Stacey Smith opened Orange Lee's PoBoys & Wings to bring authentic New Orleans cuisine to Houston while honoring her late mother, Orange Lee Smith, in September 2022.

“She died on June 1, 2021, and she always dreamed about opening a restaurant,” Smith said.

What’s in a name

Smith said Orange Lee's PoBoys & Wings was named after her mother to honor her dream to open a family-owned restaurant.

“So everything we create is with love and passion because that's my mother,” she said. “She loves to cook and she loves to gather and have a nice time.”


Smith said although she moved to Houston from New Orleans in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, her mother did not want her to stay in Houston unless it was for a restaurant they could call their own.

After her mother died, Smith decided it was time to find a location for a restaurant.

Staying local

Smith said she previously owned a party venue and women’s boutique in New Orleans, and moved back to Houston to fulfill her mother’s dream shortly after her death.


“I stopped my career as an event planner and venue owner to build this,” Smith said.

Although she initially planned for the restaurant, the space she found was large enough to split in half; making the location next door a party hall where she could continue her event planning business.

The party hall, Fleur De Lis Luxury Suites, offers 2,000 square feet for events.

On the menu


Orange Lee's PoBoys & Wings specializes in authentic New Orleans cuisine, including po’boys, seafood gumbo, chicken and sausage gumbo, wings, and Camellia red beans.

“Camellia beans have been around since the 1920s, and in New Orleans it's popular on Mondays. Some restaurants do it everyday. In our home, my mom used to cook it every Monday, so here in Houston we cook it every day,” Smith said.

Smith said her cooking skills came from years of helping her mother cook for their family.

“I do feel like I got the blessings from my mother and my grandmother because I used to always be in the kitchen with them,” Smith said.


With ingredients sourced from New Orleans and bread sourced from local distributors to ensure quality, Orange Lee's PoBoys & Wings provides a full range of New Orleans-style dishes.

The eatery also offers Big Shot Soda imported from New Orleans as well as daiquiris, jello shots, beer, wine and cocktails.