Restaurants / Lists

Houston’s 10 Best New Restaurants for Fall

Where to Eat Right Now in the Bayou City

BY // 09.05.19

Editor’s note: The Houston restaurant scene is constantly changing, with new hotspots, must-try places and major food events coming along on a daily basis. Even the most dedicated foodie can have trouble keeping up. Don’t worry, PaperCity has you covered.

We’re a few short weeks away from fall, and there’s a dazzling roundup of recently opened Houston restaurants you can’t help but fall in love with. The foodie season’s brought out the big guns with names like Chris Shepherd, Bobby Heugel, Justin Yu and the folks at Goodnight Hospitality kicking things off at their hotly anticipated new restaurants.

And, let’s not kid ourselves here —  a new Bayou City restaurant list wouldn’t be complete with out appearances from a brand new food hall, and Bravery Chef Hall definitely delivers there.

But we can’t forget that some superlative new specialties have slid in under the radar with less fanfare but food that’s every bit as much worth celebrating. Think authentic Greek, Korean and Chinese just waiting to be discovered.

From pros to newcomers – or foodies making a comeback — Houston eaters can have it all.

One Fifth Gulf Coast

Is there any Houston restaurant buzz bigger than the newest One Fifth, chef Chris Shepherd’s bold, brazen and masterfully executed concept of opening up five different restaurants in the same space for five straight years?

Set your Easter Table with Bering's

Swipe
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024

No? That’s what we thought. And One Fifth Gulf Coast opened just a few weeks ago.

What started as an idea for a seafood-centric restaurant quickly spiraled off into a love letter Shepherd penned for his adopted Gulf Coast. The minds behind One Fifth have taken a deep dive into the cuisines stretching from the Texas to Florida coasts.

Think decadent shrimp remoulade, slow roasted cane syrup-lacquered half duck, bake and shake pork chop with fig mustard and a massive captain’s platter fit for a whole table, heaping with the finest array the Gulf has to offer.

one fifth gulf coast
One Fifth Gulf Coast is finally here. (Photo by Julie Soefer)

Penny Quarter

Dream team Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu have made magic once again. The cocktail king of Houston and the acclaimed chef have just thrown open the doors of their chic and stylish wine bar and all-day cafe, Penny Quarter.

The Better Luck Tomorrow veterans opened up the new bar adjacent to Heugel’s iconic cocktail bar Anvil. The sleek space, with a walnut-topped bar and lots of greenery, is already proving it’s a worthy neighbor.

Open from 7 am to 12 am Sundays through Wednesdays, and from 7 am to 2 am Thursdays through Saturdays, the late-night Penny Quarter serves up a stunning, comprehensive wine list featuring options by the glass or by the bottle. Coffee service, breakfast, lunch and dinner round out a robust menu. Highlights include the chilled Gulf shrimp with chili oil, eggs and Bolognese sauce breakfast and pistachio butter toast.

penny quarter
Penny Quarter joins delicious eats and a top-notch wine list.

Rosie Cannonball

Goodnight Hospitality’s Rosie Cannonball is already turning heads. The hotly anticipated restaurant — so anticipated, in fact, it earned a nod in Vogue magazine as one of the most anticipated new restaurants in all of America — just opened to extreme fanfare.

This burgeoning Montrose hotspot is one of three concepts under the same former Buffalo Exchange roof, next to the restaurant group’s ever-popular Goodnight Charlie’s honky tonk.

The menu is an embarrassment of riches, a combo of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese flavor profiles. It centers on simple but robust ingredients, which come out piping hot in the form of pizzas, plus handmade pastas and artisanal cheeses. Think a mortadella and robiola-stuffed focaccia, a soup of white beans, clams and chorizo, and cavatelli Bolognese.

rosie cannonball
Rosie Cannonball fires up the kitchen with Italian, Spanish and Portuguese flavors.

Montrose Cheese & Wine

Goodnight Hospitality knocked it out of the park with Montrose Cheese & Wine, the first of its three-part Montrose takeover to open. Master sommelier David Keck and wine director Ryan Cooper teamed up to create the memorable wine list at this cheese shop, wine bar and market.

Imagine a contemporary European salumeria-inspired spot, with a constantly rotating selection of 12 to 15 artisanal cheeses. For sale, you’ll find 125 different bottles of wine, many of which clock in at $40 or less. Inspired six-packs of wine curated by the sommeliers are also available.

The modern cafe experience is made possible by the intimate bar with 10 seats for sinking your teeth into some of the wares, and noshing on charcuterie and pastries. Bailey McCarthy of Biscuit Home personally curated the gifts revolving around food and wine.

La Grande Rue  

The Heights’ buzzy new wine shop has finally opened. La Grande Rue is your one-stop-shop for vintages sourced from around the globe, all under one cozy and intimate roof in a restored 1920s brick building. Hidden gems gleam throughout the rich array of offerings.

Much like Montrose’s latest wine haunt, La Grande Rue is one-part reliable store, one-part wine bar. There’s space for a dozen dedicated oenophiles to sip on wines by the glass at all kinds of price points, all while snacking on everything from your classic charctuerie and cheese place to brown-butter soaked dumplings in lemon broth.

As for shopping til you drop, the selections go beyond traditional wines and rare finds. La Grande Rue is also finely stocked with gourmet chocolates, luxe floral arrangements and more.

BOH Pasta & Pizza

Bravery Chef Hall, the latest curated, chef-driven cafeteria-style food hall to take The Bayou City by storm, is already wowing with its creative concepts, with BOH Pasta & Pizza chief among them.

Chef Ben McPherson leads the charge with an emphasis on simplicity. Quality ingredients are carefully sourced from farmers, purveyors and artisanal producers — both locally and from Italy itself. The seasonal pasta menu is updated frequently.

The freshly made pasta and pizzas taste even more delectable than they look, from bucatini carbonara made to perfection and orecchiette with fennel sausage to spicy eggplant pizza and the classic pepperoni. The pizza al taglio, is Roman-style, with an impressive slow dough fermentation process, yielding unique airy and crispy crust.

boh pasta and pizza more
BOH Pasta & Pizza has a seasonal menu featuring responsibly sourced local and Italian ingredients.

Atlas Diner

Another Bravery Chef Hall draw? Why, that’d be Atlas Diner. Chef Richard Knight hails from Hunky Dory and Feast, bringing serious cooking chops to this “upscale diner.” All the classics are here in the finest form imaginable.

It’s not just all-day breakfast and sandwiches — it’s little plates, all-day hot plates, late “knight,” sweets, the secret British menu and the upcoming minor dinner menu, plus brunch.

You can’t deny the international influence in dishes like the chicken kiev sandwich with tangy lemon slaw and garlic butter, the White Rabbit Torpedo, a type of sandwich spin-off with braised rabbit and white beans wrapped in a tortilla an deep-fried like a chimichanga, and the chicken liver mousse cornets.

Choong Man Chicken

Choong Man Chicken takes Korean fried chicken to new heights in Spring Branch. The signature chicken is juicy and crunchy-as-all-get-out, with flavor to match. Choong Man is truly authentic.

Its rapidly growing base of fans will tell you that the gochujang sauce has the perfect amount of heat and is positively addictive, but you can’t go wrong with the golden curry sauce or soy-garlic glaze.

But it’s not all about those wings, tenders and even whole chickens. Choong Man even boasts Tikkudak, or friend, fire-pit charcoal-grilled chicken in these amazing spices and sauces. It’ll change your life.

Anonymous Cafe

Greek husband-and-wife team Tasos and Patricia Vasos have finally re-opened Anonymous Cafe, the beloved Mediterranean-infused coffee and light bites concept. The popular mom-and-pop Sugar Land stop has now moved over to Kirby, and it’s better than ever.

Buzzfeed even named the spot “Best Bakery in Texas 2017,” and it’s no wonder why they love this little gem so much. Patricia comes from a long culinary background and even has her own culinary show, Go Greek with Patricia Vasos. She imbues all of the goodies at Anonymous Cafe with her experience and her spirit.

The menu runs the gamut from treasured Greek pastries spanakopita and tyro pita to croissants and pound cakes, authentic pita wraps and Greek club sandwiches to an inspired chicken salad with balsamic honey mustard dressing.

Don’t forget to ask about the Daily Greek Lunch Special. It’s certainly a mystery, but the surprise is more than worth it.

anonymous cafe
You can’t go wrong with the pastries at Anonymous Cafe.

One Dim Sum

When Maba Pan-Asian Diner fled its Montrose digs, many a tear was shed. But now, fans can rejoice. One Dim Sum has just taken over that beloved West Gray locale, promising divine dumplings and beyond.

It’s quickly emerging as a must-try dim sum joint in Houston, thanks to its welcome selection of traditional and tantalizing Chinese eats, including steamed xiao long bao and crispy prawn cheung fun.

But some surprising twists are also on tap, like the black caviar and chanterelle mushroom dumplings and venison puff. Come for the dumplings, stay for the stir-fry.

Hop into Bering's this Easter for Egg-citing Finds!
Shop Berings
SHOP NOW

Featured Properties

Swipe
X
X