Beverages

Openings and Closings: Marigold Club Soon, Granger's Now

Openings and Closings: Marigold Club Soon, Granger's Now

Openings and Closings: Prime 131 Opens, Pastore Departs

Openings and Closings: Prime 131 Opens, Pastore Departs

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Openings and Closings: Itaewon Pocha Debuts, Tsujita Arrives in Houston

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 15, 2024

Itaewon Pocha, 1444 Blalock, opened softly the first week of March. The Korean restaurant has owner James Lee, and head chef Nelson K. Lee along with manager Ryan Vo leading the team. Pocha is the name for the tented food stalls in Korea that serve street food and beverages such...
Bayou City Hemp Acquires 8th Wonder

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Jun 8, 2023

Bayou City Hemp Company, the largest cannabis operator in the state of Texas, announced June 7 that it is acquiring 8th Wonder Brewery, Distillery and Cannabis. The press release called it a "vertical integration" of both companies which will combine the expertise of the longtime craft brewery with the innovative...
Openings and Closings: Big Chicken Opens, Picnik Debuts Soon

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Apr 14, 2023

Big Chicken, 9660 Westheimer, opened April 11 with a grand opening celebration. This is the first Houston location and is a franchise operation from Fazil Malik, Frank Malik and Noordin Jhaver. One of the stars behind the business is Shaquille O'Neal, the legendary NBA player and Hall-of-Famer whose roster of...
Openings and Closings: d'Alba Midtown Opens, Sticky's Chicken Closes

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Dec 30, 2022

d'Alba, 3304 Milam, announced its opening December 23 in a press release. Originally expected to open in mid-November of this year, the second location of the craft kitchen and cocktails concept encountered the usual delays and challenges while turning the space, which formerly housed a sports bar, into a modern...
Openings and Closings: Hamsa and Cafe Louie Open Soon, Fresco Has Closed

By Lorretta Ruggiero
May 6, 2022

Hamsa, 5555 Morningside, is set to open May 11 in Rice Village. The modern Middle Eastern concept will offer unique flavors with vegetable-rich dishes, spices and one-of-a-kind flavor profiles from Chef Sash Kurgan and Chef Yotam Doley who have both worked together to create the innovative menu. With an aim...
Openings and Closings: Marmo Debuts, Patterson Park Next Week

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Apr 8, 2022

Marmo, 888 Westheimer, opened April 6 at the Montrose Collective. The new Italian chophouse comes from Atlas Restaurant group which brought its Ouzo Bay and Loch bar to Houston in 2019. The Maryland-based company has styled Marmo after its Baltimore steakhouse and Italian concept, Tagliata. Guests will enter the multi-glassed...
Charleston Wilson's Exotic Pop Brand Moves From the Trunk to the Boardroom

By DeVaughn Douglas
Feb 25, 2022

“I had a trunk full of soda weighing down my little car and nowhere to go with it,” laughs Charleston Wilson as he clears product off the boardroom table in his warehouse office. “I picked up my phone and made a post saying I would deliver for free to anywhere...
Openings and Closings: Alba at Granduca, The Palm Downtown

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Oct 1, 2021

Alba Ristorante, 1080 Uptown Park Boulevard, opens October 2 for dinner at the Hotel Granduca, in time for the hotel's 15th anniversary celebrations. The hotel's owner and developer, Giorgio Borlenghi, brought in designer Kara Childress to redesign the restaurant space, creating an intimate dining room and cozy champagne bar that...
Openings and Closings: Winnie's Opens, Dog Haus Expands

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Sep 24, 2021

Winnie's, 3622 Main, is now open. The new patio bar takes over the spot which housed Natachee's Supper 'n Punch until the pandemic shut its doors. It is a collaboration between Johnny's Gold Brick owner Benjy Mason and chefs Graham Laborde and Chris Roy, all three having worked together previously...
Openings and Closings: Postino Town & Country Opens, Divino Closes

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Aug 6, 2021

Postino Wine Cafe, 791 Town and Country Boulevard, will open August 9. This is the third Houston location for the brand, based in Phoenix, Arizona. The first opened in the Heights Mercantile in 2017, followed by the Montrose location a little over a year later. The all-day wine bar and...
In Vino Veritas: National Wine Day May 25 [Update]

By Lorretta Ruggiero
May 19, 2021

We don't need excuses to drink wine but National Wine Day is May 25 and that's as good a reason as any to imbibe some juice de Bacchus. For even more incentive, Houston restaurants and wine bars are offering wine specials from great deals to wallet-emptying wine dinners. We have...
Openings and Closings: Chris Shepherd Fires Up Another Concept, MARCH Madness Arrives

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 26, 2021

Underbelly Hospitality will open a 5,000 square foot restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Chris Shepherd in late 2021. Regent Square, an urban infill development near Buffalo Bayou Park and Allen Parkway, led with the announcement of Shepherd as a tenant promising more surprises to come. The Phase...
Openings and Closings: Common Bond On-the-Go in G.O., Fegen's Heights

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 12, 2021

Common Bond On-The-Go, 3210 N. Shepherd, opened March 4 in Garden Oaks. It's the second location for the brand's more casual, trimmed down version of its popular Common Bond Bistro and Bakery. The first offshoot opened in the Heights in May 2020. Common Bond's success lies in its fresh baked...
Six Great Non-Alcoholic Beers for Holiday Cheer

By Jesse Sendejas Jr.
Dec 15, 2020

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Americans over 30 drank alcohol 14 percent more often this challenging year than in 2019. JAMA’s report on drinking during the COVID pandemic noted a 54 percent spike in national sales of alcohol one week late in March versus sales from...
To-Go Brews Allow Flying Saucer’s UFO Club Members to Soar Once More

By Jesse Sendejas Jr.
Oct 7, 2020

COVID-19 put lots of personal goals on hold. Some of those plans were grand and some might have seemed frivolous, but they were our goals, mountains and molehills the pandemic forced us to stop scaling. Now, months later with no foreseeable end to our changed lives in sight, being able...
Restaurant Deals During the Coronavirus

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 13, 2020

By now, we are all feeling overwhelmed by current events. The coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of our beloved Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the 61st Saint Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Houston and numerous events across our city and our nation. While many of us will feel...
Openings and Closings: Eighteen36 Debuts, Local Group Brewing Opens Soon

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Feb 14, 2020

Local Group Brewing, 1504 Chapman, is set to open softly February 28 with a full food menu and abbreviated beer menu. A grand opening will follow within a few weeks. The 7,500 square foot brewpub comes from veteran brewer James "Huggy Bear" Wolfe, Michael Steeves and Todd Donewar. The trio...
Houston's Mocktail Revolution

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Feb 5, 2020

Dry January is over. For some folks that means they are heading back to their debauched ways but for others, it may be a lifestyle change they want to continue. Whether it's your turn to be the designated driver or you are committed to your hard-earned sobriety, the trend toward...
Better Late Than Never: Celebrate Breweries' Beer-To-Go Beginning Sunday

By Susie Tommaney
Aug 29, 2019

Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, new legislation goes into effect this Sunday, September 1, that lets consumers buy beer growlers, crowlers and cans to-go from neighborhood breweries. It's a convenience that already had been approved elsewhere in the U.S. and Texas is the final state in the...
30 Days of No Caffeine, No Alcohol: Week Two

By Kate McLean
Jun 5, 2019

Namaste ladies and gentleman — we’ve made it 12 days no caffeine, no alcohol, and I have to say my body feels a little less laser party, a lot more Steel Pulse, and Dave Mathews Band still makes me want to punch someone in the face. Life is good. A...