Houston’s Hottest Chef Teams Up With a Cocktail Giant on a New Concept

It’s safe to say chef Justin Yu is having a great year. The Oxheart chef secured his first James Beard award this May in the “Best Chef: Southwest” category, and while it’d be easy to bask in the continued success driven by his famous Nance Street restaurant, he is finally ready for an encore.

Yu is partnering with cocktail connoisseur Bobby Heugel — who’s responsible for spirits at The Pastry War, Underbelly, The Hay Merchant, Julep, and The Nightingale Room — for a new neighborhood locale in The Heights, at 544 Yale Street (formerly Dry Creek Cafe).

Will it be a bar? A restaurant? A speakeasy with snacks? Few details about the project have been announced; there’s still no name, no set menu, nor a confirmed cocktail program. Heugel, Yu, and their spokesperson declined to offer further details. What they have said is that they plan to create a casual hangout, a place they would enjoy spending time in. Expected opening date is early 2017.