The Heights Gets a Hip New Southern Cocktail Bar and Restaurant — Good God, Nadine’s Brings Garden Party Vibes

It’s a catchy phrase. “Good God, Nadine!” Not exactly a common idiom in the South, rather it’s an expression that restaurant co-owner Billy Trainor remembers his late, eccentric aunt Catherine exclaiming on a pretty regular basis. Fast forward to when Trainer and his partner Kyle Wiebe were searching for the perfect name for their new bar and restaurant combo in The Heights.

The new Good God, Nadine’s blends a cocktail lounge with a hip Southern restaurant, making that memorable old expression fitting.

The food is described as pan-Gulf. Think influences from the Florida Keys through the Deep South, Texas, Louisiana and the Yucatán, spanning Creole, Cajun, Southern, Caribbean, Mexican and Vietnamese cuisines and their essential ingredients. The 4,000-square-foot space, designed by Gin Design Group, unfolds across three distinct interior and exterior zones. There is a moody, art-filled indoor bar wrapped in tile and brass accents, featuring a blend of mid-century modern and Southern Gothic influences; a covered, air-conditioned patio enclosed by French doors; and a sunny alfresco garden patio.

Good God, Nadine is the first of two new spots that are coming to this property at 33 Waugh Drive from Trainor and Wiebe to open. This duo also own the lush, two-acre hydroponic organic farm Verdegreens Farms in Acres Home. This farm will not only supply the fresh vegetables for their restaurant, but also for a number of high-profile restaurants throughout Houston.

Did we mention their farm stand can be found weekly at farmers markets all across Houston too?

Trainor, a Harvard grad, worked for more than a decade as a professional tutor in Taipei, Taiwan, where he also served as the co-owner of multiple units of the fast-casual restaurant Toasteria Cafe. Wiebe, also Verdegreens’ head grower, is a classically trained chef who attended the Houston Art Institute and spent 15 years honing his culinary skills in the world of fine dining.

“We wanted to create the kind of place where you instantly feel at home — whether you’re in flip-flops or dressed to the nines,” Trainor says. “Good God, Nadine’s is about big flavors, strong drinks and good energy. No silver cloches. No pretense.

“We believe great hospitality doesn’t have to come with a white tablecloth. It comes with laughter, maybe a little profanity and a vibe that invites you to stay a while.”

The drinks-driven menu is rife with appealing frozen drinks, craft cocktails, beers and wines on tap. Sip a coastal-inspired tincture such as The Houstonian, made with Butterfly Pea Gin, Fever-Tree tonic, a splash of Crème de Violette, and spiked with herbs and spices like cinnamon, star anise, juniper berries and thyme ($15). The mango sticky rice is a rice-clarified concoction where raw white rice is shaken with vodka before it’s strained and blended with coconut milk, mango juice and the fragrant Southeast Asian pandan leaf ($13). Craving something frosty and spicy? Try the Serrano Pineapple T&T, a frozen blend of tequila, tonic, pineapple and lime, finished with a serrano-laced pineapple syrup.

Good God, Nadine’s Menu

Open 4 pm to midnight daily, you’ll find Gulf oysters (Matagorda Pearl) on the half shell ($15/$25) as well as sharable snacks that include sesame guac made with a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil before it’s topped with a crunchy combo of fried shiso crunch served with wonton and rice chips ($11) at Good God, Nadine’s. A fresh bright tasting red fish aguachile verde ($16) seasoned with Nam Jim, serrano peppers and cilantro with shredded green papaya also beckons.

And don’t miss the warm cast iron cornbread ($12) that chef de cuisine Easton Sadler prepares to order and tops with a dollop of cultured butter blended with Steen cane syrup.

Showcasing those lauded Verdegreens is the Vietnamese crab Louis ($20) and the house salad ($14), which comes with your choice of either lemon caper buttermilk dressing or Creole cane syrup vinaigrette. Both of those were the 2023 winners of H-E-B’s Quest for Texas’ Best competition. In the coming months, those dressings will be bottled and available for sale at the restaurant.

Hearty sandos make the menu from a “debris po-boy” ($14) made with braised beef with house-made pickles, shredded lettuce and Cajunnaise to a blackened redfish po-boy studded with blue oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms ($14). Smashburger fans will surely want to try the double-patty American cheese-topped Smashburger in Paradise ($14), topped with a kitschy cocktail umbrella. Be sure to add on the Kennebec potato hand-cut fries ($4) fried in beef tallow.

Good God, Nadine’s is located at 33 Waugh Drive. It is open seven days a week from 4 pm to midnight. Happy Hour is available daily from 4 pm to 7 pm, with all-day Sunday brunch set to come soon.