LIVE UPDATES: See what restaurants are offering takeout, delivery in Tomball, Magnolia as counties limit dining

Editor's note: This article will be updated as new information is gathered. Community Impact Newspaper is regularly contacting Tomball and Magnolia restaurants to learn the latest updates on how they are adapting as more calls for social distancing are made at the regional, state and federal levels. Readers and business owners can share updates with our editorial team by emailing [email protected] or by calling 512-989-6808.

This list of restaurants has been updated as of 6:06 p.m. March 24.

Following orders from Harris and Montgomery counties the week of March 16 to limit restaurant occupancy or close dining areas to prevent the spread of coronavirus, several restaurants in Tomball and Magnolia have adjusted their operations as social distancing practices take shape. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a stay home, work safe order March 24 requiring all non-essential businesses to close through April 3. However, the order still allows restaurants to offer food to go. This follows an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott issued March 19 effective midnight March 20 through midnight April 3 that limits social gatherings to 10 people, prohibits dining in at restaurants and bars, closes gyms, temporarily closes schools and bans people from visiting nursing homes except for critical care. Harris County restrictions previously took effect March 17 for at least 15 days, ordering all bars to close and restaurants to only offer takeout. After issuing an order March 17 to limit occupancy at restaurants in Montgomery County, the county updated its guidelines March 18, effective 8 a.m. Thursday, March 19. The updated guidelines require all restaurants to cease on-site dining and only offer to-go, takeout, delivery and catering services from March 19-April 2.

• Tressie's Southern Kitchen offers a takeout menu, including newly added pizza and muffalleta sandwiches. Customers can visit two pickup windows, or food can be picked up curbside. Delivery is also available within a 2-mile radius. Margaritas, mimosas, canned wine, beer and other drinks are also available to go. The eatery is also stocked with grocery items, including cleaning supplies, fresh fruit and vegetables, paper products, dairy and eggs available for purchase.
• Pizzaiolo's Gourmet Pizza is offering takeout and delivery during limited hours at both its Magnolia and Hardin Store locations. Customers can call 281-789-7189 for the Magnolia store and 832-521-5246 for the Hardin Store location.
• The Original Rib Tickler offers takeout and delivery as well as daily specials.
• Rancheros Mexican Restaurant is offering delivery with a $30 minimum order as well as takeout. Margaritas are also available to-go. Customers can call 28-1259-8701 to place an order.
• Umami Grill and Sushi is offering delivery via Door Dash, UberEats and in-house delivery within 5 miles. Food is also available for takeout.
• TaD's Bar and Grill is offering meals to-go and for delivery. Drinks are also available to-go, but wine orders must be by the bottle.
• Tailgate Grill is offering to-go orders. However, only cash or check is being accepted as payment. Customers can call 281-255-9353 to place an order.
• Yummy Pho House is offering takeout, curbside pickup and delivery through UberEats.
• Waterfalls Cafe is offering to-go orders and free delivery within 5 miles. Customers also receive 15% off their bill.
• Top Sushi Tomball is offering takeout, curbside pickup and delivery with happy hour prices on call-in orders to go. The happy hour discount is not available on third party delivery orders. Hours are limited to noon-8 p.m.
• Zanti Cucina Italiana is offering a to-go menu for curbside pickup and free delivery within 3 miles.
• Aguierre's Tex-Mex is open for takeout, curbside and regular delivery. The restaurant currently offers $2.50 hour margaritas. Customers can call 832-559-8804 to place an order.
• Bar-B-Que Hut is currently open for drive-thru or takeout, and orders can be placed through calling 281-259-7706.
• Celaya's Mexican Restaurant offers curbside or delivery, with orders being placed through 281-259-1000
• Chang's Gourmet is open and offers takeout or delivery and can be reached at 281-255-9818.
• Cisco's Salsa Company is open for takeout, curbside pickup and delivery. The eatery offers Crisis Relief meals for $7 between 10 to 11 a.m. Customers can call 281-351-7572.
• Eden Cafe offers most of its menu for takeout. Gift cards can be purchased with customers receiving an extra $10 for every $50 purchased. Orders can be placed at 832-934-2800.
• Hickory Corral is open for takeout or delivery through Food's Here. Orders can be placed through calling 281-356-7885.
• Gianna Italian Kitchen is open for takeout or curbside delivery. Customers can call 281-290-6676 to place orders. The restaurant sells dinner for two and has alcohol available as well.
• Shiloh's is open for takeout, curbside delivery and delivery through Food's Here. Customers can place orders by calling 281-627-0502.
• Tailgators Pub and Grill Magnolia is open for takeout, curbside and limited delivery within five miles. Orders can be placed by calling 281-259-5343.
• Old Magnolia Bar & Grill is open for curbside or takeout, with 20% off family orders and 10% off individual orders. Customers can call 281-251-8061 to place an order.
• Bexar County Brisket rolled out a family meal package, featuring 25-30 meals of barbecue for $200, which is more than a 25% discount. The package includes one brisket, one rack of pork ribs, one turkey breast, five links of pepper-jack sausage and two jars of homemade barbecue sauce. Meals are available for pickup from 11 a.m.-noon Saturdays until further notice at 403 Eats in Tomball. Orders must be placed by phone at 210-347-3633 before 6 p.m. on Fridays.
• Blue Iguana Taco House is still open for business and is currently offering free delivery for anyone within 7 miles of the restaurant. Restaurant delivery includes the full food and drink menu. The restaurant is operating its normal hours, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Red Flame Steak & Grill currently offers to-go or delivery with a 10% discount on all orders. The restaurant is operating its normal business hours from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Adriatic Cafe Tomball is open for pickup orders and delivery through DoorDash. The restaurant has slightly altered its hours to 11 a.m.-9 p.m. There are two specials currently running: orders of an XL pizza receive half off the second one; and orders of an adult entree receive a free kid's entree.
• The Meating Place BBQ & Bakery is offering takeout, drive-thru and catering services. Customers receive a 20% discount off all orders, along with meals for two or four people. The hours have been limited to 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Rancho Grande Tomball offers take-out, delivery and delivery through DoorDash, Food’s Here and GrubHub. The restaurant is offering a 10% discount off its personal delivery services and is able to deliver margaritas as well.
• Ron’s Hamburgers and Chili is open for takeout or curbside delivery, along with delivery through local delivery service Food’s Here. The full menu is available. Customers can order in-store and take out, or they can call in an order to-go or be picked up curbside. Customers can contact the Tomball location at 832-698-4201 or the Magnolia location at 281-259-7133.
• Bonfire Grill has launched online ordering. Patrons can also walk in and get food to go or request free delivery through the restaurant’s app or a call-in order. Delivery orders include a 20% gratuity charge. Curbside service is also available. Three designated parking spots are in front of the restaurant for curbside orders. The restaurant is offering daily specials of buy a pizza, get one half off as well as 25% off wine bottles and 20% off beer with any food order for the time being. Family meals and ready-to-cook steaks with sides are also available for order.
• Every Bellies is offering curbside service for the time being. Customers can also walk in or call ahead orders to-go. The eatery also offers delivery via local delivery service Food’s Here and other delivery services, such as DoorDash and Uber Eats.
• Craft Grill is open with a limited menu and limited hours. Craft Grill launched its carhop service during select hours, where customers can order, pay and get to-go drinks from their vehicles. Curbside pickup is also available from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. for orders called in at 281-255-2396, and customers can order delivery via the Favor app.
• Craft Grill Breakfast Club is open with a limited menu and limited hours from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Customers can call 832-400-9800 for to-go orders and pay by phone or in person. Customers can also request curbside service.
• Wholly Crepe Russian Bistro is still open for business but is pushing customers to order for takeout. There is currently a 10% discount on all takeout orders, with hot and cold options available. Orders can be placed ahead by calling 832-996-9791.
• Rita’s Cantina Mexican Kitchen is open for customers to call in orders at 346-248-5097 and pick them up or choose curbside pickup.
• DeNovo Coffee, a drive-thru coffee shop, is still open for business with limited hours. The business is fully operational from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. but has limited milk options for special milk drinks, such as keto, almond milk or soy milk favorites. However, the entire menu is available for traditional orders.

Published March 17

Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue

Scott Moore said his businesses in Old Town Tomball have seen a drop in sales just one day into Harris County's restrictions on restaurants. Moore is the co-owner of Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue, Tejas Burger Joint and Tejas To Go Market.

Even though the three establishments are located in the city of Tomball, the county order to shutdown dining areas still applies.

Moore said Tejas rolled out an online ordering platform, something he already had in mind but implemented more quickly than anticipated. Customers can order barbecue and chocolate online for pickup at the To Go Market on Commerce Street or delivery.

"We were planning to do [online ordering] anyway, and we just kind of expedited it; it's really helped us a lot," he said. "I don't know what we would have done without it, to be honest with you. We would have had a terrible day."

On March 17, Moore said sales had dipped about 30% at the barbecue restaurant and 75% at the burger joint, which opened last fall. Chocolate sales have also seen a significant drop, since customers are not tempted to buy the handmade truffles impulsively while waiting in line, he said.

"It's affecting us a great deal," Moore said, referring to the to-go orders only restrictions. "It's the first day. We'll see how it goes."

In addition to online ordering, Tejas is offering delivery via Food's Here and UberEats, Moore said, as well as its own delivery services for minimum orders of $25 or more. A $3 fee per delivery order is charged as well as a $1 fee per mile, he said. Customers can also walk up and order at the restaurant, as the restaurant is limiting the line of customers to no more than 10 at a time, Moore said. Curbside pickup is still in the works.

"It's a serious deal that we're just trying to survive. For 15 days, if that's what it is, I think all of us [restaurants] will be O.K.," Moore said. "If it's a prolonged period of time, people will have to cut their cost and that will be staff; people will have to get laid off. We had a good enough day today where we don't have to think about that yet. I don't care if we make money during this time period; all I want to do is pay our bills and cover our payroll."

With the cancellation of Tomball's 20th annual German Heritage Festival in late March, Moore said he does not forsee the festival cancellation alone to affect his businesses much, as crowded parking lots during the festival turn away any boost in his customers. However, he said Old Town Tomball will likely see the ripple effect of restaurant restrictions, cancelled festivals and other precautionary measures.

"Old Town Tomball is just kind of quiet, it's kind of sleepy. It looks like it's closing time and it's not," he said. "We're just in the hospitality trade and all of us restaurants are, and we're just trying to do our best to be good hosts and put our best foot forward, maintain our composure and just have a sense of community that we've all got to pull together. And that's what it's felt like today with a lot of our customers, a lot of sense of community."

Captain Brad's Coastal Kitchen

Owner Brittney Aplin said Captain Brad's Coastal Kitchen, located near Hwy. 249 and Northpointe Boulevard in Tomball, had a good week last week, even amid the first news of the coronavirus outbreak. However, she saw sales start to slip when a national emergency was declared.

"Then today, we've still had a few to-go orders but not enough to sustain our business for the long haul. For 15 days, we'll make it work," Aplin said. "I think we're all kind of holding our breath and hoping it's really only 15 days."

Aplin said few orders pouring in is a bigger deal for the restaurant's support staff.

"A lot of them make their living, pay their rent and feed their kids on tips," she said.

In the interim, Captain Brad's is offering free delivery within a 10-mile radius. Aplin said the delivery radius could change, but currently the restaurant's support staff are delivering orders to the local community. The restaurant also partners with DoorDash for delivery. To-go services and curbside pickup are also available. The business will offer to-go and delivery services during its regular operating hours, she said.

With a full menu available and online ordering, Aplin said she is still selling live crawfish for customers to enjoy at their homes.

"People can still have their friends over and do boils at their house," she said.

2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ

Chris Clarabut, one of the owners of 2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ on Spring Cypress Road in Tomball, said although the dine-in section of the restaurant has closed, new order options have been added.

“We have made a drive through,” he said. “We also have a curbside pickup.”

Clarabut said customers can either call ahead and place an order or use the drive thru.

“We have noticed an increase in larger orders,” he said. “People coming in and picking up orders in bulk and taking it home to their families.”

The business has seen higher orders of meat recently, as 2 Guys 1 Pit offers it by the pound in frozen, vacuum-sealed packages.

However, Clarabut said the biggest negative impact of coronavirus concerns so far has been on its catering services, from which the restaurant was launched. The business' catering events for the upcoming two weekends have been cancelled, Clarabut said.

“We are a catering company that has a restaurant,” he said. “All of our catering staff unfortunately no longer have employment until we are able to hold catering events again. ... That is a big loss for us, as far as being able to take care of our staff."

Victory Pie Co. & Cafe

Sheila Blue, owner of Victory Pie Co. & Cafe on Tamina Road in Magnolia, said business has been doing "okay" so far.

“Being in Montgomery County, we’ve still got different restrictions than Harris [County],” she said March 17. “Our pies that we make are frozen to take and bake, which is helpful because people are taking their pies to go.”

Blue said the eatery is allowing take-out orders, which customers can pick up as they drive by the cafe. She said the cafe sits fewer than 50 people, so the county's limit on occupancy has had no effect so far.

“Our place only seats 24 anyway, so we are taking the precautions with the table [distance],” she said.

However, Blue said that the eatery has scaled back on labor, as the food traffic has been lower than usual.

“We are going to be compliant, but we are going to do everything we can to give our customers the most they can get from us,” she said.

Mandi Cocina Mexicana

Rebecca Shallenberger said on any given day, her restaurant is smaller than most other small businesses. Still, the eatery is trying to adjust to the new dining restrictions.

"We're smaller than small. We only have 12 tables in our restaurant," said Shallenberger, the co-owner of Mandi Cocina Mexicana—located near Hwy. 249 and Northpointe Boulevard in Tomball. "For us, we're trying out these business models. We're very hopeful; we have a lot of support from people in our community wanting to use these options to still bring us business."

Shallenberger said the restaurant added curbside pickup and to-go services to comply with the county's restrictions. These services will be in place until the dining area can open again.

"We've added those two options so we can make people comfortable. Even though we're confident in our cleanliness at the restaurant, people are comfortable with no-contact delivery," she said.

Free delivery services are also available with a minimum order of $35, and a 15% gratuity charge is tacked onto each order, she said.

Despite the additional order options, Shallenberger said business has been slow.

"We had a very slow morning. Typically Tuesdays for us—we do $2 street tacos—so typically Tuesdays are fairly busy," she said. "Once we get a couple days under our belt, we might have to wiggle things around and use our employees wisely so we're not all sitting around staring at each other."

However, on March 18, Mandi Cocina Mexicana will begin offering its house margaritas and flavored house margaritas to go with any food order, Shallenberger said. The eatery's full menu—including its lunch menu, offered until 4 p.m.—is still available.

"For us, we're just kind of taking it day by day. We're prepared to go the whole 15 days but if we don't have any business in, it doesn't do any of us good to be up here," she said. "We're going to use this [method] throughout the week and then reevaluate on Monday to see if that's something we can sustain for a longer period of time. We're really hopeful, and people are being very generous with their financial contributions, so that makes us very happy and very humble."