Houston’s Bakery, Boba, and Coffee Shop Boom, Plus More Exciting Restaurant Openings
A new bakery with a cult-following and stellar sourdough, an Asian American diner you should run to, and a vibrant East End neighborhood coffee shop with Caribbean food and drinks named after Latina activists
This periodic column highlights notable restaurant openings in and around Houston. Catch up on more news about Houston restaurant openings right here.
Know of a new or soon-to-open restaurant that should be on Eater Houston’s radar? Get in touch by emailing houston@eater.com.
Jane and the Lion Bakehouse
4721 N Main Street, Suite M, Heights
Houston pastry chef Jane Wild opened the first brick-and-mortar of her longtime pop-up and farmers market stall in the Heights on Monday, April 14. Located in the former space of Morningstar Coffee Shop, this charming 40-seat café serves an abundance of pastries, pies, breads, biscuits, cookies, and cakes, along with coffee from local roasters, including Little Dreamer and Amaya Roasters. The food menu changes daily, featuring a filling vegan bean and potato burrito, as well as sandwiches, quiche, salads, and sourdough loaves that are also available in a gluten-free option. Houston Chronicle and Culturemap Houston report that Wild will expand its offerings to include beer, wine, cocktails, pizza, hot sandwiches, snack boards, soups, and sourdough croissants. Jane and the Lion, which is currently open Thursday through Sunday, will also eventually be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wild previously worked as the executive chef of the Dunlavy and did a short stint at Golden Bagels & Coffee in the Heights. She’s best known for opening Jane & John Dough Bakery in Tomball in 2014 and, more recently, for her farmers market pop-ups and bi-monthly dining series, Jane’s Dine Inn.
Agnes and Sherman
250 West 19th Street, A, Heights
Chef Nick Wong, formerly of UB Preserv and New York’s Momofuku, returns to the Houston dining scene with his new Asian American diner. Named after Wong’s parents, the bright Heights restaurant offers a distinct lineup of dishes informed by Wong’s upbringing, with a Chinese American mother from Hong Kong and a Chinese American father born and raised in San Francisco, as well as his experiences as a chef. The result is an exciting menu of interesting mashups, like its savory scallion waffle topped with a melting scoop of sambal honey butter, al pastor fried rice, and Crawfish Egg Foo Young made with a gumbo gravy. Drinks also pay homage to where Wong’s been, with the cleverly named Lean Kwai Fong, a riff on an Old Fashioned that also nods to Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s bustling Central district filled with bars and restaurants, and Houston’s fascination with the cough-syrup-laden drink, Lean.
Annie Mulligan
Third Place
420 East 20th Street, Suite A, Heights
Top Chef alums Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu opened a new daytime coffee shop and collaborative space in their Heights restaurant Jun in early April. Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, the bar area at Third Place is an inviting spot for diners to order a variety of coffee drinks, while the dining room and patio area are great for co-working and mingling. Try the fizzy namesake that’s infused with pineapple, and pair it with sweet or savory pastries. Third Place is also opening up its kitchen to local chefs as a part of a collaborative community project, which makes room for chef residencies, where culinary talent can pop up during lunch service to test out new dishes.
Luke Chang
Cariño Coffee
708 Hogan Street, Northside
Another Houston establishment is using its space wisely. Rabbit’s Got the Gun recently welcomed this new coffee shop in its Northside bar during the day, according to a Houston Chronicle report. Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily (except Wednesdays), Carino Coffee offers a variety of coffee drinks showcasing Mexican flavors, including a maiz latte made with corn milk, coffee drinks infused with the popular Mexican candy Mazapán, and flavored matcha beverages, such as a Fruit Loops-infused latte. Cariño Coffee is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday.
Las Perras Cafe and Roastery
3401 Harrisburg Boulevard, Suite J, Second Ward/East End
Located near the James Beard Award-winning restaurant Street to Kitchen and the Popston popsicle stand in the Plant in Second Ward, Las Perras Cafe celebrates Latin culture with coffee drinks made with homemade syrups, all named after Latina activists. The new cozy spot, which replaces Eden Plant Co.’s former space, is in collaboration with Caribbean food truck Flor y Miel, which serves empanadas, beef stew, and Dominican fusion dishes, like “rasta pasta,” on the patio. Owner Andrea Arana, who previously worked at Boomtown Coffee, tells the Houston Chronicle that the space is specifically designed for women of color, but welcomes people from all walks of life. The cafe’s name translates to a Spanish word for “female dogs” and stems from a term commonly used in a derogatory manner against women. It has been reclaimed by Mexican women as a symbol of strength and resilience, she tells the Houston Chronicle. The cafe will eventually add alcohol to its menu, but the space already seems pretty lively without it. Las Perras has already hosted live music and community events, including its Pilates Mami’s sessions for new mothers and their babies.
Dakar Street Food
2616 Blodgett Street, Third Ward
The West African and Jamaican restaurant, which earned rave reviews from Insecure creator Issa Rae during her visit to Houston, has opened another location in Third Ward’s Blodgett Food Hall. Expect a combination of Senegalese, Jamaican, and West African dishes, including jollof rice; grilled, barbecued, and slow-braised seasoned meats; sandwiches; and peanut butter stew. Cool down the spice with a ginger drink, hibiscus juice, or passion fruit lemonade.
Dakar Street Food
The Kid
1815 North Durham Drive, Heights
The owners of burger joint Rodeo Goat took the location of its shuttered chain restaurant, Flying Fish, and opened a new cocktail bar in its place. The Kid focuses primarily on cocktails, with cleverly named sips like Let That Mango (tequila, mango puree, and sugar habanero pepper syrup) and a gin-infused Big Moe, a tribute to the Houston rapper that includes a mix of blueberry-lavender syrup and club soda. The bar also features a handful of beers on tap, including Shiner Bock and Saint Arnold’s Art Car and Summer Pilsner, plus three signature burgers and dishes to “start or share,” including tater tots, hummus, and sirloin rice cakes.
Hughie’s
633 Heidrich Street, Independence Heights
For those bummed about the closing of Hughie’s Heights area location, the Vietnamese restaurant has opened a new location that’s close, in the Independence Heights area. Expect to find some of the same menu highlights, including shaking beef, grilled pork banh mi, and spring rolls, as well as daily food specials. Its location in Lazybrooke/Timbergrove is also open.
DAO’N Korean Modern Restaurant
9861 Longpoint Road, Spring Branch
Spring Branch welcomes another modern Korean restaurant promising bold flavors. Dao’n Korean opened sometime in March, serving dishes that include rice bowls featuring proteins like spicy squid, pork, soy salmon, or fish roe and avocado, as well as soups like Army stew or buda jjigae, pancakes, meat platters, and more.
YaYa Rice Box
5300 North Braeswood Boulevard, #28, Meyerland
This new Meyerland restaurant offers a sprawling menu of Chinese and Chinese American favorites, including chicken dishes like General Tso’s chicken, Mongolian and peppercorn beef, Northern-style roasted proteins such as beef, fish fillet, and spare ribs, and deep-fried proteins. There is also the expected array of fried rice, lo mein, and appetizers, such as chili oil dumplings and spring rolls. Diners can also indulge in its wide variety of milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, snow ice, and sparkling drinks.
YaYa Rice Box
Chicha San Chen
9750 Bellaire Boulevard, Bellaire/Asiatown
Boba fans should visit the Asiatown location of this Taiwanese tea and boba shop, but prepare for a line. Chicha San Chen opened in March, serving its cult-favorite, made-to-order signature brewed and milk teas using its special high-temperature pressurized extraction method. Aside from its bubble milk tea, some of the most popular flavors include Creamy Lemon Tart, the honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea, and Cassia black tea with mousse.
Lil’ Koffeteria
1440 Brittmoore Road, Spring Branch
Houston’s beloved Cambodian American bakery opened its smaller, satellite location in the Quad at Brittmoore in Spring Branch on Thursday, April 10. Koffeteria owner Van Kuch gave some sneak peeks of the space on Instagram, showing its sleek walk-up window, complemented by a shared seating area and a spacious outdoor green space. Kuch says the Lil’ outpost will serve its award-winning pastries, beef pho kolaches, and tacos. He also announced that the original Koffeteria location in EaDo is now open six days a week (closed on Mondays), so there are more chances to score his pastries.
COMOCreatives
Terra Restaurant & Lounge
8617 Westheimer Road, Uptown
This new Uptown restaurant and lounge opened in early April, offering a fusion of contemporary French and American cuisine. Dishes include stroganoff pasta, French dip sandwiches, prawns served with polenta, crab and cheese garlic knots, prawns and polenta, and Steak pour la Nuit, its take on steak-frites — a 9-ounce prime filet mignon served with au poivre sauce. Cocktails are an obvious draw for the speakeasy-style lounge, which offers a tequila-loaded Taste of Terra (Midori, triple sec, and pineapple juice) and a fruity sip made up of muddled strawberries, Casamigos Blanco, triple sec, lime, and mango juice that’s named after Houston.
BeauSoleil
963 Judiway Street, Garden Oaks
The city seems to be experiencing another French renaissance of sorts. BeauSoleil, the third French restaurant to emerge on the dining scene in recent months, opened in April in the space previously occupied by the bright yellow Canary bar. Chef-owner Zachary Ross McClendon, who is also chef-partner at Cottonwood and founder of steak pop-up Elements HTX, opened the restaurant with his wife, Briana, offering French cuisine fused with Cajun and Texas flavors, according to a Houston Food Finder report. The menu plays to McClendon’s obvious steak-fueled expertise, including various cuts of beef like filets, koji-aged wagyu rib-eye, and lamb chops, but also offers more delicate dishes, like pan-seared Dover sole, Burgundy escargot, seared diver scallops served with truffle risotto, and steamed mussels, cooked in a dreamy concoction of garlic, chorizo, butter, sun-dried tomato, white wine, and fresh herbs.
Silk Road
2929 Westpark, West University
Houston diners have been especially intrigued by this new dim sum spot that recently opened in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel near West University. Named after the term for the ancient trade route that stretched from East to West, Silk Road serves a combination of classic and more inventive dim sum classics (siu mai, har gow, char siu, and crispy shrimp cheung fun), plus a bevy of complementing teas, including green, white, oolong, and black teas sourced from northern Thailand (caffeine-free options are available). For those imbibing, the restaurant also serves beer, wine, and cocktails infused with Asian-diasporic flavors, including sake lychee martinis, lemongrass lemon drops, berry tea mimosas, and a green tea-rosemary Old Fashioned. The restaurant opened in February but will host its official grand opening on Sunday, April 13.
Silk Road
Confessions
3200 Kirby Drive, Suite 2A, 2nd floor, Upper Kirby
This Upper Kirby restaurant quietly opened on Tuesday, April 1, offering a playful combination of Southern cuisine and live entertainment, including DJs. The ‘Confessions’ waiting area offers a fun play on the restaurant’s name, featuring confessional booths for diners to sit in before heading to their tables. The dining room is just as eclectic, with colorful walls adorned with street art. Meanwhile, the private dining room, which seats 42, offers a more intimate setting, featuring its own bartender and DJ booth. Diners can also opt for the outdoor patio, which features swings and cozy seating. The menu features soulful dishes inspired by Southern American cuisine, including flatbreads, pasta, and starters such as steakhouse sliders topped with blue cheese and beef bacon, oxtail lo mein braised in a Burgundy sauce, and rib-eye, kabobs, and a spicy rigatoni. Sides include strawberry cornbread topped with honey butter and candied yams with Amaretto cream and pecans. Dessert is also decadent, with a triple chocolate cake and deep-fried bread pudding. Diners can also enjoy a variety of dishes, cocktails, and mocktails well into the late night. Confessions is open until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Camaraderie
608 West 11th Street, Heights
Shawn Gawle, the chef who helped launch Goodnight Hospitality’s Rosie Cannonball and March, returns to Houston with a Heights restaurant that puts extra emphasis on dining together. At Camaraderie, diners can choose between three different seating styles: Head to the dining room for a prix-fixe style menu ($75 per person) serving homemade bread, snacks, appetizers, and entrees, including Dover sole en croûte and a bright carrot cavatelli made with carrot top pesto, mimollette, and turnips. Sides are served family-style, and desserts are meant to be shared. Opt for a more casual experience at the bar, offering à la carte options, or the outdoor patio, where diners can order through a walk-up window. The drinks menu features both Old World and New World wines, and the cocktail menu embodies the restaurant’s communal style, offering drinks meant to be shared, miniature versions of classic cocktails, and lower ABV options.
Arturo Olmos
Remi
1080 Uptown Park Boulevard, Uptown
Following major renovations, Hotel Granduca reopens its reimagined restaurant, which serves a combination of comforting European dishes and more innovative takes. Start with the truffle popcorn, crispy artichokes, or the crispy hash browns topped with creme fraiche, before diving into plates of bolognese or the Ora King salmon with broccoli and romesco. The Remi burger, a simple but well-executed beef burger topped with cheddar and dijonaise, might be in the running for one of the best in town. For diners looking to imbibe, the drinks menu features a diverse selection of wines from small-batch producers, as well as cocktails, including various takes on martinis, Old Fashioneds, and Manhattans.
Sole Lounge
1515 Pease Street, Downtown
This Downtown sports bar and lounge opened at the end of 2024, offering a more luxe sports viewing experience with a dash of nightlife ambiance. Open from noon to midnight daily, the bar offers a variety of specials and events, including crawfish boils Thursday through Saturday, beer bucket specials ($15 for domestics, and $20 for imports), and a broad menu, with appetizers like fried boudin balls, catfish nuggets, and chicken wings; and heartier dishes, like Cajun pasta served with jerk shrimp or fried catfish, platters of fried seafood, and decadent lamb chops served with loaded mashed potatoes. The daily happy hour, held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., seems like a particularly great deal, with martinis, Moscow Mules, and select appetizers priced at $10 or less.
Sole Lounge
Myoa Cookies
401 Franklin Street, Downtown
This new bakery opened in March in Downtown’s Post Houston food hall, offering made-to-order cookies in a variety of flavors, including French chocolate, Strawberries & Dream, sea salt caramel, and golden hazelnut — all of which are made with unbleached flour. Cookies are offered in gift packages of four, six, or 12, and its miniature version of the cookies (mini-bites) are offered by the dozen.
Myoa Cookies
2 Phat Bastards
401 Franklin Street, Downtown
Friends and Zimbabwean natives Nilesh Ranchod and Rajen Giga opened this Indo-African restaurant in Post Houston’s market in March. The stall serves savory, comforting South African-style hand-held pies filled with stuffings like pepper steak, chicken curry, and spinach paneer.
2 Phat Bastards
Proper
712 Main Street, Downtown
This smash burger joint recently opened in Downtown’s the Finn food hall. Proper’s stall serves four different styles of burgers, including a bacon blue cheese burger with A1 bone marrow demi, a Truffle Swiss burger topped with truffle mushroom marmalade and shitake mushrooms, and a more traditional Proper smash. Diners can also try the Hot Honey Chicken sandwich and sides, such as onion rings, slaw, beef fat fries, or its Proper fries, which are loaded with crispy onion strings, Boursin garlic herb cheese, and pickled red onion. Pair any of its dishes with an ice cream float for a truly decadent experience.
