Now open
The ’80s themed diner Hungry Like the Wolf opened March 15 at 920 Studemont St., Houston. The menu covers breakfast, lunch and dinner with American diner-style offerings, ranging from pancakes and waffles to burgers and sandwiches to chicken fried steak and meatloaf. It also features a cocktail menu. Owner Andy Adams said opening day was a success, selling out of food and alcohol. "We were putting pop rocks on Pop Tarts because that's all we had left," he said.
The Monk’s, an Indian-Chinese restaurant, opened a Heights location March 12 at 126 Heights Blvd., Ste. 110. The restaurant, which has a Galleria location as well, offers a range of dishes inspired by Chinese and Indian cuisine, including spicy szechuan flavors, tandoori, noodles and a variety of appetizers.
The hand-rolled sushi bar Hando unveiled Kanpai Club, a new craft cocktail bar addition in February at 518 W. 11th St., Ste. 500. Kanpai, which means “cheers” in Japanese, can serve both as an overflow space for guests waiting to sit at the restaurant or for people who want to enjoy a cocktail. Kanpai Club also serves a late-night menu with snacks such as curry wa ffle fries, spicy edamame and wagyu kushiaki in addition to the shareable small plates from Hando’s menu.
Coming soon
The Japanese chain Rakkan Ramen is one of three new eateries slated to open in April at the M-K-T, 600 N. Shepherd Drive. The restaurant uses only plant-based ingredients in its broth, though soups can include a variety of protein sources, including eggs and pork. Also coming in April is Homestead, a restaurant and bar that will strive to for a distinctly Houston cuisine drawing on Southern, Cajun, and Tejano cultures, as well as Da Gama Canteen, from the creators of the former Upper Kirby pub Queen Vic, offering Anglo-Indian cuisine with new influences from Portugal and East Africa.
F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group announced in February that it would debut Fegen’s, a new restaurant this spring at 1050 Studewood St., Houston, taking the space of the former Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar. Named for Chef Lance Fegen, the restaurant will offer an Italian-leaning menu with items ranging from steaks with au jus and chicken schnitzel to Neapolitan-style pizza and linguine with clam sauce. The restaurant will also feature Fegen’s Bar with its own cocktail program and menu. Fegen’s will open with dinner service first before rolling out lunch and brunch hours, according to a news release.
The Houston Farmers Market, 2520 Airline Drive, has announced two new restaurants for the nearly 18-acre site, which is undergoing a massive redevelopment and expansion effort by MLB Partners. In February, the market announced Underbelly Hospitality’s culinary director Nick Fine will debut Wild Oats, a concept that will focus on “the history and traditions of Texas cuisine,” according to a Facebook post. In March, the Viet-Cajun restaurant Crawfish & Noodles announced it would open a 3,300 square foot restaurant featuring James Beard Award finalist Trong Nguyen’s takes on crawfish, crab, chicken wings, fried rice and authentic Vietnamese dishes.
Berg Hospitality has two new concepts in the works for the Heights as part of a collaboration with developer Ancorian. The first to open will be Trattoria Sofia, an intimate Italian restaurant, in May, after redesigning the space at 911 W. 11th St. In a more ambitious project, Ancorian is redeveloping The Docks at Timbergrove, a 50,000-square-foot commercial warehouse at 2505 W. 11th St., Houston, into a mixed-use facility that will include an 8,000-square-foot, yet-to-be-announced restaurant by Berg. The project will begin construction in March and is targeted for a January 2022 opening.
