The Most Anticipated Houston Restaurant Openings, Winter 2025
The Houston restaurant scene will warm diners up this winter with a comforting Asian American diner, smash burgers in East End, customizable pho, and another restaurant from the Bludorn team
It’s the start of a new year in Houston, which means there is a lot to look forward to in its dining scene: Unsurprisingly, Space City’s already starting 2025 strong with some exciting new restaurant openings. This winter alone, the city is preparing for the lift-off of Perseid, chef Aaron Bludorn’s fourth restaurant, which will be located in the vibey new Hotel Saint Augustine; an Asian diasporic diner by a former Underbelly Hospitality chef; a pop-up turned smash burger stand in East End; and a Vietnamese restaurant that promises an interactive pho dining experience. Here are Houston’s most anticipated restaurant openings happening this winter.
Perseid
Location: 4110 Loretto Drive, Hotel Saint Augustine, Montrose
Key players: Aaron Bludorn, Victoria Pappas-Bludorn, Cherif Mbodji
Projected opening date: January 16
Aaron Bludorn and his team will open their fourth restaurant in Houston’s new Hotel Saint Augustine, which may be the city’s vibiest hotel opening in years. Named after the meteor shower that typically occurs every July and August, Perseid opens this Thursday, January 16. The team behind Aaron’s namesake restaurant Bludorn, the tavern-style restaurant Bar Bludorn in Memorial, and Rice Village seafood establishment Navy Blue has kept particularly mum about menu specifics but notes that it will stay close to Houston’s international flavors for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
Agnes & Sherman
Location: 250 West 19th Street, Suite A, Heights
Key players: Chef Nick Wong and managing partner Lisa Lee
Projected opening date: early 2025
The former executive chef behind Underbelly Hospitality’s now-shuttered UB Preserv is opening a modern Asian American diner, Agnes and Sherman, in the Heights. Chef Nick Wong has offered sneak peeks of what’s to come: a collaborative pop-up at Burger Bodega yielded Taiwanese beef chopped cheese sandwiches and honey-pecan shrimp toast. At a stall at last summer’s Rock and Roll picnic, Wong served scallion waffle and roasted garlic sambal butter, and at a pop-up held at Bludorn, he served chicken-fried beef shank with a bo kho gravy and pandan French toast with kava jam and toasted coconut. Named after his mother, Agnes, who immigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S. for college, and his father, Sherman, who was born and raised in San Francisco, Wong’s new restaurant is slated to distill some of his most distinct memories of growing up in a dining experience packed with flavor.
Drea Karolina
Boo’s Burgers
Location: 2510 Navigation Boulevard, East End
Key player: Chef Joseph Boudreaux
Projected opening date: early 2025
After around four years of popping up all over the city, chef Joseph Boudreaux has finally found a permanent spot for his brainchild, Boo’s Burgers. Boudreaux will join some of his favorite dining hotspots on Navigation Boulevard’s the Esplanade with a burger stand that slings his signature smash burgers. Newcomers can expect crispy-edged smash burgers topped with molten American cheese, smoky remoulade, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and homemade pickles. Boudreaux says the new burger joint will also offer fries and drinks, and, in the future, will be a space for engaging community events.
Chardon
Location: Thompson Hotel, 1717 Allen Parkway, Fourth Ward
Key player: California-based TableOne Hospitality, executive chef and partner Alexandre Viriot
Projected opening date: February 2025
Fans of Sol 7, which gives some of the best views of the city skyline, will appreciate this new French Bistro, also located in the Thompson Hotel. Operated by California-based restaurant group TableOne Hospitality, Chardon will feature French bistro fare with a modern twist. Texas native chef Alexandre Viriot, who previously worked at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and the Murray in Hong Kong, will be at the helm in the kitchen.
Annam Restaurant and Wine Bar
Location: Autry Park Drive in Autry Park, Montrose
Key players: chef-owner Chris Kinjo and managing partner Dung “Lang” Nguyen
Projected opening date: late January/early February 2025
Chris Kinjo, the chef behind seafood restaurants MF Sushi and Ume Sushi, will open a second restaurant in Houston’s Autry Park. Located across from Kinjo’s restaurant MF Lobster and Seafood, Annam Restaurant and Wine Bar will serve a tapestry of Vietnamese-style tapas with a French influence. The restaurant will seat 58 in its dining room and 16 in its wine bar; a small outdoor patio will set the stage for al fresco dining and drinking. Named after the Western term for the French-ruled Indochina area, which is now central Vietnam, Annam will also be a retail outlet where diners can shop for bottles featured on the restaurant’s sharply curated wine list.
Haii Keii
Location: 3300 Kirby Drive, River Oaks
Key players: JAG Hospitality Group, chefs Jeff Auld, Jarred Tosto, Jeffrey Taylor, and Jose Espinoza
Projected opening date: February 2025
Originally slated to open last summer, Haii Keii, from JAG Hospitality Group, has been on Eater’s anticipated list for a while now. The time has finally come: Veteran chefs Jeff Auld and Jarred Tosto will offer a newer interpretation of Asian cuisine at the restaurant, which, if all goes according to plan, should debut in River Oaks in February. Executive chef Jeffrey Taylor, formerly of New York City’s Morimoto and Austin’s Uchi, will lead Haii Keii’s menu of Asian diasporic small plates, Beijing-style duck, Japanese milk bread, and wok-fired noodles, in addition to a menu of Japanese, Australian, and American wagyu. Meanwhile, chef Jose Espinoza, formerly of Uchiko and Handies Douzo, will handle the sushi bar. Drinks will also be inventive, with ube espresso martinis and a clever JST (Japanese Standard Time) made with gin, yuzu, lemon, pandan, cream, vanilla bean, and ceremonial-grade matcha.
Pho Prime
Location: 5353 W Alabama Street, Suite 107, the Galleria area; 9240 Broadway, Suite 115, Pearland
Key players: Kiet and Julie Duong of Crawfish Cafe
Projected opening date: February 2025 for the Galleria location; March 2025 for the Pearland location
The team behind Crawfish Cafe has been busy. Kiet and Julie Duong are not only expanding the Crawfish Cafe business with a new location in Pearland, they’re also launching a new chain of fast-casual restaurants across the Houston area. Pho Prime will provide a customizable, interactive pho dining experience. Diners can build their own Vietnamese soups with pho broth, made fresh daily, and various ingredients and proteins, including oxtail, beef rib, brisket, bone marrow, and Vietnamese ham. Vegans and children have options, too, with vegan broth made with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and boy choy, as well as miniature pho bowls for kids featuring chicken or meatballs. Other dishes include lemongrass shrimp sate, Bo Koho, a 12-hour braised brisket and tendon stew, and egg rolls. The Pho Dip, the Duongs’ take on a French dip sandwich, features fatty brisket, bone marrow buttes spread, basil, cilantro, and onion, all loaded on a baked baguette with spicy aioli, hoisin, and a side of beef broth for dipping. Each restaurant will feature indoor seating, with carry-out, delivery, and catering options.
Christine Nguyen
Osteria di Mercata
Location: Next door to Mercato and Company, 3642 University Boulevard, West University
Key players: Arlene Ventura, founder of Mercato and Company, chef Tatiana Perna
Projected opening date: early 2025
Mercato and Company, a gourmet market that opened in West University in December, will expand its footprint with a new restaurant and bar this winter. Chef-partner Tatiana Perna, who also helms the kitchen at the historic Tuscan resort Podere 1384 in Italy, will play off of Mercato, using its many ingredients and gourmet products, like olive oil, to create a menu of Italian dishes, which its wines will complement.
Doko
Location: 3737 Cogdell Street, Suite 145, Autry Park
Key player: Duckstache Hospitality, chefs Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee
Projected opening date: early 2025 (possibly early February)
The team behind Handies Douzo will finally launch its new sushi bar and restaurant in Autry Park, and, considering their distinct style (think of all the rubber ducks that line Handies), Doko will serve some of the restaurant’s greatest hits, including nigiri made with fish flown in from Toyosu Market in Japan and maguro crudo, plus new dishes and sake cocktails. As for the Japanese whiskey, Doko will leave much of it up to its nearby sister establishment Bar Doko, an intimate, 16-seat bar that’s billed to have the largest Japanese whiskey collection in the state.
