options.

The new venue meets a number of socializing needs whether it be relaxing in the hammocks and swings or hanging with friends in the cabanas. Various seating options give guests plenty of choices to chill, inside or out. And there are kid and pet-friendly play areas for romping around.

In addition to cold beer and handcrafted cocktails, Woodland Social will feature brick oven pizza. The dough is made in-house and the pizzas are hand-formed. Guests will find pies such as the Classico with tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and fresh basil or Meat Me with pepperoni, capicola, Genoa salami, Italian sausage, mozzarella and provolone. There are gluten-free options and a choice of cauliflower crust.
West Piper said of the new venue, " Woodland Heights lacked a destination for all ages that was family friendly and pet friendly where people could socialize in a lively atmosphere. We created this indoor/outdoor entertainment destination that will attract sports watchers, happy hour hangouts, families and people who just want to relax with great music."
Thai Tail, 1402 Westheimer, is shooting to open this May. It's the fourth dining establishment from Makiin Concepts, a hospitality brand founded by restaurateur Lukkaew Srasrisuwan. Her first Houston restaurant venture, Kin Dee, opened in spring 2020 in the Heights. It was followed by cloud kitchen and delivery/to-go concept,  M Express Thai Kitchen in April 2023. Most recently, Srasrisuwan opened the sophisticated and upscale Thai restaurant Makiin this past October.

Taking over the former space of La Fendee, Thai Tail will be a fast casual concept with a self-service set-up and a fusion menu that takes inspiration from some of M Express's popular take-away options along with signature dishes found at Kin Dee. There will be dine-in seating as well as a streamlined to-go service.

Salt & Sugar, 1073 Silber, opened last week in the former spot of World Catering Bakery, as reported by Houston Food Finder. The new restaurant and bakery is a partnership between Levi Rollins and Armando Velasquez. Rollins most recently operated Urban Eats with Eric Munoz. Unfortunately, after nearly a decade, the restaurant closed in January 2024 due to overwhelming debts despite the last minute efforts of loyal customers turning out to support the eatery.  While Munoz has taken another job, according to Houston Food Finder, Rollins has quickly transitioned to the new business and a new business partner. Velasquez and his son Abner are the co-owners of the eatery and bakery.

The name Salt & Sugar comes from Rollins' previous ghost kitchen which he ran out of Urban Eats for a time. It's a little confusing since there are a couple of other local culinary businesses that use Salt & Sugar in their names as well. Rollins' Salt & Sugar is both a "European Delicatessen & Gourmand Patisserie" serving  breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast runs from 7a.m. to 2 p.m. daily with plates such as Biscuits & Gravy, Breakfast Naan and The Benedicts, brunch favorites that were popular at Urban Eats. The breakfast and brunch menus are extensive with pastries, pancakes, omelets and more.

There's a menu of hot sandwiches and burgers plus deli sandwiches and market salads. The famous Savory Monkey Bread is on the Noshables list along with Stacked Fried Green Tomatoes and Smoked Wings. There are lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with dinner plates from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Portillo's, 10505 W. Grand Parkway S., is expected to open in Richmond before the end of 2024. It's the first of two Houston area locations for the Chicago street food brand. The Richmond spot will be followed by one of the company's Restaurant of the Future designs at Willowbrook Mall.

Founded as a hot dog stand in Villa Park, Illinois in 1963 by Dick Portillo, it has now grown to more than 80 restaurants across 10 states. It made its Lone Star State debut in The Colony, Texas in January 2023, opening three more North Texas locations soon after.

The Richmond restaurant will be located at the open-air lifestyle center, The Grand at Aliana. With 7,700 square feet of space, it will offer seating for 170 guests inside with accommodation for 50 more on its seasonal outdoor patio. Featuring a Southwest garage theme, the fast-casual concept will also have double drive-thru lanes for take-away.

The Willowbrook store will be slightly smaller at 6,000 square feet with room for nearly 170 guests inside and out. Both locations are hiring managers and will soon be recruiting for other positions.

Its menu includes a number of hot dogs such as its Chicago-style dog with everything, a Chili Cheese Dog and two Polish sausage options. There's also a Plant-Based Garden Dog. There are Italian beef and sausage sandwiches, a trio of different bowls, char-broiled burgers, ribs, the Breaded Whitefish Sandwich and chicken sandwiches. Salads and pasta dishes round out the menu.

The beverage options include soft drinks and milkshakes.

Urban Skillet, 10130 Grant, is having its grand opening March 8. Based in California, this is the first Texas spot for the brand. Its opening in a small strip center off Tomball Parkway is rather interesting. It is taking over the space very recently vacated by the taco shop Simon Cacheton, which we reported closed here in the Houston Press.

Everything on the menu at Urban Skillet is halal, including its 100 percent beef bacon. It's known for its Blazin Chicken sandwich made with a Nashville battered fried chicken breast, Urban sauce, hot sauce, American cheese and coleslaw. It's a big, sloppy mess of a sandwich so get extra napkins.

There is a large selection of burgers including the Truffle Banger, double-patty Eggcelent Burger, Smashed Beyond Burger and Smac N' Cheese. A Brisket Melt Sandwich has our attention with its slow-cooked brisket, 3-cheese blend, Urban and barbecue sauces and caramelized onions, all delivered between two slices of Texas toast. There are beef hot dogs, wraps and wings as well.

For sides, there are fries, tots, mac and cheese plus a selection of loaded fries. There are soft drinks, juices and shakes on the beverage menu.

The fast casual brand is a big hit with influencers so expect a lot of young peeps taking selfies with their food.
Tacos Dona Lena, 1805 W. 18th, is currently renovating the former Dak & Bop space. The Korean fried chicken restaurant closed at the Heights location December 31, 2023 in order to move back to its original location on Binz in the Museum District.

Now, the space will be the second home to owner Angel Cabrera's authentic Mexican cuisine. Cabrera opened the original restaurant at 8788 Hammerly in April 2020. It was in the midst of the COVID pandemic shutdown and the restaurant did takeout to stay afloat until restrictions were gradually lifted.

The inspiration for the business came from his mother Dona Lena, who sold her homemade tacos to help provide for her family. She dreamed of owning a restaurant and her son Angel was able to fulfill that dream with the duo working together to offer guests a taste of authentic Mexican dishes inspired by Dona Lena's native Guanajuato, Mexico.

Its Facebook post about the new location also promises a few surprises but there is not a definitive date yet for the grand opening.
PKL Social, 1112 Shepherd, is very close to opening and we should have a definitive date next week for the debut of the pickleball venue and sports bar. It comes from the owners of FM Kitchen & Bar which is located next door to the upcoming pickleball destination. It's been a long time coming since it was first announced in June 2022.

Now, it's pickleball time.
Juice Land, 3444 Ella Boulevard, opens March 8. Serving plant-based juices and smoothies, the wellness brand was founded in 2011 by Matt Shook in Austin and has grown to 39 stores. The new Garden Oaks location is the 6th for the Houston area. Located in the Ella Plaza shopping center, the retail space will be 696 square feet.

With the newest addition to its portfolio, the brand has also just launched two new 16-ounce bottled lemonades, Blue Magic and Dragonfruit, as well as a limeade called Cucumber Mint.

Trader Joe's, 13550 University Boulevard, is in the works for Sugar Land as a public notice for TABC indicates. We were alerted by a reader that a Wine Only Package Permit has been applied for as listed in the Daily Court Review. We reached out to Trader Joe's corporate offices which confirmed the upcoming location but there is no set timeline for opening as of yet.

The California-based grocery store was founded in Pasadena, California in 1967. When the Sugar Land store opens, it will be the fourth in the Greater Houston area and a much-longed for arrival. Reddit's comment boards are filled with local residents pining for a Trader Joe's in their neck of the woods. This writer will add that Cypress would be a great place to open a location.

Chana Thai Kitchen, 4334 FM 2920, is coming to the Spring area. The Thai restaurant was founded in Miami by Larry Tipmanee whose mother, Sripraphai Tipmanee, opened her namesake Thai restaurant, SriPraPhai, in Queens, New York in the 1990s. The family restaurant has since expanded to three New York locations and it was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant in 2020.

The Spring location is currently on its last inspections and the soft opening is slated for late March or early April.