“Euro-Tex” Restaurant Cooks Up Schnitzel and Texas Paella in the Heights

A rocker-turned-chef brings Euro-Tex tacos and Slovak macaroni and cheese to the Heights neighborhood

The Heights welcomed “Euro-Tex” restaurant Blue Tuba to the neighborhood this week. The restaurant opened its doors on Wednesday, May 1 in the upstairs space formerly occupied by Harold’s in the Heights, and features an eclectic menu of European dishes infused with Texas flavors.

“We’re so excited to be here and bring Euro-Tex cuisine to the Heights community, and get really creative in the kitchen,” co-owner Vlado Kolenic told Eater Houston.

Dylan McEwan

Kolenic, a rocker-turned-chef, and Giga Leszayova – natives of the former Czechoslovakia – first met in New York while Kolenic was working as a musician. Leszayova was a longtime figure in New York’s restaurant scene, and the couple opened Bettola — an Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side — on the date of Blue Tuba’s opening eight years prior. After closing Bettola in 2022, the couple moved to Houston in 2023 and quickly immersed themselves in the European immigrant culture that shaped Texas foodways, particularly those in Central Texas. Kolenic recalls enjoying kolaches at Hruska’s in Ellinger and learning more about his own heritage as it relates to the legacy of European immigrants in the state.

“The history there is demonstrated through this big, enduring community,” Kolenic told Eater Houston. “We share some of that heritage and know a lot of the traditions, and we’re bringing Texas into it, making it bigger and true to our style.”

At Blue Tuba, Kolenic and Leszayova crafted a menu that intersects with their world travels and approach to Texas cuisine. The menu melds Slovak tastes with Scandinavian, Hungarian, German, Greek, Spanish, and Tex-Mex influences, and the results are captivating. Kolenic bridges Eastern European tradition with Southern hospitality through a pan-fried schnitzel, and Hungarian goulash — the recipe of which Kolenic procured from his Hungarian grandmother — will be a mainstay on the menu. The owners illustrate childhood food memories through bowls of Slovak macaroni and cheese and plates of halušky — thick, doughy dumplings found across Central and Eastern Europe. Other menu items include Texas paella, complete with brisket, shrimp, chicken, and mussels; chicken paprikash with spaetzle mini-dumplings; and Euro tacos filled with options of German schnitzel, French escargot, Polish kielbasa, a Greek vegetable medley, and Italian shrimp scampi. Visitors can choose between flour or corn tortillas, or Slovak tortillas, which Kolenic makes with potato, flour, and salt.

Dylan McEwan

The 5,141-square-foot upstairs space features a rooftop deck with scenic views of 19th Street and seating for 150 — including 40 outdoors, a 15-seat bar, and a 16-seat private dining room. Kolenic and Leszayova are committed to infusing their love of music into the restaurant’s atmosphere and plan to use the dining room’s small stage to host local musicians, and occasionally, performances from Kolenic himself (the chef and musician led the chart-topping Slovakian rock band TAKTICI in the late 1970s before defecting to the United States from behind the Iron Curtain).

“Expressing yourself through food and music is not all that different,” Kolenic said in a press statement. “I like to improvise when I cook, just like when I play music. That’s what makes it fun.”

Upon arriving in Houston, the couple received help from real estate broker David Littwitz of Littwitz Investments Inc., who worked with Harold’s owner Alli Jarrett, a longtime Houston restaurateur, and Emily Durham of JLL to secure the new space. The restaurant’s name pays homage to one of Kolenic’s favorite pieces of decor at Bettola, which featured a mix of bent and frayed musical instruments, and a distinctive blue tuba. The instrument traveled with the couple from Manhattan to the Heights and now sits on stage in the dining room at Blue Tuba, representing the duo’s new chapter.

Dylan McEwan

Bar manager Vincent Campos, who formerly worked with Lombardi Cucina Italiana, will oversee cocktails, and Guatemalan sommelier Gabriela Benecke will curate the beer and wine list. Blue Tuba is located at 350 West 19th Street, Suite E, Houston, TX 77008, and opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday. The restaurant plans to introduce brunch, lunch, and happy hour in the coming weeks, and expects to expand its hours of operation with a late-night menu.