Levy Park Continues to Tweak Its Restaurant Options With Hearsay Now Taking Centerstage — Food on the Green

Levy Park, the verdant family-friendly park on Eastside Street just off Richmond Avenue in Upper Kirby, has another new restaurant with its roster turning over. Hearsay Levy Park is the latest Hearsay developed by Landmark Houston Hospitality Group. It’s taken over the former home of the Woodshed Smokehouse in Levy Park and is fully open after having been first teased almost a year ago. It brings hours that see it stay open as late as midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s likely one you’ve heard before. This is the seventh Hearsay in the greater Houston region, with the very first having opened in the historic W.L. Foley building downtown in 2008. In the years since, three more Hearsays have opened in the city (including one in Saks Fifth Avenue in The Galleria mall), another in The Woodlands and one on Galveston’s famed Strand. (Ambitious future plans call for Hearsay to expand to Austin, Dallas and Beaumont too.)

Chef Carlos Bautista’s lunch and dinner menu includes tempting-sounding shareables, including an artisan breadboard ($7) with jalapeno cornbread fritters, challah and pretzel bread with fresh herb butter and spicy Kung Pao shrimp and calamari ($17). There are handmade pizzas with options that range from a fig jam and arugula-topped pie ($15) with a drizzle of balsamic to a steak pizza with chimichurri sauce, caramelized onions and crumbles of blue cheese atop ($18). Quaffable go-withs include wine, beer and crafted cocktails such as the Whitney ($13), made with raspberry-flavored vodka, cassis, champagne and muddled blackberries. Mocktails are also available, including the flameless Leah ($8) concocted with strawberries, lime, mint and coconut water.

“Great plates” (read: entrees) at Hearsay include beef short rib braised in Shiner Bock, with cheddar cheese grits and bacon studded Brussel sprouts ($29) and crab crusted redfish ($30) with a red pepper coulis and garlic scented green beans. For vegetarians, there’s the requisite veggie burger ($16) in addition to plates like fettuccine and “meatballs” ($16), the latter, a plant-based protein napped with a spicy tomato sauce and parm.

When I swing by, I’ll be sure to try the marinated watermelon with avocado, jalapeno and crumbled tofu topped with a gochujang aioli ($18).

If you wouldn’t dream of making it a day (or night) at Levy Park without your kids (or puppies) in tow, not only is there a children’s menu at Hearsay, but one for your furry friends too. Pups can enjoy a “quarter hounder” ($6) made with a 4-ounce Wagyu beef patty or the Frenchified salmon en papillote ($10), which translates to a baked salmon filet fit for any pampered pet.

“Hearsay Levy Park marks our brand’s evolution,” Hearsay CEO Joseph Natale says in a statement. “It features elevated design elements, our largest bar with stunning patio and park views, high ceilings and garage doors that open outdoors. We’ve also included two private dining rooms, expanded our culinary menu, and a diverse selection of handcrafted cocktails.”

Hearsay Levy Park is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11 am to 11 pm, Fridays from 11 am to midnight, Saturdays from 10 am to midnight and Sundays from 10 am to 10 pm. While parking at Levy Park can be challenging at its busiest times, free spots are available at Wakeforest Street and Eastside Street with paid parking in the garage at 2925 Richmond Avenue another option.