I can respond to this questioning a knowledgable way since I was practically born at the first location. My parents owned this restaurant which was located on the corner of Cleburne and Main St., between Main and Fannin. The building is still there, but painted white (don't know what they were thinking.) If you know where the old Sear Robuck building was, this is a block away, closer to downtown. Someone asked if it was an old speak easy. The answer is yes. When my brother and I were young, we played and found the secret pathways and old remnants (like a chalkboard with bets scribbled on it). The door that went straight upstairs had an old style speakeasy door with the small door at eye level to see the person before they unlocked the door to let them in. It was a well known story in regard to the history of the building. Somewhere along the way the Annabelle's opened the restaurant and my parents bought it from them somewhere around 1957-1958. Someone said the something about an old location in Bellaire. This is misinformation. There has never been a Bellaire location. At one time there were three locations, one in Sugarland, on in Kema and the current one on Bissonnet. It city limit line, between West University and Houston. By the way, I am currently writing a memoir that mentions the history. Maybe one day, I will write about my family and the history of the Cleburne, but my brother has a great deal of information in the current Cleburne entry area.
