Pioneering Tris Chef and Houston Favorite to Open New Restaurants In The Woodlands — Why Austin Simmons and Aaron Bludorn Are All In

Two new restaurants from top chefs are taking shape in The Woodlands. Austin Simmons, the chef behind the beloved shuttered pioneering Tris restaurant in The Woodlands, will open a new restaurant dubbed Charlolais, and prolific Houston chef Aaron Bludorn will open Bar Bludorn in 2026.

Simmons first told PaperCity The Woodlands back in February that he planned to open a new restaurant.

The chef is bringing his genetics-driven cattle program to this new restaurant in The Woodlands set for Restaurant Row at Hughes Landing. Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons will specialize in high-quality beef sourced from his program focusing on genetics and sustainable animal husbandry, and full involvement in the process, from pasture to plate.

“I am thrilled to open Charolais in The Woodlands, and to partner with Howard Hughes,” Simmons, who will be the founder and owner of Charolais, says in a statement, “Charolais represents my lifelong passion, a restaurant focused on elevating American beef through hand-reared cattle.”

When Simmons left Tris in December of  2024, leading to the restaurant’s near immediate closure, opening a new restaurant was always part of his long-term plan.  The name Charolais comes from the French beef cattle that Simmons works with in his cattle breeding program.

Simmons’ new restaurant will be followed by Aaron Bludorn’s own new restaurant in The Woodlands. Bludorn is behind the popular Houston restaurants Bludorn, Navy Blue, Bar Bludorn and Perseid. Now he’s coming north, selecting 25 Waterway as the next location for his quintessential neighborhood tavern Bar Bludorn. This expansion marks Aaron Bludorn’s first restaurant outside of central Houston.

The Woodlands’ Own Bar Bludorn

Slated to open in summer 2026, Bar Bludorn The Woodlands will offer a distinctive take on the flagship restaurant in Houston’s Memorial neighborhood, pairing a contemporary American bistro menu with Texas-inspired flavors. Yes, that means fried chicken with peanut butter gravy will be making the move north too.

“Opening our first restaurant outside of Central Houston is an exciting new venture, and we feel really confident partnering with Howard Hughes on this project,”  Aaron Bludorn says in a statement. “We see a lot of guests from The Woodlands visit Bar Bludorn in Memorial, so we are looking forward to bringing the same Houston-inspired hospitality to the community.”

Bar Bludorn The Woodlands is taking over the space on The Woodlands Waterway that used to be home to Baker Street Pub, which closed last March. CultureMap reports that this new Bar Bludorn will have private dining areas, something the original Bar Bludorn in Memorial did not have room to include.

Diners in The Woodlands have good reason to be excited about this next year. Howard Hughes is once trying to raise the bar in this groundbreaking master planned community.

“Chef Simmons’ return to The Woodlands and Chef Bludorn’s entry to the community represent significant additions to our culinary landscape,” Jim Carman, president of the Texas Region for Howard Hughes, says in a statement. “We have recently partnered with exceptional brands and talent to bring new experiences to the community, and we look forward to residents and visitors enjoying these elevated dining opportunities here in The Woodlands.”

Eating is only getting more interesting in The Woodlands.