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Downtown Restaurant And Bar Market


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Everyone here talking about they're hopeful of another chain restaurant! Applebees and Landrys? How do we get more people downtown when they can find these things right off their doorstep in the suburbs.

I hate to say this, but living close to downtown (from the suburbs), has a bit of a shortfall when it comes to this. Dont get me wrong I love trying new places, the ones you cant find in the suburbs, but there is the once in a while I miss having crappy chains on every corner. I have to go completely out of the the way for most chain anything. Is that a complaint? I guess so..

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I hate to say this, but living close to downtown (from the suburbs), has a bit of a shortfall when it comes to this. Dont get me wrong I love trying new places, the ones you cant find in the suburbs, but there is the once in a while I miss having crappy chains on every corner. I have to go completely out of the the way for most chain anything. Is that a complaint? I guess so..

Funny, I've thought something similar a few times. Like BJ's Brewery. Great restaurant chain - only in the suburbs. Perry's Steakhouse, Texas Land and Cattle - same thing. Don't get me wrong - I'm a big fan of the independent restaurants inside the Loop. They're my mainstay. But there are a couple places like those where I'd like to see locations inside the Loop.

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The building looked great, and I liked the patio, but the food sucked big time and I never went back after my first experience there in 2006. What I've learned about downtown is that outstanding places can easily draw people in, even outside of business hours. For example, look at Bombay Pizza. I was there on a Sunday at 8 pm and it was still busy. Same with the new phoenicia grocery store and attached bar. But a restaurant that is overpriced and serves bad food is never going to make it anywhere in Houston, especially not downtown. Banging the optimist I am, I'm going to take this as good news, that hopefully a better business can take over that great piece of downtown real estate, one that wil better represent Hosuton and draw more people downtown than Cabo ever could.

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As usual, most of the comments are misguided remarks by those who never go downtown. Parking? Cabo was on the Travis side of Main Street, with street parking on 2 sides, and parking lots next door and across the street. A guy named Mark complaining of tax and regulations (probably Marksmu). Downtown has no more tax and regulation than anywhere else in Houston.

Bahahahaha! Now that's funny, I hope he reads that. :lol:

As far as Cabo goes, I meant to actually go there 10 years ago, but never did... and now it's gone. So sad...

Personally, I've noticed this trend a lot with so many places closing down... I meant to check it out (or go back), but just never did... there in lies the problem, it's a place I thought about checking out, but just never did and probably never would... something about it just didn't draw me in, some places do, most don't. Keeping people talking about it, and maintaining consistent good quality is key, but sounds like they didn't do that. A lot of times it is the parking factor. If I'm going to starve to death and go broke by the time I find decent parking, I'm not dealing with it. Even with parking not being bad for this establishment, I've gotten spoiled by strip center restaurants where I can usually park a few paces from the front door.

Here's to the hope something opens in it's place that I plan to check out with date and time in mind as opposed to someday.

Edited by Geoff8201
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Me and my wife walked downtown about a month ago. Had lunch @ Cabo - food wasn't bad - booth was sticky - still no complaints for a place that was actually open at 11am DT.

We had a couple uninvited guests at our booth around the time the food came out. Multiple cockroaches on the wall and crawling on the booth.

Got our food to go and walked back to Midtown.

No love lost on the closing.

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I went to Cabo's a few times, but it was a long while ago, when the service wasn't bad.

I enjoyed the view from the second story balcony. Food wasn't bad, either. Always seemed busy.

I don't care what comes next, as long as I can continue to sit on the balcony and gaze at the old buildings across the street, while sipping my cocktail.

What's the history of that bldg, anyone know?

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I tried Frank's site to see if they had any building history like the Treebeards site has about their building - Nope.

I was there a couple of months ago. We went straight upstairs to the balcony and ordered drinks, no food. Nice view.

I wonder if Berryhill would be interested in moving in. They have better fish tacos anyway.

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The downtown BB's location took over the old Longhorn I believe. That said, it is really only open during business hours and serves as the catering hub for BB's growing catering business.

Speaking of BB's, there will be a new BB's opening soon off of Richmond near Greenway Plaza (near the Velvet Melvin).

That Cabo's building is too nice of a location to stay shuttered for too long. Would love to see the original Ninfa's open a second location there... margaritas, green sauce, and a deck with a view would certainly draw me downtown.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I ventured out to the Burger Buys a few months ago. It was DELICIOUS. Had the Dublin Dr. Pepper marinated burger and it was worth the drive. Wasn't a huge fan of the duck fat fries but the tabasco battered onion rings were the bomb.

Can't wait to see where they wind up. Too bad Dr. Pepper Snapple went and ruined my favorite burger of 2011 though.

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I wonder how a Barnaby's would do? I'd get fat for sure.

On another note, there's some weird bird living in the Rice garage, across the street. I've been hearing it morning and evenings for weeks now. I can't tell by its squawk, but it sure is loud.

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  • 2 months later...

Does anyone know anything about the place Milli that was proposed last year to take over what I believed was supposed to be part of the lot next to Cabo's/Frank's? The variance was approved last june but I haven't heard anything about it since then. Maybe they can take over Cabo's old building?

Here is a link to an article from Innerlooped http://innerlooped.c...next-to-franks/

New DT Restaurant.pdf

Edited by arrodiii
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One of the earlier owner's of Cabo's lived in Texas City. I remember a lawsuit he filed against the Texas City school district because his daughter did not get selected for cheeleader. He claimed racisim, which may or may not have been true. That was about the time that Cabo's was openning the location next to the old Tower Theater. The restaraunt did not stay open very long at that location. Oh Well!, my 2 cents.

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Bibas? dont you guys mean, "one's a meal", now theo's?

Bibas place is a sham.

To make sure I have this straight. Bibas is opening a place downtown. Same owner's as the newly named Bibas Kitbar on West Gray.

Theo's formerly One's a Meal on Westheimer used to be at the West Gray Bibas location, but is no longer affiliated with Bibas.

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Yes.

Biba's One's a meal>one's a meal>Theo's.

Baba's One's a meal>Vacant for a couple of years>Opens new place at old location.

From what I was able to get from the people at One's a meal after they had moved, was that Biba's kitchen was a total disaster and he refused to do any upgrades or repairs.

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