This New Houston Restaurant in River Oaks Is Channeling the Leo Zodiac Sign

With live music, bold flavors and decor, and a supper club vibe, Leo’s River Oaks is now open

Following the reopening of the historic River Oaks Theatre, Leo’s River Oaks — the ritzy next-door restaurant that separately fuels the art cinema dinner service — officially opens on Tuesday, October 22.

Inspired by the owner Omar Khan’s wife and daughter, who are both Leos, the aptly named restaurant Leo’s River Oaks pays tribute to the astrological sign with bold decor and New American cuisine with a New York-style “supper club vibe,” according to a release.

Andrew Hemingway

Chef Tim Reading aims to bring the lavish Leo profile to the menu, which features luxe seafood towers, crudo, premium caviar service, and starters like lobster bisque, beef carpaccio, and seared sea scallops. Diners can also choose from Leo’s lineup of prime steaks, including bone-in rib-eyes, filet mignon, and Porterhouses, plus accompaniments like truffle butter or chimichurri. Entrees range from bouillabaisse and roasted whole fish to lobster thermidor, with sides like Leo’s Shepherd’s Pie and potato dauphinoise.

Pastry chef Eunice Grassa crafts the desserts, including chocolate and orange-ginger souffles, homemade ice cream in flavors such as salted caramel, cardamom, and strawberry-hibiscus, and chocolate tarts sporting an edible gold Leo lion design. The beverage menu also gets inventive, with spiced pear mocktails, classic espresso martinis, four different flavors of Old Fashioneds, and cocktails like the Strawberry Fields, made with strawberry lemongrass-infused vodka, yuzu, and ginger syrup.

Diners can score half-priced wines by the glass, discounted cocktails, and bar bites at the restaurant’s weekday happy hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the bar and outdoor patio.

Helmed by hospitality group Culinary Khancepts, which reopened River Oaks Theatre in early October, Leo’s boasts similar luxe decor, with Art Deco chandeliers and feathered fixtures, a balcony overlooking the dining room, and an elegant emerald green and ivory palette with Bordeaux and gold accents. The restaurant also aims to entertain diners and will feature live music, most often played from its grand baby piano.

Leo’s is located at 2009 West Gray Street, River Oaks. It is open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.