“I want to make sure when someone comes in from Chicago or New York, and they want to find a good burger, they know to come here,” Montiel said. “I want Fusion Grill to put [Katy] on the map.”

The Katy eatery started out as a food truck in 2016 focusing exclusively on burgers and fries.
In April 2017, Montiel opened his brick and mortar on Mason Road for counter service dining; the restaurant transitioned into a casual dining space with booth seating, a full bar and intimate lighting in November 2023, he said.
“You're not going to spend $200 for two people, but at least you have good food, a good experience and a nice place, and you don't have to spend that much money,” Montiel said.

Montiel said Fusion Grill uses bread baked fresh daily and fresh beef, which contribute to the high quality of the restaurant’s signature burgers.
He also created his own flavor profile, mixing a secret combination of seasonings for the 17 burgers on the menu, he said.
“I get ideas from a lot of places I go, like [Las] Vegas, New York, Miami, Chicago,” Montiel said. “You see the burgers on Instagram or the pictures [on the menu], that’s the way you’re going to get it here on the table.”

Looking ahead
This summer, Montiel has plans to open another Fusion Grill in the Heights that’s nearly three times the size of the Katy eatery, he said. The new, 6,000-square-foot eatery will double as a cocktail lounge and have a rooftop terrace.
“If we’re going to open a second location, we’re going to have to step it up,” he said. “Every time we expand, it has to be better than the first.”
- 1453 S. Mason Road, Katy
- www.fusiongrill-tx.com