Local Table opened its first location in Katy with just 30 employees. Now, the family-owned restaurant has over 400 employees, five locations and plans to keep expanding.

The restaurant was founded in 2016 by the same family that started Hungry’s, a cafe with locations in Rice Village, Memorial Drive and Woodway. Co-owner Shervin Sharifi said the goal of Local Table was to bring a fresh, high-quality dining option to families and residents of master-planned communities.

“It’s bringing that inner-city type of environment to the suburbs,” VP of Development Nousha Nowamooz said. “We’re trying to make it convenient for families who want to have a good-quality meal, but maybe don’t want to commute 30 minutes, 40 minutes into town.”

In addition to its flagship restaurant in Katy, Local Table has locations in Fulshear, Cypress, Garden Oaks and The Woodlands, with plans to open another in Missouri City by January.

What they offer


Local Table offers a variety of dishes ranging from burgers, sandwiches and pizza to seafood, tacos and plant-based rice bowls.

“There’s really not one cuisine that we specialize in, and I think it works really well for families, because you might have a wife who wants something, and the father wants something completely different, and kids want their kids’ meals,” Sharifi said.

Sharifi said Local Table’s most popular dish is its kabob plate, which includes skewers of beef tenderloin or grilled chicken with herb basmati rice, turmeric-roasted seasonal vegetables and warm pita. Other popular offerings include the gyros plate, lemon pasta and various salmon dishes.

The restaurant also offers a separate brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays, with menu items such as crab cakes eggs benedict, chicken and waffles, omelets and smoked salmon avocado toast.


Local Table’s Katy and Cypress locations also feature The Local Bar, where customers can enjoy made-from-scratch cocktails.

“While Local Table is very family-friendly—we have kids eat free [on Mondays and weekend mornings], we have kids’ menus—we can offer a more adult experience steps away,” Nowamooz said.

The local impact

Local Table frequently sponsors scholarships, schools, sports teams, churches and other organizations, in addition to hosting frequent Spirit Nights, giving 15% of proceeds back to the school or school organization. The restaurant is also an approved vendor for local school districts such as Katy ISD, supporting them through efforts such as T-shirt appreciation days and schoolwide Thanksgiving lunches, Sharifi said.


“We’re always looking for ways to get involved in the community. Especially since so many of our customers are in the community — it’s nice to be able to give back to them,” Nowamooz said.

Looking ahead

In addition to its planned Missouri City location next year, Local Table hopes to launch a new concept, Local Spot, in Cross Creek Ranch in August. Located next to Cross Creek Ranch Adventure Island Pool, the bar and grill will offer appetizers, entrees, finger foods, craft cocktails and wine. Going forward, the restaurant plans to continue expanding, Sharifi said.

“We’re continuously looking for new master-planned communities that we can open up in that will be favorable for the community as well as us,” he said. “Our goal is to expand and stay family-owned ...That’s an important part of it, so we don’t ever lose that family feel for each one of our restaurants.”