Historic Houston Restaurants

[Ol' SEHouston Girl]

I used to frequent it alot when The Elliot Walter Band used to play there. My mother is really good friends with them. If you never heard of The Elliot Walter band, you have probably heard a song of their's though, it's called "Slime in the Ice Machine". Marvin Zindler's theme song.

I don't know if any of you guys know this, but Jerrel Elliott was killed a few years back in a freak accident in his home. My aunt and uncle were his close friends and neighbors.

[houstonmacbro]

can't remember if this was mentioned, shanghai red's at the ship channel.

[brerrabbit]

I don't know if any of you guys know this, but Jerrel Elliott was killed a few years back in a freak accident in his home. My aunt and uncle were his close friends and neighbors.

Wow! I had not thought about these guys in a long time. We used to go to the Steak and Ale on the Southwest freeway to see them all the time. It would have been in the late seventies and early eighties. At the time they were the Elliot, walter, and Bennet Band. I actually still have one of their albums that I bought back then 33rpm LP.

[Don Julio]

Not defunct per se, but I really miss the original 1923 James Coney Island on Walker & Main. The chili is still as good in the newer locations, but the faux 'retro' design makes me vomit. The original was the best! Why oh why did it have to close?

[Mikeytex]

What about Willie and Mike's Innovation? It was on Westheimer. I think that it was a Cajun place after that and now TexaDelphia, but I'm not totally sure. Anyway, the waitstaff dressed up as different characters (prisoners, cops, conctruction workers, etc.....) and the eating areas were "themed" (jail, etc....) I went there a couple of times and it was truly a neat experience. Any comments/corrections would be appreciated.

Also, there was a hamburger joint (mid 60's - - way back when) on South Post Oak just north of Anderson and south of W Fuqua. They had mini-hamburgers like White Castle, but I think they were round. Bun, meat and onion..............they were very good. Can't remember the name.

Edited December 6, 2006 by Mikeytex

[2fatcats]

[Never ate there, but if nothing else they should have saved the giant shrimp with six-shooters!

You can still see one of those shrimps in Richmond, Texas. Just before you cross the bridge going toward Houston there is one sitting off to the side in a parking lot of an abandoned restaurant. I keep meaning to take a picture of it before it's gone.

Edited December 8, 2006 by 2fatcats

[2fatcats]

I really LOVED that drive-thru sushi place at the corner of Sage/Richmond Ave back in 1998-99 or such. (It's what Coffee Guy used to occupy later.)

That place started out as a Flyers, a kind of Hamburger place back in the 80s. Then it was empty a while, Then the Sushi place, then Coffee Guy and now its a Smoothie King. Some place I have some pics of it right after it first opened. There were two or three of them around I think. There is another one left further down Richmond before Gessner in a parking lot. I always liked the original design of the buildings but now they have been chopped up and don't look like they used to.

[Heights2Bastrop]

Not defunct per se, but I really miss the original 1923 James Coney Island on Walker & Main. The chili is still as good in the newer locations, but the faux 'retro' design makes me vomit. The original was the best! Why oh why did it have to close?

When I worked at Gulf Oil in '67-'68, James Coney Island was a mainstay for me. Coneys were 20

[brucesw]

Also, there was a hamburger joint (mid 60's - - way back when) on South Post Oak just north of Anderson and south of W Fuqua. They had mini-hamburgers like White Castle, but I think they were round. Bun, meat and onion..............they were very good. Can't remember the name.

In the mid-to-late 70s and maybe into the early 80s there was a place on Shepherd one block north of what was still the Alabama theater at that time called My-T-Bite or My-T-Byte that served the mini-burgers. Damn good ones, too. Maybe the same as the one on S. Post Oak? They also had a location at one time on Bissonnet @ Beechnut which is now an El Pupusodromo.

The place on Shepherd was originally a Toddle House and then an egg roll place (now closed but the building is still there).

I haven't had a good slider in Houston since My-T-Byte went out of business.

Edited January 11, 2007 by brucesw

[Gank]

Does anyone remember "Across the Street" hamburger place? You sat down at a table and ordered your food from your table with a telephone thing. Then when your order was ready, it would blink. You would then go pick up your food at the counter. Don't really remember what street it was off of but we walked across a patch of ground by Baptist U off of Beachnut St.

I forgot about Los Tios. We ate there a lot. Think it was off of Bissonett. Also, remember Gemco? One of the first places that you had to have a membership to shop there.

The one I remember was by Lee High School. They had great shakes and a great frito pie. My brother and sister and I would argue over who got to place the order on the phone.

[fresnel151]

Does anyone remember

[Vertigo58]

Even though it's only been gone a short time, I miss the original Antone's on Taft. The chain Antone's pale in comparison to the original locations. I don't even know how many 'original' stores exist.

I also miss ZuZu, which was on Shepherd near Fairview. It was Mexican fast food and I remember a salsa bar or something... it was quaint with good food.

BEST HISTORICAL BARBECUE place in Houston was without doubt "The Lockwood Inn" on Lockwood Drive and 1-10 East near Denver Harbor area. Old Houstonions should recall. It was there since the late 1930's. They gathered people from all walks of life. Didn't matter what race/ethnicity whatever, we just loved it! My mom said they would gather there after coming from big-band dances in the swing era of Houston. Best and most delicious sliced beef sandwiches and most mouth watering links ever! Man we sure miss it burned to the ground appprox 1989? We nearly fell to the ground (tear in eye) when we heard the terrible news. A real, real, real Houston Icon. Forever gone! Booohoooohooo....

[Subdude]

When I lived in the Heights we hung out at Heights Pizzeria a lot. It was south of I-10 near the tracks. There was also a Cyclone Anaya on Durham that was great. There was another restaurant - the name escapes me - that was right next to the bayou on Heights Blvd immediately south of I-10.

[FilioScotia]

Barbecue restaurant near Hobby Airport

I remember back in the 60s and 70s there was a wonderful barbecue restaurant on Telephone Road, alongside the old part of Hobby Airport.

It served up some of the best BBQ I've ever had in this town. They had a BBQ po'boy unlike any I've ever seen. It was an unsliced half loaf of bread, hollowed-out and stuffed with chipped or sliced BBQ. My mouth is watering just remembering it.

I wish I could remember the name of that place.

[Mikeytex]

Ranch House? Witht the big cow out front?

I do believe you are right...........my Mom and I ate there quite often back in the late 60's/early 70's. My inlaws used to go there as well, way before they were my inlaws.

[FilioScotia]

Ranch House? With the big cow out front?

That's the place. Thanks. I wuz going nuts trying to remember that name. It was out on Telephone Rd in that area behind and around the old airport terminal.

[Sebastian De La Ghetto!]

Ok need help again. My old man was trying to remind me of a restaurant he used to take me as a kid. It was on westheimer near bering where the pappadeux is now.

According to him, it had a circus theme, decorated with clowns and such. The restaurant served typical american fare, i of course always had a cheesburger. This would have been about 25 years ago. Anyone else recall? Thanks!

Edited January 25, 2007 by Sebastian De La Ghetto!

[musicman]

Ok need help again. My old man was trying to remind me of a restaurant he used to take me as a kid. It was on westheimer near bering where the pappadeux is now.

According to him, it had a circus theme, decorated with clowns and such. The restaurant served typical american fare, i of course always had a cheesburger. This would have been about 25 years ago. Anyone else recall? Thanks!

circus circus?

[isuredid]

Ok need help again. My old man was trying to remind me of a restaurant he used to take me as a kid. It was on westheimer near bering where the pappadeux is now.

According to him, it had a circus theme, decorated with clowns and such. The restaurant served typical american fare, i of course always had a cheesburger. This would have been about 25 years ago. Anyone else recall? Thanks!

The restaurant was called Circus

[houstonmacbro]

Strawberry Patch?

[Heights2Bastrop]

Strawberry Patch, Circus, Pappadeaux - all the same place, and all owned by Pappas Brothers.

[native5th]

Does anybody remember the hamburger joint called "Hamburgers by Gourmet"? They had one on Kirby, I think around the place where Castle Dental/Shipleys Donuts are(on Kirby close to Sunset.) The Hamburgers by Gourmet there later became a fish and chips place. There was a Hamburgers by Gourmet on Alabama, that actually stayed in business I think until the late 80's early 90's. It's still a hamburger place. you can't miss it. It's in a little building shaped like a barrel. I'd REALLY LOVE to get the Hamburgers by Gourmet recipe for their hamburgers with the hickory smoked sauce. I tried e-mailing Ken Hoffman once for his fast food section in the CHronicle, but I didn't get a reply.

[mkultra25]

There was a Hamburgers by Gourmet on Alabama, that actually stayed in business I think until the late 80's early 90's. It's still a hamburger place. you can't miss it. It's in a little building shaped like a barrel.

I think you're confusing two different places here - the building that housed Hamburgers by Gourmet on Alabama (at Yoakum, I believe) is long gone; the barrel-shaped burger joint is Lucky Burger, on Richmond at Mandell, and it is indeed still in business. I used to eat at the Alabama HBG regularly, as I lived only a few blocks away from it for most of the 80s. Wish they were still around.

[native5th]

I think you're confusing two different places here - the building that housed Hamburgers by Gourmet on Alabama (at Yoakum, I believe) is long gone; the barrel-shaped burger joint is Lucky Burger, on Richmond at Mandell, and it is indeed still in business. I used to eat at the Alabama HBG regularly, as I lived only a few blocks away from it for most of the 80s. Wish they were still around.

Me, too. I have googled them, to see if anybody has posted any of their recipes, but no luck.

[Subdude]

If I'm thinking of the right place, wasn't it on University at Kirby, where Fu's Garden is now?

[Absinthe_1900]

It was at Kirby & Tangley.

[agorist]

Even though it's only been gone a short time, I miss the original Antone's on Taft. The chain Antone's pale in comparison to the original locations. I don't even know how many 'original' stores exist.

There was one on OST and main, the Taft store, and another one around 390 and voss or bingle, somewhere. The OST and Taft stores were around for a long time, one of them since the 1940s.

Wait, there's still an Antone's at OST and Main. At least, it's close by -- it's in the middle of the Fiesta parking lot, there between Main, OST and Kirby. I've always wondered about that standalone building; it seems so out of place. Is it an original, or a replica??

[icepickphil]

Yes, there was a Hamburgers by Gourmet on Kirby. I

[Vertigo58]

Cain was the first murderer, according to biblical accounts. If you make trouble you are raising the spirit of Cain.

Very interesting glad you shared. Wikipedia does quite well too.

[Subdude]

Yes, there was a Hamburgers by Gourmet on Kirby. I