Historic Houston Restaurants

[Mikeytex]

My wife remembers that place! She also misses Strawberry Patch, Old San Francisco Steak House, Circus (she thinks that's the name), some "treehouse" restaurant, and also eating at "Romano's" cafeteria, before it changed into Luby's. She's a native Houstonian and has lived in Houston all her life (44 years). Her brother took her to Farrell's in the Galleria for their birthday (she was born on his 10th birthday). And a Harlow's on Fondren; her boyfriend (when she was 18) took her there on Halloween night. One of the waiters was dressed as a giant roll of toilet paper...she thought that was hilarious.

There also used to be a lot more Pizza Inn's and Pizza Huts. My wife used to work at a Taco Bueno and Danvers when she was a teenager. She also worked as a waitress at Champs (on Gessner at 59) for a whopping two weeks - LOL.

There's also Sizzler and Bonanza that I remember. Man, way too many restaraunts have gone away.

There is a Pizza Inn down in Dickinson (45 & 517).....it is so much better than Pizza Hut's thin cardbord-like pizza.

[Firebird65]

There is a Pizza Inn down in Dickinson (45 & 517).....it is so much better than Pizza Hut's thin cardbord-like pizza.

From the looks of things, you and I were about the only ones who liked Pizza Inn! LOL!

There's still one at Mangum and 18th street near Northwest Mall and one on I-45 at Tidwell. When my wife had to go to the doctor in the Northwest Mall area, I actually volunteered to go with her (and thus spend 3 hours in a waiting room filled with women's magazines) just so I could go to the Pizza Inn afterwards!

We used to go all the time when I was a kid to Pizza Inn buffets - first on Crosstimbers and Airline, then on Dyna. To this day, everytime I hear the Bee Gee's song "Jive Talking" I think of being a kid and going to Pizza Hut.

[Heights2Bastrop]

There was a restaurant on NW Freeway (290) near where Black Eye Pea is now days... It was a pretty nice place... had these HUGE paper mache animals. The food was pretty good.

Don't recall the animals, other than the ones like me that hung out at Clyde's Eatery just across the way from BEP. They were known for a great prime rib, and had a very neat bar crowd. It is now a Chinese buffet.

Don't know if I or anyone mentioned Vliiage Inn Pizza on Westheimer near Chimney Rock. Dean Scott used to play there in the early 70s.

[mkultra25]

We used to go all the time when I was a kid to Pizza Inn buffets - first on Crosstimbers and Airline, then on Dyna. To this day, everytime I hear the Bee Gee's song "Jive Talking" I think of being a kid and going to Pizza Hut.

I used to go to the Pizza Inn on Dyna too, but when I think of pizza places on that street, the one I went to more often was Square Pan Pizza. It was at the far end of the strip center on the right as you approached Airline on Dyna from I-45.

Edited June 25, 2007 by mkultra25

[UHCoog27]

Pe-Te's BBQ, across from Ellington Field.

http://www.houstonpress.com/2005-03-17/new...of-a-cajun-era/

My wife used to work at San Jac and we'd eat there three or four times a week. Chopped beef sandwhich, cajun potatos, orange soda. We bought some jars of sauce when they shut down.

And from my late 80s/early 90s childhood, Lone Wolf Cafe on Spencer and Corndog 7 in Pasadena Town Square.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I haven't had a good chopped beef sandwich in years.

Also, did anyone here ever eat at Atchafalaya's? Not the classiest place but they had great cornbread. They also had a Chicken Tchoupitoulas that was great.

[Firebird65]

I used to go to the Pizza Inn on Dyna too, but when I think of pizza places on that street, the one I went to more often was Square Pan Pizza. It was at the far end of the strip center on the right as you approached Airline on Dyna from I-45.

I only went to Square Pan twice, and it was quite good. Pretty chewy and cheesy if I remember. I usually like my crust very thin and crunchy, but I was quite impressed with Square Pan. Which, of course, was the kiss of doom. I think they went out of business soon thereafter. Oh well...

[acamarillo]

I remember that restaurant. I was 15, my first boyfriend, the Preacher's son, took me there. That's where I had my first drink, and some really good seafood with some type of tomato concotion on it.

I think that the disco in the hotel was called "Twinkles". Ruggles is (was?) a kind of big-deal restaurant on Montrose.

That 's it!!!!!!!!!!

[texianjoe]

I remember Villiage Inn Pizza they were all over town all owned by the same group. I worked and hung out at the one on Beltway 8 and Sabo. The English Brothers played a lot there as did Paul Buskirk, who was somewhat of a legend among musicians. They also had one at the much discussed Westbury Square.

Does anyone remember Subway Pizza. There were two in town. One off Westheimer across the street from what is now Caligula XXI. They had another location but I don't remember where I just remember it was in the 59 Hillcroft area near some rr tracks, the 70s are a big blurr to me.

joe

[ChannelTwoNews]

They just opened one down in Pearland (288 & 518).........making a comeback perhaps?

In addition to the one there & in Rosenberg, I think I recall seeing one up in Humble and maybe one off 290 around the Cypress area. Maybe they're trying to move back toward the city at this point.

I also saw a mention of Panjo's Pizza... A friend of mine took their kid to a birthday party at a Panjo's in Rockport maybe a year or two back, so was Panjo's a chain at one point or was the place down there somewhere that just decided to use the old name?

Edited June 28, 2007 by ChannelTwoNews

[Disastro]

In addition to the one there & in Rosenberg, I think I recall seeing one up in Humble and maybe one off 290 around the Cypress area. Maybe they're trying to move back toward the city at this point.

I also saw a mention of Panjo's Pizza... A friend of mine took their kid to a birthday party at a Panjo's in Rockport maybe a year or two back, so was Panjo's a chain at one point or was the place down there somewhere that just decided to use the old name?

Panjo's was definitely a chain...but I never knew they were outside of Houston until very recently. Next to Valian's, this was some of the best pizza in Houston history...

[agorist]

Just a few corrections to your (quite extensive!) list:

Here is my working list of restaurants and clubs:

Cardet's Cafe (Cuban) - 1927 Fairview

Actually, that's 1972 Fairview. it's now the Latina Cafe. Maybe still the same place, different name?

The Hobbit Hole - 1715 S. Shepherd

Still exists, but moved and has a slight name change: Hobbit Cafe, 2243 Richmond.

[mkultra25]

Just a few corrections to your (quite extensive!) list:

Actually, that's 1972 Fairview. it's now the Latina Cafe. Maybe still the same place, different name?

Yep. I think Cardet's became the Latina Cafe when it changed ownership - at some point it was sold it to an Asian family who pretty much kept the menu (and some of the cooks) the same as it had been previously. I haven't been there in ages, but it used to be a favorite haunt - a friend lived within walking distance of it for several years. I can't remember when the name change happened, but I believe it was sometime in the late 80s or early 90s.

[Propps]

In addition to the one there & in Rosenberg, I think I recall seeing one up in Humble and maybe one off 290 around the Cypress area. Maybe they're trying to move back toward the city at this point.

I also saw a mention of Panjo's Pizza... A friend of mine took their kid to a birthday party at a Panjo's in Rockport maybe a year or two back, so was Panjo's a chain at one point or was the place down there somewhere that just decided to use the old name?

I was a Panjite in the mid-to-late seventies. Worked at the Town & Country location while in High School and beyond. I could write a book about what went on there. We had loads of fun. Panjos was originated in Corpus Christi, TX by two men; Paul Fair and Gus Deere. (I'm not positive of the spelling of these names). Their first expansion to Houston was the Town and Country store, then they added the others. Gus passed away in the early 70's. Paul continued the business until he retired, to Rockport. There is a Panjo's there in Rockport, but I don't think Paul Fair owns it anymore.

[Disastro]

I was a Panjite in the mid-to-late seventies. Worked at the Town & Country location while in High School and beyond. I could write a book about what went on there. We had loads of fun. Panjos was originated in Corpus Christi, TX by two men; Paul Fair and Gus Deere. (I'm not positive of the spelling of these names). Their first expansion to Houston was the Town and Country store, then they added the others. Gus passed away in the early 70's. Paul continued the business until he retired, to Rockport. There is a Panjo's there in Rockport, but I don't think Paul Fair owns it anymore.

I remember going to that Town and Country location a couple times...probably around 1975 or so as I used to live out near Katy and that would've been the one to go to back then. I can't believe they have a Panjos in Rockport...wow...I was just there a couple of years ago and would have definitely gone there had I known. Does the pizza still taste the same?

[sevfiv]

What I remember most about Gourmet Hamburgers was their little chocolate mouse desert in a cup. God those were good. Great burgers to. Absinthe 1900 is right about the correct location of the one on Kirby. And I remember the one on Alabama also. Lived right down the street from it.

while searching for something unrelated i found a TABC record for a place owned by Hamburgers by Gourmet, Inc. called Ethel's Southern Cafe. this was located at 1712 Bissonnet, which now seems to be a parking area for the Hillel Foundation, and way back when might have been an auto repair place...

anyone remember Ethel's, or know of other (maybe current) ventures by Hamburgers by Gourmet?

[FilioScotia]

A couple of old favorites

My posting is number 414 in this thread, and I'm not about to scroll through 6 pages of posts to see if these two places have already been mentioned. So, at the risk of repeating someone, does anybody remember Bill Bennett's Steakhouse in the Sky? It was on the top floor of the Saint Joseph's Professional Building tower, on the other side of Pierce from St. Joseph's Hospital. I don't think the Pierce elevated had been built yet.

In the early and mid 60s when I and my college buddies were rampaging around it was one very great place for dinner, breakfast, and late night stops and drinks on the way home from a show or whatever. The professional building is still there but the restaurant has been gone for a very long time.

When One Shell Plaza opened sometime around 1970 -- don't know the exact year -- it had a great restaurant and club on the 50th floor. It was called The Top, and it took up the entire floor. Among other niceties, it had a long continuous row of tables stretching around the club at the outside windows, going all the way around the building. What a view! Especially at sunset and at night.

It was a great place for early dinner and drinks before a concert, opera or play, or drinks afterward, but it's not hard to see why it failed. To get to it you had to find a place to park nearby in downtown, take one elevator halfway up and change to another elevator to get the rest of the way up. And then do all that in reverse when you left. Ease of access was not one of its selling points, and a lot of people decided it wasn't worth the hassle. You really had to "want" to go there.

I think that's probably the reason restaurants catering to the public on the top floors of downtown buildings have a history of not doing well, at least in Houston. I'm not including the private Petroleum Club at the Exxon Building in that generalization.

Edited July 9, 2007 by FilioScotia

[markc]

Dont live in Houston anymore but Is Ming Yen on !960 by Greenwood Forest still around? Was my first job around 1975. Believe one of the owners names was Peter Pee. Also worked at the old Panjo's by Champions golf course. Remember the big window where everybody could watch you make the pizzas.

[AJB857]

Well I am also new here and this is my first post. I made it quickly through the first six pages and don't remember seeing any of these mentioned:

1. Rosnofski's - great hamburger place just east of Westcott, north of Memorial Drive

2. Ruby Red's - another hamburger place famous for allowing you to throw your peanut shells on the floor. If I remember correctly it was on Westheimer inside the loop, near where Sullivan's is now, but I could be wrong

3. River Oaks Burger Joint. Yet another hamburger place, this one in Highland Village near where P F Chang's is located. Note to any restauant developers, we could really use a casual hamburger place near River Oaks. Beck's is good but the interior is too much like a "fast food" place

4. Casa Dominguez - yes there is one on Bissonett (I think it's still open) but the one on the northwest corner of Kirby and Richmond was much better. I think it's now a carpet place

5. Shanghai Red's - fun place on the Houston Ship Channel. Went there for my second anniversary dinner a loooong time ago.

6. Maxim's downtown -I saw mention of the one in Greenway but the downtown location had much more charm

A few other comments, this has been a great thread to read. Hebert's was one of my Dad's favorite places. And my family ate at Jalapenos 2-3 nights a week for many years and were really saddened when it closed. What a pleasant surprise it would be for it to reopen in the new West Ave development, although I'm betting the rents are too high. It's off topic but i really hope that West Ave has good, classy places to eat, not national chains like the Cheescake Factory. Please

And someone mentioned the ice cream parlor in Westbury Square, wasn't that Rumpleheimer's? I have fond memories of that place from when I was very young.

And is there a separate place of bar's that have since closed? Places like U S Disco and Dark Horse come to mind

Edited July 21, 2007 by AJB857

[Poppahop]

Roznofsky's moved to W. 34th and TC Jester.

Also, someone upthread mentioned Bellaire Broiler Burger. It's still there where it always was.

[musicman]

And is there a separate place of bar's that have since closed? Places like U S Disco and Dark Horse come to mind

there's a dark horse on washington .

[MadMax]

2. Ruby Red's - another hamburger place famous for allowing you to throw your peanut shells on the floor. If I remember correctly it was on Westheimer inside the loop, near where Sullivan's is now, but I could be wrong

I would have been very young, but I have really vivid memories of this place. Red curtains. The peanuts on the floor. And there was some sort of electronic device at each table...what was that?????

[Watchful]

My wife remembers that place! She also misses Strawberry Patch, Old San Francisco Steak House, Circus (she thinks that's the name), some "treehouse" restaurant, and also eating at "Romano's" cafeteria, before it changed into Luby's.

Actually I'm 99% certain it was ROMANA (no 's) and not ROMANO'S - though it seemed like the majority of folks pronounced it that way!

[isuredid]

Actually I'm 99% certain it was ROMANA (no 's) and not ROMANO'S - though it seemed like the majority of folks pronounced it that way!

From a history of Luby's:

With Bob Luby as president and Charles Johnston as executive vice-president, Luby's entered the Houston market in 1965 with an upscale cafeteria which offered an expanded menu and more expensive food items. Operating under the Romano name, the cafeteria quickly became a huge money-maker. The modern structure with its rich decor served as a model for revamping efforts at existing Luby's and proved a market existed for cafeterias with a very modern style and design.

Luby's growth in the Houston market was propelled, in part, by the nation's space program, initiated in the early 1960s, with its mission control headquarters in the area. In subsequent years, the oil industry and its attendant financiers in the banking and financial services industries would fuel the economy further.

[sevfiv]

from the Luby's web site:

In 1959, driven by Bob Luby's vision, the original partners joined together as shareholders in a new company, Cafeterias, Inc. Cafeterias, Inc. continued to grow, spreading to other Texas cities and locations in contiguous states. The first Houston location opened in 1965, using the name Romana Cafeteria.

[...]

To honor Bob Luby's legacy, vision, and determination, Cafeterias, Inc. was renamed Luby's Cafeterias, Inc. in 1981.

http://www.lubys.com/06aboutusHistory.asp

Edited July 28, 2007 by sevfiv

[Watchful]

Operating under the Romano name, the cafeteria quickly became a huge money-maker.

The first Houston location opened in 1965, using the name Romana Cafeteria.

No wonder people get confused!

[isuredid]

from the Luby's web site:

In 1959, driven by Bob Luby's vision, the original partners joined together as shareholders in a new company, Cafeterias, Inc. Cafeterias, Inc. continued to grow, spreading to other Texas cities and locations in contiguous states. The first Houston location opened in 1965, using the name Romana Cafeteria.

[...]

To honor Bob Luby's legacy, vision, and determination, Cafeterias, Inc. was renamed Luby's Cafeterias, Inc. in 1981.

http://www.lubys.com/06aboutusHistory.asp

I stand corrected. That's what I get for trusting the web. Great match collection though.

[Mark F. Barnes]

In 1963 there was a Luby's opened in Dallas at what was then called Lochwood Mall (Jupiter Rd and Garland Rd.) And they had another one at Easton Rd and NW Hwy. My Aunt Melba worked there (Lochwood) for 30 years as a hostess. Mr. Luby drove a big Oldsmobile when he visited that location, I met him a couple of times.

[KatieDidIt]

What happened to HUNAN on Post Oak? Did they move due to the construction or have they closed for good. That place is like Galleria Icon.

[AJB857]

Another place a friend mentioned the other day was The Filling Station, at Richmond and Greenridge. The building is still there, it's jutst not a hamburger place any longer