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From hand-rolled sushi to smash burger bars, check out six dining updates across the Greater Houston area, as reported by Community Impact.
Impacts of the week
Taco Palenque to open 1st Cypress location
Mexican fast food chain Taco Palenque is slated to open its first Cypress location later this month, officials confirmed. According to the online menu, Taco Palenque offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options including tacos, quesadillas, burritos, soups, breakfast tacos and plates.
Conjoined ice cream and coffee shop opens in League City
The owners of Friendswood Scoop Shop opened a second location in League City in August. The small-batch ice cream store is conjoined to Wayside Coffee along Main Street, which celebrated its grand opening the same day as the ice cream shop.
New coffee spot now open in Pearland
Luce Avenue Coffee Roasters opened a Pearland location in early September, owner Hyeong Ki Kim confirmed. The cafe offers a variety of drinks including coffee, lattes, tea, cold brew and matcha. Specialty drinks include the Spanish latte, island latte and caramel macchiato.
Pepper Lunch to offer Japanese fast-casual cuisine in Missouri City
Pepper Lunch is set to bring a new location to Missouri City, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The Japanese fast-casual restaurant features an interactive model where meals are served on iron plates heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for patrons to mix, sauce and finish cooking their meal, per its website.
Burger Bodega sets opening date for Katy location
Houston-based smashburger restaurant Burger Bodega is set to open its new Katy location in mid-September, officials announced in a Sept. 1 news release. The Katy location, which was first announced in late 2024, will join the eatery’s original Houston restaurant located on Washington Avenue.
Dining spotlight
Texas’ first hand roll-centered sushi bar to expand presence to Bellaire Boulevard
With three existing locations in the Heights, Montrose and Spring Branch areas, Japanese sushi restaurant Handies Douzo is expanding once again with a new space located at 3908 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, officials confirmed via email. Handies Douzo is one of seven chef-driven concepts brought to fruition by restaurant group Duckstache Hospitality, which seeks to reinvent traditional Japanese cuisine through innovative culinary techniques, design-forward spaces and modern aesthetics, officials said.
