Popular Houston Chef to Open a New Mexican Restaurant With Patio Power and a Special Window: Little Rey Is Coming

Houston-born and bred chef Ford Fry — owner of La Lucha and Superica in The Heights, and State of Grace in River Oaks — is in the process of building his fourth restaurant in Houston. Set to be christened Little Rey, the rustic Northern Mexican restaurant will be poised between Highland Village and The River Oaks District at 2345 Mid Lane.

Little Rey is scheduled to open in early 2024. It follows Atlanta’s own Little Rey, which opened in 2019. Little Rey’s new 7,000-square-foot Houston space will be designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. It will feature a mix of rose, azure and soft sage hues, with accents of reclaimed wood, Old-World Mexico-inspired signage, and vintage memorabilia like Mexican festival masks. There also will be an expansive patio.

The casual spot will be a kissing cousin to Fry’s other Tex-Mex restaurant Superica and will feature wood-roasted chicken al carbon, traditional street-style tacos, salads and soft serve ice cream in flavors like tres leches and salty cajeta with fried peanuts. Whole bone-in chicken al carbon, a meal fit for a family, will be offered every day for both dine in and takeout.

You will be able cool off at Little Rey with house-made aqua frescas, margaritas and regional craft beers with everything curated by beverage director Eduardo Porto Carreiro.

This new Ford Fry restaurant is also doing breakfast, bringing migas breakfast tacos daily and Instagram-worthy fluffy pancakes doused with buttermilk syrup on the weekends.

Little Rey will be open for indoor dining and patio dining. You will also be to pick up takeout meals to-go and enjoy easy margarita ordering at a special walk-up window dubbed “Uno Mas,” which means one more in Spanish.

Look for Little Rey at 2345 Mid Lane next year. Ford Fry’s other Houston restaurants — Superica (1801 N Shepherd Drive), La Lucha (next door to Superica) and State of Grace (3258 Westheimer Road) — are all open now.