This Houston Astros Pitcher’s New Coffee and Cocktail Lounge Goes From ‘Nitros to Nightcaps’

Maven Coffee + Cocktail’s first standalone all-day restaurant opens in Sawyer Yards with carajillos, shakeratos, and tapas-style dishes

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and the team at Rex Hospitality have seen success with the launch of their hybrid coffee and cocktail brand. Maven Coffee + Cocktails is already found in local stadiums like Minute Maid Park and the Toyota Center as well as at the Thompson Hotel, where it has its own cafe. Not to mention, Maven’s signature cold brew coffee concentrate is sold across the country. Now, the group is opening its first standalone, all-day location in Sawyer Yards that will operate as a coffee shop, a cocktail lounge, and a restaurant in one.

Located in Houston’s historic First Ward, Maven’s fully realized location, which officially opens on Friday, October 18, serves an all-day menu, welcoming Houston diners in for caffeinated drinks made with its blend of 100 percent Arabica beans and dishes like truffle grilled cheeses, Cuban sandwiches, breakfast tacos, and avocado toast. But come 3 p.m., the full-service restaurant shifts gears, serving only pastries until 5 p.m., when it transitions to dinner. Then, the restaurant will offer what chef and Maven’s culinary director Nicolás “Nico” Baizan de Aldecoa describes as a menu filled with tapas- or family-style dishes prepared with a Spanish flair that honors the team’s heritage.

Diners will find finger foods like fish dip made with grouper smoked in-house and pork rillettes, as well as entrees like spicy rigatoni with manchego cheese, pan-seared rib-eye served in au poivre, a classic roasted chicken, and deviled eggs topped with Kaluga caviar. Dessert gets playful with s’mores cups, refreshing compressed melon topped with basil ice cream, and a more sophisticated take on a molten lava cake that Baizan de Aldecoa says takes him back to childhood.

On the cocktail menu, expect well-established top-sellers, including its signature carajillos and espresso martinis. New York-based mixologist and consultant Paul McGee takes the menu a step further with fun spins on classics, like an Old Fashioned infused with coffee and fernet and the Shakerato, a chilled combination of amaro and coffee.

Housed in a former commercial trucking station and car wash, Maven, which seats 46 inside, plays off of its history and the nearby Union Pacific railroad tracks with industrial decor and layout featuring slatted wood paneling, milk glass fixtures, and the original car wash’s lights. The outside gas station canopy offers shade for the dog-friendly patio, which seats 32 people, and a sliding window out front offers easy access to pick-up and to-go orders.

Baizan de Aldecoa says Maven offers a dining experience that “hasn’t been seen in Houston.” Still, the Rex Hospitality group envisions the new restaurant, cafe, and lounge as a neighborhood destination where diners can go whether seeking a quick coffee, a date night, or a nightcap with friends.

Maven at Sawyer Yards is located at 1501 Silver Street, 77007; open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays, from 7 a.m.. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant will only serve pastry service from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. before shifting to dinner service; Reservations are available via Resy.