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Historic Houston Restaurants


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QUOTE(ahhbree @ Thursday, July 27th, 2006 @ 12:57pm) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>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.

Just ran across this old post... but wow did it bring back some old memories. Across the Street was probably the second hamburger "joint" i even went to (after Broiler Burger on Bellaire). And Los Tios opened by a former cop... Tom Garbett... my first job as a 14yr old... at their first restaurant (and only at the time) on Bissonnett. And thanks for mentioning Gemco... I worked there one summer... and I have been trying to remember the name of that place for years!!! Fun walk down memory lane!

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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.

Well, the chef from Jalapeno's has now opened Seco's at 2536 Nottingham & Kirby with a lot of the Jalapeno's menu favorites intact. Smaller space, obviously, but I believe Alison Cook in the Chronicle recently raved about it in her Cook's Blog (not a full review).

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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

That is a strip joint now. There was one on the corner of NASA 1 and Hwy 3 that was later The Hop, it still may be I don't drive over there much anymore, too much construction I go the back way.

joe

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  • 3 weeks later...

Are you talking about Hamburgers by Gourmet? They had a mushroom for a sign. They had one in the old Roy Rogers (which I remember as a kid) at the Galleria. My all time favorite restaurant is Pino's. I go to College Station to eat at the brother's place. But nothing beats Pino's.

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Blue Parrott--When I was very young, we would go there for Sunday brunch after church. I think it around the S. MacGregor area probably where 288 now runs.

Hebert's Ritz--In what is now Midtown. I want to say off of McGowan, but may have been closer to downtown.

Cortes Deli--Started out on Alabama in a strip center off of Revere. Opened a second location in the "jinxed" location further east on Alabama across from the Menil parking lot (Jenny's Hideaway, Michaeline's, etc.). Then moved to corner of Feagan and Shepherd closing about 5 years ago. I would kill to be able to eat their migas again.

Shakey's--I've seen a lot of references to pizza places, but don't think I've seen this one mentioned.

Maxim's--both the old downtown location at Milam and Lamar and the newer one at Timmons/Richmond (where Tony's now holds forth). Well, at least you can now get the spread at Spec's.

The Anchorage--best seafood restaurant in town in the 1970s. Located adjacent to what was the Hilton on 610 at TC Jester. Simply spectacular fried shrimp and fresh seafood flown in from all over the country.

Rainbo Bakery at Astroworld--Mini loaves. Enough said.

Western Kitchen--BBQ at the corner of Greenbriar and Richmond where Mykonos now operates.

Glatzmeier's--both downtown and the location on Montrose between Chelsea and Banks.

Burgerville#2--Times and Kelvin. Had totally forgotten about that one until I was almost through with this list.

And would second the mentions of Kaphan's and Sonny Look's.

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And the little places..about the same size as an old box shaped jack in the box but were made to look like windmills with cedar shake siding. can't remember the name seems like it started with a W.

I know this question is 2 years old, but I just saw it...and maybe I chimed in on this topic before and my aging brain doesn't remember...but you are thinking of Zyder Zee. There used to be one on Fondren between Hwy 59 and Bellaire Blvd.

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I loved Prince's Burgers on S. Main? The best O-Rings! I was there the last night it was open and got one of the actual Menu boards. Hot rods all over and we got it on a camcorder! Hmmm..... come to think about it I have never eaten at one of the new ones!

Billy Blues on Richmond had some good BBQ!

I showed up there for work one dayand the locks were changed!

My good buddy was a manager at Pappamia

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I'm glad somebody else remembers Western Kitchen! After my dad got back from his one after-work beer with his cronies at the Alabama Ice House on Friday evenings (real wild man he was), we'd either go to Western Kitchen or pick up Someburgers from the little stand on S. Shepherd. WK also had a chicken and dumplings bar that was only open after 5 PM.

Another neighborhood pick-up favorite in the 70's was Herfy's hamburgers, located where the Whataburger in S. Shepherd is now. First time I ever had horseradish, and it hooked me for life. Also Alfie's Fish & Chips in the row of shops on Richmond near Mandell.

I had many a lunch at Beef-N-Bun as well in the 80's. A friend of mine had an exotic car restoration shop called Contemporary Classics off of W. Fuqua - fun place to hang out on a Saturday. ^_^

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Blue Parrott--When I was very young, we would go there for Sunday brunch after church. I think it around the S. MacGregor area probably where 288 now runs.

Hebert's Ritz--In what is now Midtown. I want to say off of McGowan, but may have been closer to downtown.

Maxim's--both the old downtown location at Milam and Lamar and the newer one at Timmons/Richmond (where Tony's now holds forth). Well, at least you can now get the spread at Spec's.

Wasn't that Parrot Green? :) There are pictures posted around here of it.

Here is Heberts Ritz.

RitzRest.jpg

Maxim's moved to that location in 1959. It descended from the Peacock Restaurant that was on Fannin at Capitol.

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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.

I used to love that place. Great food and some of the best service around. They had a sister restaurant on Westheimer near Greenridge - approximately the same menu, but not quite as nice inside.

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

I have one of the fiberglass Indians from atop Bill Williams Restaurant (the skillet holder). I would like to refurbish him if anyone has a photo or info on how he looked. The restaurant was supposedly on South Main near the present day Medical Center, and I would like to keep him as authentic as possible since he is on public display. Thank You.

My contact info

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Not sure if any one has asked about Gaido's Seafood on South Main. I can swear we used to drive past it everytime we would go to the McClendon Triple Theater.

Gaido's had that giant shrimp packing 2 pistols and a cowboy hat right? There must be a photo of it somewhere, if someone has can you please post? and what were the cross streets?

It was so cool I always wanted to take it home. Only in Texas!

Forgive my babbling here, but I'm having way too much fun with all the memories this site is bringing back for me. I hope that I'm not breaking any of the rules or anything....

How weird, I just recently told someone about that giant shrimp with the pistols. I don't remember if it was the same restaurant, or another one near that one, but there was a giant crab over a doorway around there also. I remember seeing them whenever my parents drove me down S. Main, and those things just creeped me out! I think they were gone by the time I was old enough to face my fears and actually go eat there.

I had a nightmare or few about those giants on S. Main. but I remember I would get nervous whenever I realized the car was being turned to go down "that road" and would hope for a greenlight so we could just keep going. My parents thought it was cute and were all smiles and giggles while trying to convince me, while laughing, that they weren't real. I also vaguely remember something about one, or both, of them changing at one point, just don't remember what the change was (didn't the shrimp get, or lose, a cowboy hat?), but seeing that they had changed since the last time I'd seen them, really worried me at the time.

Years later, I forgot all about my fear of being killed on the way to the zoo by the giant crab and shrimp when I went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time and saw, out of the corner of my eye...a HUGE rat walking, on two legs, towards me!

A few years ago, while breathing into the paper bag provided to me by the haunted house medical staff after I turned a corner and found myself face to shin with the enormous, escaped from Hollywood, Predator, (my choking and immediate backing away from the thing, I now know, was more like my begging to be chased by the totally amused person, or persons, inside the hideous and too well done, costume), it was determined that I'm just a dork, with some "issues" when it comes to oversized creepy things. I'm sure, for the rest of my life, that every time I come across a giant and have to restart my heart.....I will think of that crab and shrimp. :blink:

Oh, and one of my favorite restaurants that vanished was a place called The Lone Star Cafe. I haven't been able to remember the name of the road it was on yet, but want to say it was somewhere near the Yammin's Pizza (used to go there a lot) that was on S Gessner at the 51 (this place being on Gessner just doesn't seem right to me though), but it was on the Stafford side of the 51, and I think it was in the same center that the Shakey's Pizza used to be in.

I loved going to Shakey's because they always showed the old black and white comedies, like The Little Rascals, Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello.

Pipe Organ Pizza was a fun pizza parlor too, with cute, normal sized, harmless, marionettes.......not giant rats, creatures or predators :P

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Forgive my babbling here, but I'm having way too much fun with all the memories this site is bringing back for me. I hope that I'm not breaking any of the rules or anything....

How weird, I just recently told someone about that giant shrimp with the pistols. I don't remember if it was the same restaurant, or another one near that one, but there was a giant crab over a doorway around there also. I remember seeing them whenever my parents drove me down S. Main, and those things just creeped me out! I think they were gone by the time I was old enough to face my fears and actually go eat there.

I had a nightmare or few about those giants on S. Main. but I remember I would get nervous whenever I realized the car was being turned to go down "that road" and would hope for a greenlight so we could just keep going. My parents thought it was cute and were all smiles and giggles while trying to convince me, while laughing, that they weren't real. I also vaguely remember something about one, or both, of them changing at one point, just don't remember what the change was (didn't the shrimp get, or lose, a cowboy hat?), but seeing that they had changed since the last time I'd seen them, really worried me at the time.

Years later, I forgot all about my fear of being killed on the way to the zoo by the giant crab and shrimp when I went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time and saw, out of the corner of my eye...a HUGE rat walking, on two legs, towards me!

A few years ago, while breathing into the paper bag provided to me by the haunted house medical staff after I turned a corner and found myself face to shin with the enormous, escaped from Hollywood, Predator, (my choking and immediate backing away from the thing, I now know, was more like my begging to be chased by the totally amused person, or persons, inside the hideous and too well done, costume), it was determined that I'm just a dork, with some "issues" when it comes to oversized creepy things. I'm sure, for the rest of my life, that every time I come across a giant and have to restart my heart.....I will think of that crab and shrimp. :blink:

Oh, and one of my favorite restaurants that vanished was a place called The Lone Star Cafe. I haven't been able to remember the name of the road it was on yet, but want to say it was somewhere near the Yammin's Pizza (used to go there a lot) that was on S Gessner at the 51 (this place being on Gessner just doesn't seem right to me though), but it was on the Stafford side of the 51, and I think it was in the same center that the Shakey's Pizza used to be in.

I loved going to Shakey's because they always showed the old black and white comedies, like The Little Rascals, Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello.

Pipe Organ Pizza was a fun pizza parlor too, with cute, normal sized, harmless, marionettes.......not giant rats, creatures or predators :P

TexAzGal: Warning! View the following photo with the lights on! :lol:

gaidos02mf5.jpg

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OMG!!

That's them!

LMAO! Awesome - now I at least have something to show people so they'll stop lookin' at me suspiciously as I describe the giant, pistol packing - and pointing - shrimp.

LOL - this is great! Thank you, you just made my day......even if ya did fix it so I'll hafta sleep with the light on tonight!

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  • 2 weeks later...
I think I can safely say that there is at least one IHOP restaurant in Houston. IHOP is full of calories.

Yes, if people ate at IHOP on a regular basis, they be obese and have tooth decay. I see the commercials on TV. All of that calorie-loaded syrup, berries, and whipped cream certainly can't be healthy.

I remember passing by but never stopping at Uncle John's Pancakes. I think Subdude said that it was on Old Spanish Trail. It must have been privately-owned, not a chain like IHOP, Waffle House, and Cracker Barrel.

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  • 2 weeks later...
5. Hamburgers by Gourmet -- They don't make em like this anymore. Parents used to take me to one over on Kirby near the Village. Later on, we had one on 1960 near North Oaks Mall. The chili cheeseburger was excellent...but you paid for it after you ate one..at least I did.

this is an ad for the one in the Village:

hamburgers77sm.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
I bet no one else remembers this: There was a restaurant on the corner of W. Belfort & Chimney Rock next to the (then) Weingartens which had little horses on springs arranged in a semi circle for kids to sit on while they ate their burgers. I don't know what else they served or what the name of the place was but I LOVED that place back in the early/mid 60s. Also I remember Bonanza -- they were all over town. There was one on Stella Link just inside the Loop that stayed in business at least till 1980. And speaking of Stella Link inside the loop, remember Alfred's? It was a venerable "Kosher Style" Deli and I believe it stayed in business till Alfred died. His son owns Kahn's Deli in the village.
I bet no one else remembers this: There was a restaurant on the corner of W. Belfort & Chimney Rock next to the (then) Weingartens which had little horses on springs arranged in a semi circle for kids to sit on while they ate their burgers. I don't know what else they served or what the name of the place was but I LOVED that place back in the early/mid 60s. Also I remember Bonanza -- they were all over town. There was one on Stella Link just inside the Loop that stayed in business at least till 1980. And speaking of Stella Link inside the loop, remember Alfred's? It was a venerable "Kosher Style" Deli and I believe it stayed in business till Alfred died. His son owns Kahn's Deli in the village.
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I know this question is 2 years old, but I just saw it...and maybe I chimed in on this topic before and my aging brain doesn't remember...but you are thinking of Zyder Zee. There used to be one on Fondren between Hwy 59 and Bellaire Blvd.

Or Der Wienerschitzel?

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Anyone remember Allbritton's Cafeteria on Waugh (just south of the American General building)? It was a white stucco Streamline Moderne building, much like the Carnation milk plant next door.

They had great traditional Texas foods - chicken fried steak with cream gravy, greens, jalapeno cornbread, cheese grits. The women who worked the steam table were appearently installed about the same time the place opened. As you made your way through the line they'd say:

"Serve you."

"Serve you."

with absolutely no expression or inflection. They each must have uttered that phrase hundreds of thousands of times.

I worked at the Allbrittons on Bellaire Blvd. as a teenager for a whopping $1.07 a hour! Yes, every customer was greeted with "May I serve you"?

What I loved best was their chocolate pie and twice-baked potatoes - yummy!

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panjo's pizza at town and country

howard johnsons...great wednesday nite fish frys..all u can eat..yum

vallian's pizza...in the to go area you could carve stuff on the walls still my favorite pizza and my first

price's hamburgers on bellaire 5cents!! with secret sauce..

cellar door bbq

gaido's

kaphan's

I had forgotten all about Price's Hamburgers. Great little burgers, loved the secret sauce. The one I'm thinking about was on Bellaire Blvd. and eventually Jack in the Box moved in there.

Are all the Cellar Door restaurants gone now? They had the BEST bbq ever.

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I had forgotten all about Price's Hamburgers. Great little burgers, loved the secret sauce. The one I'm thinking about was on Bellaire Blvd. and eventually Jack in the Box moved in there.

Are all the Cellar Door restaurants gone now? They had the BEST bbq ever.

At that particular Price's on Bellaire, there was a painted "Humpdie-Dumpdie" on the fence with a speaker box behind it. You pushed a button on his nose and he talked to you. It was of couse the clerk inside, and somehow we all knew that but it didn't matter to a four year old kid, by gollie you were talking to "Humpdie-Dumpdie" for Christ's sakes.

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I realize this is a 2 year old post, but I have to wax nostalgic about these two places.

Marini's Empanada House early-mid 70's - on Westheimer near 'the curve' just before the Tower Theater - my introduction to empanadas, they had meat, vegetable, and dessert versions that were wonderful (seems like they had a location way out Westheimer much later on)

These were the best empanadas I've ever had. The menu was huge. I think there were over 100 different kinds of empanadas. The original joint was tiny, with bull fighting posters on the walls and tables and chairs made from old barrels. I remember a few other locations later on, including one in Good Time Charlies at Sharpstown Mall. There was a location on Hillcroft that changed its name to Marines in the 90s when Marini opened up a new place on Westheimer. None of them are as good as the original, when grandma was making them in the back.

Udder Delight early-mid 70's - ice cream place next to Marini's, my lil sis knew the guys. Still remember the day we got the call to come try out their new Avocado ice cream (it sucked large, they had to put too much lime juice in to keep it from turning brown)

This place was incredible. They had a huge White Mountain ice cream freezer in the store, just like the one we had when I was a kid, except much larger. The ice cream they made tasted exactly like home made ice cream, because it was. There was a location on Guadalupe in Austin during the mid 80s.

It makes me sad to think of how great these places were.

Another place I miss was Phil's (where 59 Diner on Shepherd is now). I remember going there in the late 70s or early 80s and it wasn't a retro 50s restaurant, it was like someone had preserved a 50s restaurant, including the waitresses. Best chicken fried steak I ever had.

Edited by memebag
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Oddly enough, Marini's has just opened a location in the Carillion Center in the back. You can't see it from Westheimer.

It's called The Original Marini's Empanada House. I walked by the yesterday and was wondering what they meant by "original" - as in, had there been another? I'd never heard of the place.

Now I know.

And if you want to go, it's at Westheimer near Beltway 8 in the Carillion Center behind the Chili's.

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Oddly enough, Marini's has just opened a location in the Carillion Center in the back. You can't see it from Westheimer.

Sweet! Back in the 90s Marini opened a place closer in on Westheimer. It was good, but not as good as the original. I'll have to try the new one at lunch tomorrow.

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Marini's Empanada House early-mid 70's - on Westheimer near 'the curve' just before the Tower Theater - my introduction to empanadas, they had meat, vegetable, and dessert versions that were wonderful (seems like they had a location way out Westheimer much later on)

Udder Delight early-mid 70's - ice cream place next to Marini's, my lil sis knew the guys. Still remember the day we got the call to come try out their new Avocado ice cream (it sucked large, they had to put too much lime juice in to keep it from turning brown)

La Bodega Bar / Harvst Moon Cafe early-mid 70's - @ Fairview & ??? - La Bodega was downstairs, wine bar, had stunning wood walls done by Yost & Company. Harvest Moon was upstairs, great veggie place

Sonny Look's Steakhouse on S Main?? - with the honey- and garlic-flavored butters, maybe more. You couldn't have a junior high or high school athletic banquet in that part of town without having it at Look's back then!

Zappos Sandwiches on Beechnut across from Meyerland Plaza - a Schlotzky's knock-off, but I thought their buns were better!

Thank you! I've been trying for a very long time to think of Udder Delight's name and here it is. Scrumptious ice cream, but never had anything as 'exotic' as avocado - yikes :)

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I realize this is a 2 year old post, but I have to wax nostalgic about these two places.

These were the best empanadas I've ever had. The menu was huge. I think there were over 100 different kinds of empanadas. The original joint was tiny, with bull fighting posters on the walls and tables and chairs made from old barrels. I remember a few other locations later on, including one in Good Time Charlies at Sharpstown Mall. There was a location on Hillcroft that changed its name to Marines in the 90s when Marini opened up a new place on Westheimer. None of them are as good as the original, when grandma was making them in the back.

I just thought I'd let you know they've had a location open in Katy for about 4 years now. It's still the original family and delicious. Here's a link to their site: http://www.theoriginalmarinisempanadahouse.com/home.html

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Before you die you have to go up to Dallas and eat a real hamberger at Keller's Drive-in. This is a hands down real live burger joint. Now days every fast-food joint has a drive-through window. But Keller's still likes to keep things old-fashioned. Park your car, click on your blinkers and wait for a friendly carhop. Place your order, roll up your window a tad and wait for that tray to arrive. Five bucks and change gets you a double-meat cheeseburger, Tater Tots with melted cheese and a drink (and you'll tip the server if ya got any class). The burgers are first-rate and I mean first-rate, but the real charm here is obvious: You get to sit in your car and chow down without worrying about a mishap on the open road. The serve ice cold cold beer, and even have frosted mugs. We go up to Dallas, hit Keller's then on the way back hit the Galaxy drive-in in Ennis and checkout a movie. Keller's has street rod night's and that's when I really get to play. I take my '59 vette or 67 rs/ss up for that, life doesn't get any better than that. Back before there was a Sonic, there was Keller's. I use to hang out in Dallas when I was younger, and Keller was there in the 60's. I think they opened in '54 or '55. Keller's and the "Pig Stand" was the place to be on a Friday night cruise. I think Pig Stand was around in the 1920's. The Drive-In I think was the first in the nation or so they use to boast, There use to be a Pig Stand down on Washington Ave in Houston, but it was a sit down joint. I think it's still there, I know they have a couple still in the Alamo City.

PigStand-Sign.jpg

But you really have to hit Keller's, hands down best burger ever. This is a fun place to go, eat and watch the "car show". If you like classic hot rods and good burgers try Kellers. You can't beat what you get for the price. A burger, fries or tots and drink for way under 6.00. They have a good variety on the menu.

Good service, even when they are really busy. You can also have a beer with your burger. Saturday nights best time to go and catch the action. They have been in business for over 50 years! Check it out!

KELLER'S DRIVE IN

6537 E. Northwest Highway

Dallas, TX 75228

214-368-1209

or

10554 HARRY HINES BLVD

DALLAS, TX 75220

Phone: 214-357-3572

I highly recommend the #5 Double meat Double Cheese Lg fry and a Ice Cold Bud.........Life is really good then.

It's been years since I've had a Keller burger, but have to agree with you. The BEST burgers and the COLDEST beer around!

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