New Crystal Filled River Oaks Restaurant to Bring an Electric Kitchen, Star French Chefs & Courtyard Perks — Get Ready For Cocody

If you’re like me and find yourself traveling on West Gray on a frequent basis, passing through The River Oaks Shopping Center, no doubt you’ve noticed several new Houston restaurants in varying stages of construction. Poised a stone’s throw from Ballard Designs is the upcoming Cocody Restaurant due, I’m told, to swing open its doors in late August.

Pronounced co-co-dee, this new River Oaks spot brings together three veteran chefs who have made a name for themselves cooking in Houston and beyond with a decidedly French accent.

The three chefs (all three are operating partners in Cocody too) include chef David Denis, the gentleman behind the success of restaurants such as Le Mistral in Houston’s Energy Corridor, Bistro 555 on Memorial in West Houston, Rouge Wine Bar and Artisans Cuisine and Savoir-Faire. In addition, Denis’ brother Sylvain Denis, who worked with David managing each of their restaurant operations, is a part of the team. The third member is notable chef Lionel Debon, a talented toque whose CV boasts working with an extensive list of European Michelin-starred restaurants before he joined the Denis brothers at their Le Mistral.

Cocody is 0wned by the Rice University graduate Edwin Bosso and his wife Edith. The entrepreneurial Bosso founded The Myrtle Consulting Group based in Houston. While Myrtle was acquired by Accenture in 2020, Bosso remains active in the company serving as a managing director. Raised on the Ivory Coast, in a suburban community called Cocody in Abidjan, his international travels brought him all over the world from Brazil to Mexico, The Netherlands to Burkina Faso before he and his wife elected to settle in Houston and create this new restaurant.

Although the powers that be are still hammering out that all-important debut menu for Cocody, they note that “the entire menu will be a cultural and contemporary adventure into new flavors, presentations, and concepts” all of which will be prepared in an environmentally conscious all-electric kitchen.

Leaning into the contemporary vibe, Bosso has hired Winn Wittman Architects, based in Austin, to collaborate with the Houston-based design firm of Nina Magon to create the space. Together they are pulling inspiration from the Art Deco era of the shopping center originally constructed in the 1930s. The restaurant boasts 7,000 square feet of indoor space with 2,000 square feet of outdoor courtyard dining.

Inside the dining room will be illuminated with hundreds of crystal lights that appear to hover above, casting light upon the soaring columns and archways. It also features a free-standing metal-clad bar, a lounge situated just off that bar area and a semi-private Chef’s Tasting Room with a direct line of sight into the gleaming kitchen.

Look for more details here when Cocody opens late this summer. Cocody is located at 1971 West Gray in The River Oaks Shopping Center.