Historic Houston Restaurants

[CateyBeth]

Some of my faves, not yet mentioned:

The Raven Grill

My absolute favorite restaurant for a date or nice dinner with friends.

Niko Niko's

Yeah, I know, not exactly "undiscovered," but definitely underappreciated!

Kahn's Deli

Try their Alpine Reuben.

Nielsen's Delicatessen

Their potato salad is unlike any you've ever tasted. One Dixie cup and you'll be stuffed - and hooked.

Fiesta en Guadalajara

My favorite cure for a Mexican craving is their Hugo's Special and a strawberry swirl margarita.

[TJones]

This would be an "undiscovered" part of Sugarland really, but there is a nice little Italian Restaurant called Nick's on FM1464 just down a peace from Austin High School. Delicioso !!!

[yuan1274]

Where was it located? (and welcome to the forum)

This one is in Toledo, Ohio. Was it a chain restaurant?

[HarrisCountyEx]

I too remember the Tommie Vaughn commercials. Funny how something sticks in your head after so many years. I also remember Richardson Chevrolet....."Richardson.....Chevrolet. Southwest Freeway at Hillcroft".

There was also another car ad that was somewhat annoying that had a little boy dressed in a devil's costume dancing on top of a car. I can't remember the dealership, but they sang "hot, hot, red hot deals, hottest deals in town". I'm losing it.

[yuan1274]

I too remember the Tommie Vaughn commercials. Funny how something sticks in your head after so many years. I also remember Richardson Chevrolet....."Richardson.....Chevrolet. Southwest Freeway at Hillcroft".

There was also another car ad that was somewhat annoying that had a little boy dressed in a devil's costume dancing on top of a car. I can't remember the dealership, but they sang "hot, hot, red hot deals, hottest deals in town". I'm losing it.

The Tommie Vaughn Ford commercials sounded like the commercials for Chuck Davis Chevrolet: low, evenly-stressed baritone/bass-voiced jingle singers. Do you remember that one, too?

[jfre81]

My mom has told me about Uncle John's before; she says she thinks it burned down and was not rebuilt (sometime in the 1970s). Before my time...

[KMAN458]

All I could recall of the old Tommie Vaughn jingle is:

"..They got great service..they got good price, they got everything (missing words) that's nice......Tommie Vaughn...Tommie Vaughn Ford" All done in a deep baratone/"Texan sounding" voice.

Allthough no song comes to mind...I guess everyone recalls the "Rocket City" dealership on the Gulf Freeway near the Gulfgate mall. Was it Dan Boone's dealership? Lastly. was it Frizell (??) that had "A whale of a deal" with a whale cartoon as a logo?

The car dealership near gulfgate with the sign with the big rocket on it was Bill McDavid Oldsmoble. Dan Boone ran it for some years before the McDavid boys took it over.

[Vertigo58]

Pollo Loco was pretty good. Don't remember when they left the city either? They were still alive in well in So Cal though. I last ate in 1989 there but the left Houston about that time? The chicken was great!

[aggieengineer]

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.

That was Brittain's Broiler Burger. I grew up just a few blocks away, and it was a big deal to go there for dinner. Burgers were 35 cents back in the mid '60s. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the smoke from the broiler. I think the barber shop next door is still there judging from pictures. I left Houston in the early '80s, but it still feels like home. Thanks for resurrecting a great memory.

[HarrisCountyEx]

In the mid '80's, there was an empanada place on Richmond in a strip center around Sage and the loop. There was also, in what I believe to be in the same center, a great pizza place that I thought was Barry's, but husband says no, Barry's has always been further down (or up) on Richmond. The pizzas would sit atop a pedestal thingy at the table. It seems it had a single name to it like Barry's, Mike's, John's, etc. Neither of these places as well as the strip center exist as I found out recently. I went to Marines (sp.?) on Hillcroft and Richmond hoping for the same cream cheese and caramel empanada, but it wasn't.

Also, early '90's, somewhere close to downtown was an ice cream/smoothie shop called Hawaii Kai (sp?). Always ordered chocolate ice cream with cream cheese mixed in - Heaven!

[acamarillo]

Don't kow about the empanadas, but I remember the first Barry's being somewhere around Windsor Plaza, around where the Chili's was.

[rsb320]

Don't kow about the empanadas, but I remember the first Barry's being somewhere around Windsor Plaza, around where the Chili's was.

Barry's used to be at the southwest corner of the Windsor Plaza parking lot at Richmond and Sage. The first Chili's I remember in Houston was Richmond and Fountainview, diagonally across from where Barry's is now.

[HarrisCountyEx]

Bingo! Windsor Plaza. Now I'm going to have to hunt for pics to prove hubby wrong. I remember the Chili's being on Fountainview and standing in long line to get a seat at lunch time. They had the best tacos - the meat had corn and they put guacamole on top.

I'm still curious about the empanada shop. I checked Marini's website and it made no mention about being in the Windsor Plaza area.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Lot's of great, and not so great memories being revived.

Toddle House (South Main Location) ~ Waffles, Burgers, and their Potato Pancakes

Pig Stand (Washington Ave.) ~ Pork Sandwiches

It's wasn't the "Huddle House" was it. Seems like I remember it as the "Huddle House". maybe Alzheimer's on my part.

[sabasushi]

Hiya...did someone mention "One's a Meal" here? I was just reading my bank statement that came out today, and I saw an entry for a "One's a Meal" restaurant (!) from last month. Since I didn't remember eating at a resturant of that name, I checked in my checkbook, and guess what? It's the Biba's restaurant, the 24-hour Greek place on West Gray street. Not sure if that is the same restaurant someone was talking about, but the coincidence is certainly interesting.

[rsb320]

Oh My God! and we have Marini's Empanada House (one Westheimer on 8mm film) at night! That was a great eatery.

There once was a delicious Mexican Restaurant called Los Pinos at corner of Telephone Road and Dumble rigjht next door to Leonard's Dept store. The lunch plate was only about $3.50 thats right! It was a simple walk in and sit down and order place that easy. Man it was delicious!

Just next door or rather across the street was the Heap O Cream ice cream shoppe. Another Near East End teeny bopper hang out. Pineapple Freeze! Yummy!

There was a Luke's Hamburgers just around the corner from here too. They had just simple cheap burgers.

I remember Luke's on Shepherd - yummy burgers!

Hiya...did someone mention "One's a Meal" here? I was just reading my bank statement that came out today, and I saw an entry for a "One's a Meal" restaurant (!) from last month. Since I didn't remember eating at a resturant of that name, I checked in my checkbook, and guess what? It's the Biba's restaurant, the 24-hour Greek place on West Gray street. Not sure if that is the same restaurant someone was talking about, but the coincidence is certainly interesting.

Biba's and One's a Meal are the same entity. I'm not sure if it's still there, but One's a Meal is/was in the old IHOP building on Memorial, near Westcott.

[memebag]

Marini's Empanada House on Westheimer.

Marini's Empanada House on Richmond.

Marini's Empanada House on Hillcroft.

Marini's Empanada House on Westheimer again, next to Ninfa's by the House Of Pies. *sigh*

You know Marini's is back in business, right? There's one at 10001 Westheimer and another at 3522 S Mason Rd # 100, Katy, TX.

[rsb320]

Bingo! Windsor Plaza. Now I'm going to have to hunt for pics to prove hubby wrong. I remember the Chili's being on Fountainview and standing in long line to get a seat at lunch time. They had the best tacos - the meat had corn and they put guacamole on top.

I'm still curious about the empanada shop. I checked Marini's website and it made no mention about being in the Windsor Plaza area.

Barry's was a standalone white brick building with alot of white lattice. Chili's was across Fountainview from the Magnolia. Chili's was a wooden green building with white trim. That's were I got hooked on chips and salsa after moving here in '79 (oh, and Margarita's too).

[albertnurick]

Christies, the old one on Bellaire Blvd.

We went to this place all the time when I was a kid. Great fried shrimp. Oddly, I heard recently that this wasn't associated with the "real" Christie's.

[NenaE]

Biba's and One's a Meal are the same entity. I'm not sure if it's still there, but One's a Meal is/was in the old IHOP building on Memorial, near Westcott.

Heard that before, somewhere. Biba's was good , when I used to go. It was in a googie type building, or a "used to be" carhop type of bldg. I also remember the One's a Meal across the street. Rainbow Lodge was around there too. And that barbeque place behind Bibas.

Edited April 23, 2008 by NenaE

[Sharpstown Bill]

[For awhile there was the Hitchin' Post on Bissonet and Bonhomme

[Vertigo58]

You know Marini's is back in business, right? There's one at 10001 Westheimer and another at 3522 S Mason Rd # 100, Katy, TX.

In fact Marini's at Westheimer location is having a BIG party tonight folks!

I was supposed to help with the crowd but have to attend another deal. Try to go as it's a rare event. That place has a very loyal following. They have hundreds of phtos framed on the walls of old customers. The lady told me that one customer found an original menu from around 1979? They framed it. Mr Marini is very active in local non-profit orgs. A good man.

I had not ate there since around 1985 (old location lower Westheimer) never knew they had a fire? They have a huge variety of empenada's. Bon appetit!

[memebag]

In fact Marini's at Westheimer location is having a BIG party tonight folks!

What's the party celebrating?

[Subdude]

Heard that before, somewhere. Biba's was good , when I used to go. It was in a googie type building, or a "used to be" carhop type of bldg.

You're talking about the location on Memorial near the park, right? Still there.

[NenaE]

Heights, you are right on! I remember them as Elliot, Walter, and Bennett, if we are talking the same group here. They played at the Steak and Ale on the SW Fwy not far from Sharpstown Mall in the mid-70's. My daughter and some her pubescent friends adored them. My wife took them to see E, W, & B in person and they got to (gulp) talk to them. I forget which was her favorite. I bet that 41 year-old "girl" still has a record or two of theirs.

Saw EWB at Steak & Ale at Gulf Freeway, with my dad. Still have his albums. He loved them. I also remember "Popcorn" local group. I loved "Don the Beachcomber" (Polynesian?) restaurant on Gessner & Westheimer. Gas station-Quick mart now.

[Subdude]

Chili's was across Fountainview from the Magnolia. Chili's was a wooden green building with white trim. That's were I got hooked on chips and salsa after moving here in '79 (oh, and Margarita's too).

We used to go to that Chili's specifically for the milkshakes.

[Subdude]

Saw EWB at Steak & Ale at Gulf Freeway, with my dad. Still have his albums. He loved them. I also remember "Popcorn" local group. I loved "Don the Beachcomber" (Polynesian?) restaurant on Gessner & Westheimer. Gas station-Quick mart now.

There are some discussions here on HAIF about Don the Beachcomber and other local tiki joints.

[Vertigo58]

What's the party celebrating?

Millenium Press is having a reunion of writers so they celebrate the culture of Argentina, etc. I apologize I am in a rush. See below! ie;el d

[Vertigo58]

No sir, Toddle Houses were all over South Texas. The one in Stafford was the last one i can remember visiting. There were other locations on South Main, Gessner (North of Bellfort), also visited them in Victoria, and Corpus.

Also had a brainlock yesterday trying to remember Yamins (good pizza, AWESOME Po Boy's). Locations were Hillcroft, Buffalo Speedway, and Westheimer (just inside the loop). I'd literally kill for a PoBoy served warm with melting cheese like that again! <jk>

What this town needs is a good Beer Garden serving up Po Boys and the like.....

Good Lord! I had not heard of Toddle House in years! They seemed to be everywhere. I heard they had a mean breakfast. Getting hungry just thinking about it. (Stomache grumble)

Thanks for jogging the old memory banks.

[memebag]

Also had a brainlock yesterday trying to remember Yamins (good pizza, AWESOME Po Boy's). Locations were Hillcroft, Buffalo Speedway, and Westheimer (just inside the loop). I'd literally kill for a PoBoy served warm with melting cheese like that again! <jk>

There was one on I-45 at Edgebrook. I miss those po-boys, too.

Edited April 24, 2008 by memebag