Houston Is Losing One of Its Best Pizza Restaurants

Elro, the pizza and crudo restaurant in Montrose, is closing after a year and a half in business following a challenging year for the dining scene in Houston

Elro, the instantly popular Montrose restaurant slinging pizzas and crudo, will close at the end of December after only a year and a half in business.

Chef Terrance Gallivan, who co-founded the acclaimed pizza, pasta, and tasting menu restaurant Pass and Provisions, announced the restaurant’s closing on social media on Wednesday, December 10, stating that Elro will be open during its regular hours through New Year’s Eve (it will be closed on Christmas Day). “I am so very grateful for the dedication of our staff and the support of our guests over the last year and a half. We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks,” he wrote. Gallivan officially returned to Houston’s restaurant scene in 2023 with Elro. Housed in a cozy renovated bungalow on the corner of Genesee Street, the restaurant, named after his children, combines hot and cold elements with refreshing crudo dishes and pizzas with enticing toppings like smoked maitake and chorizo with pineapple and red onion.

Julie Soefer

After a successful first year, though, Gallivan says he noticed a downward trend in business. “Obviously, Houston has a great dining scene; I just think it’s been a tough year for a lot of people, particularly with the economy. I don’t know exactly why, but maybe the crudo market is down,” he says. Summer was particularly difficult on Houston, with scorching hot temperatures, a devastating derecho, and Hurricane Beryl, the latter of which left millions without power for days and many with damage to their homes or businesses, Gallivan says. He says the restaurant began to bounce back in the fall, but during November, a month when many restaurants get busy, Elro was noticeably slower. “It was pretty worrisome,” Gallivan says. “We are fortunate we have good regulars here who are always good to us. It’s just a lot of stuff going on in the city.”

On a recent Thursday, the restaurant had a decent-sized crowd, with a mix of regular and new diners surprised to hear the restaurant is closing. Gallivan says he doesn’t have anything planned or lined up yet for the new year. “There’s still a lot to do here. We’re still open for the next three weeks. We want to hopefully get a lot of people in here to say goodbye or who maybe haven’t been here yet,” he says.

The restaurant is serving its menu through its last day of service on December 31, with some select specials. “We’re just treating it like it’s normal until New Year’s Eve, and hopefully we’ll go out with a bang,” Gallivan says.