Throughout 2024, Community Impact spoke with owners and managers of seven local restaurants to be featured in our monthly editions. Here’s a look back at the Katy and Fulshear eateries we featured.

1. Pastel Pizza aims to introduce Katy, Houston to Venezuelan culture through food

When they moved to Katy from Venezuela in 2016, husband-and-wife duo Juan Rosales and Rosa Revilla had a bike and $800 between them.

They worked in construction and as a babysitter, respectively. But on the weekends, they’d make and sell Venezuelan street food from their apartment. They now own three locations of their restaurant, Pastel Pizza, in Katy, Houston and Spring.

Read more here.2. Molina's Cantina continues to serve classic Tex-Mex, expand family brand across Houston


Molina's Cantina has been a Houston Tex-Mex staple for more than 80 years, and the businesses chronicle one family's determination and community investment.

Raul and Mary Molina purchased the Old Monterrey Restaurant at 1919 W. Gray St., Houston, in June 1941. Raul Molina had been employed at the restaurant for the previous 10 years, and the family lived together in one room above the eatery.

Read more here.
Teishoku meal sets include choice of protein, such as hamburg steak or katsu chicken, as well as rice, salad, vegetables and soup. (Courtesy Twenty Five Teishoku House)
Teishoku meal sets include choice of protein, such as hamburg steak or katsu chicken, as well as rice, salad, vegetables and soup. (Courtesy Twenty Five Teishoku House)
3. Twenty Five Teishoku House owner seeks to elevate industry, encourage connection in Katy

Twenty Five Teishoku House is meant to embody the bold, vibrant energy of youth, chef Wenbing Huang said.


“At [that age], we are very eager to explore and never take no for an answer,” said Huang, who was 25 years old when he founded the Japanese eatery in Katy. “We never settle; we want to discover and meet new people. That's a vibe I want to preserve in The House, especially after the pandemic.”

Read more here.4. Katy's Old School Burger owners say variety, freshness set them apart

Velma Ruiz and Santiago Tzep combined their collective four decades of experience in the food and restaurant industry to open a classic burger joint in Katy called Old School Burger in October 2022.

After working in kitchens across the local area and operating a food truck selling papusas and other Central American cuisine, the business partners learned to emphasize flavor, customer service and freshly prepared entrees, they said. Read more here.
From left: George Batsios and his son, Christos Batsios, own two Katy-area restaurants, Sapore Detroit Pizzeria and Pappa Gyros. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
From left: George Batsios and his son, Christos Batsios, own two Katy-area restaurants, Sapore Detroit Pizzeria and Pappa Gyros. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
5. Father-son duo bring hometown culture to Katy with Sapore Detroit Pizzeria


The owners of Sapore Detroit Pizzeria claim they were the first to introduce the style to Katy.

George and Christos Batsios, father-and-son restaurateurs, said the concept was created after converting their white tablecloth Italian restaurant, Sapore Ristorante Italiano, into a pizza shop during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more here.6. Texana Cafe provides on-the-job training for neurodiverse adults in Fulshear

Fulshear restaurant Texana Cafe employs neurodiverse individuals to teach them job skills and help foster their independence, Cafe Project Manager Rany Thommen said.


Thommen is a trained behaviroal analyst and works closely with the staff at the eatery, which opened on Texana Center's Fulshear campus in March 2022.

Read more here.
RC Simmons said he sells over 700 lamb loins a week, making it one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. (Courtesy Park Place at The Boardwalk)
RC Simmons said he sells over 700 lamb loins a week, making it one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. (Courtesy Park Place at The Boardwalk)
7. Park Place at The Boardwalk seeks to 'delight' Katy customers with food, music

RC Simmons opened Park Place at The Boardwalk in September 2022 originally as a venue for live jazz and R&B.

Simmons, who is also a singer and the restaurant's executive chef, said he wanted to create a place in Katy for the people who like live jazz and R&B.


Read more here.