Historic Houston Restaurants

[Purpledevil]

Anyone got suggestions for alternate places to get a beignet fix?

Chez Beignets on Bellaire Boulevard.

[Specwriter]

Chez Beignets on Bellaire Boulevard.

 

Thank you, Purpledevil. All this writing about beignets has caused me to need a fix too.

 

[dmil]

Regarding Beignets in Houston. The Shipley's Donut location 12225 Westheimer between Dairy Ashford and Kirkwood serves them. Don't be in a hurry. They are cooked to order just like at Café du Monde and Morning Call in New Orleans. They are the same franchise location that makes the Hoffy Twist named for Ken Hoffman of the Chronicle. It is a Cinnamon Twist Donut dipped in Chocolate.

[Purpledevil]

Thank you, Purpledevil. All this writing about beignets has caused me to need a fix too.

[queenwest]

There was a del taco on dacoma or magnum near 290 in 82. I also liked sals pizza near 290 on Antoine. Worked at charlies hamburgers and the

champs on 290 and bingle.

[Victor Del Rio]

Here are some pics of eateries now long gone

 

http://tanasreminisce.com/more-life-in-houston.html

[houblu]

Does anyone remember Swiss Haus (or House), a sandwich shop in Rice village at Rice & Kelvin?

Did it move to another location or just close?

[acamarillo]

isn't Swiss haus the one you had to go through to get to le cue upstairs? I'm pretty sure it.closed.in the 80s.when the village began it's transformation from a laid back lower key place to what it is now.

[august948]

Chez Beignets on Bellaire Boulevard.

 

Uh...no thanks.  I don't need the attitude from that place.  Or the fact that they aerate your to-go box using a ball point pen they grab off the counter.  Plus their beignets aren't all that good.

 

[august948]

Regarding Beignets in Houston. The Shipley's Donut location 12225 Westheimer between Dairy Ashford and Kirkwood serves them. Don't be in a hurry. They are cooked to order just like at Café du Monde and Morning Call in New Orleans. They are the same franchise location that makes the Hoffy Twist named for Ken Hoffman of the Chronicle. It is a Cinnamon Twist Donut dipped in Chocolate.

 

I've tried those, too, since it's just down the road from me, but they are too doughnut-ty.  You're right, though, that they need to be cooked and eaten fresh.  There are several places on Bellaire where you can get them, but they're mostly cooked earlier and just sitting around.  I did find one place, Parisian Bakery near the beltway and Bellaire that will cook them fresh for you and they're fairly good, but not quite as good as Crescent City was.

 

I heard rumors a while back that Cafe du Mond would be openning here, but haven't seen anything happen.

 

[mkultra25]

Does anyone remember Swiss Haus (or House), a sandwich shop in Rice village at Rice & Kelvin?

Did it move to another location or just close?

 

 

isn't Swiss haus the one you had to go through to get to le cue upstairs? I'm pretty sure it.closed.in the 80s.when the village began it's transformation from a laid back lower key place to what it is now.

 

It was still there in 82-83, but I think it closed within the next couple of years after that. They served a mighty fine French Dip sandwich. 

[IronTiger]

Regarding Beignets in Houston. The Shipley's Donut location 12225 Westheimer between Dairy Ashford and Kirkwood serves them. Don't be in a hurry. They are cooked to order just like at Café du Monde and Morning Call in New Orleans. They are the same franchise location that makes the Hoffy Twist named for Ken Hoffman of the Chronicle. It is a Cinnamon Twist Donut dipped in Chocolate.

Shipley's beignets?! I mean, besides the fact that I'm surprised any Shipley's actually serves beignets, but it just seems so insulting. It's like if someone asked a good place to get a Philly cheesesteak and you suggested Subway. 

[Purpledevil]

^or Domino's for authentic Italian.

The Shipley's on Rankin doesn't sell beignets that I'm aware of. I'll ask, heck, I might even try one just to see, but the expectations would be low. While the Westheimer location may be the only franchise calling the chocolate cinnamon twist a "Hoffy", it's available at other locations, such as Rankin, as its original namesake. I've honestly never heard of it called a Hoffy.

[NenaE]

I liked going to Bill Williams restaurant on OST right before Southpark, across the street from MacGregor Park.

 

I saw that 1950's restaurant listed for demolition on Swamplot.  5080 O.S.T at M.L.K. (previously S.Park)

[readam]

I saw that 1950's restaurant listed for demolition on Swamplot.  5080 O.S.T at M.L.K. (previously S.Park)...Another one bites the dust...was it renamed?

 

[NenaE]

Voice St. Of Houston was the name listed with the property on Swamplot.

[DebbieW]

I loved reading about all the great old Houston restaurants like Alfred's and The Velvet Turtle. Like someone else mentioned, I sometimes wonder if I dreamed it - but does anyone remember the Treehouse Restaurant in the early 70s? I think it was on or off old Westheimer.

[torimask]

I came across this article in the Chronicle Morgue Files with a piece on the 20 Oldest Restaurants in Houston, published in 1986.

How many of these are still in existence?

Apologies for the crappy chopped up photos -- they don't let you use anything except your phone in the Texas Room.

[DebbieW]

NinaE: I remember loving the two-story McDonald's in the Galleria area, on Post Oak, I believe. My college roommates grew up in the Meadowbrook area, & I spent lits of time with them there in the early 70s - lots of good memories.

[readam]

I loved reading about all the great old Houston restaurants like Alfred's and The Velvet Turtle. Like someone else mentioned, I sometimes wonder if I dreamed it - but does anyone remember the Treehouse Restaurant in the early 70s? I think it was on or off old Westheimer.

 

I believe it was Los Troncos...try this site; it's loaded with info...http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/07/los-troncos-restaurant/

 

Edited July 2, 2014 by readam

[Earlydays]

Yes, Los Troncos on Westheimer......ate there in the early 70's

[IronTiger]

NinaE: I remember loving the two-story McDonald's in the Galleria area, on Post Oak, I believe. My college roommates grew up in the Meadowbrook area, & I spent lits of time with them there in the early 70s - lots of good memories.

I think I read that the two level McDonald's in the Uptown area was built sometime in the mid 1980s. A few years ago, it was leveled (even though it had been renovated relatively recently) for a standard one-level McDonald's while a high rise was built next door.

As for Houston restaurants that are old, I remember reading in an article about the San Jacinto Inn that the late 1980s (due to changing tastes more than the recession) was when a lot of the old-line restaurants were purged (a similar "event" happened in Bryan-College Station, though less dramatic).

Prince's still survives in one form or another, though I doubt any original locations...and Felix Mexican Restaurant survived all the way up until 2008.

[Purpledevil]

The first one on your list, Allbritton's Cafeteria met its untimely end when Mr. Allbritton retired. The building sat empty for a couple of months and was demoed. It was almost to the corner of Waugh and West Dallas, directly across the street from Jack in the Box, on the east side of Waugh. A friend of mine that works at Whole Foods on Kirby said they built a new location on the old Allbritton's footprint, but I haven't taken the time to go all the way down there to have a look see for myself.

[NenaE]

Torimask- Cleburnes is still there... second location. The first location (on Cleburne) is rumored to have been a speakeasy. It's one of my favorite topics on HAIF. It was recently painted white, much to my disappointment. Great list, thanks for sharing.

 

DebbieW - Welcome to HAIF... yes, I am familiar with that McDonalds. I took HCC classes in a '70's (4 story?) office bldg. (now demolished) across from it. 

Edited July 2, 2014 by NenaE

[IronTiger]

NinaE: I remember loving the two-story McDonald's in the Galleria area, on Post Oak, I believe. My college roommates grew up in the Meadowbrook area, & I spent lits of time with them there in the early 70s - lots of good memories.

Ah, never mind. I thought you were implying the McDonald's was built in the early 1970s, which it wasn't (and was about to bring up that it was built in '88, with a Chronicle article and HCAD backing it up (the building was razed in 2012)

[brhaltx]

I came across this article in the Chronicle Morgue Files with a piece on the 20 Oldest Restaurants in Houston, published in 1986.

How many of these are still in existence?

Apologies for the crappy chopped up photos -- they don't let you use anything except your phone in the Texas Room.

 

   Brenner's and Molina's still exist, at those same locations.

[kylejack]

I came across this article in the Chronicle Morgue Files with a piece on the 20 Oldest Restaurants in Houston, published in 1986.

How many of these are still in existence?

Apologies for the crappy chopped up photos -- they don't let you use anything except your phone in the Texas Room.

 

 

The ones that still exist in some sort of form are:

 

Prince's 

Brenner's

Avalon

Christie's Seafood

Cleburne Cafeteria

Molina's

One's a Meal --> Became Theo's

Edited July 2, 2014 by kylejack

[roadkingdude]

back in 1975-76 we would drive all the way from the East End just to have drinks at Bonapartes Retreat. There I consumed my first singapore sling and first white russian.

My wife & I loved their singapore slings 1973,  do you know what recipe they used,  was it the original recipe from singapore

[JLWM8609]

I was just thinking about Green's BBQ on Almeda at Prospect. I loved those link sandwiches. They closed around 2005.

[kc8e]

Oh, WOW!  So great remembering all those wonderful oldies - Cannot say which was (were) my favorites.  Anyway, am doing research and need to find out the year that the Port City Stockyards restaurant was opened - the Stockyards in Houston - not Sealy.  I know the Stockyards itself was opened in 1931 and closed down in 1968.  But could someone let me know when the restaurant in it was first opened???  Thanks so very much.

Judy