Downtown Restaurant And Bar Market

[Houston19514]

With today's opening of Hotel Alessandra, we can add Lucienne and Bardot to the long list of places to eat in the evenings and on weekends in downtown Houston.

[Houston19514]

And another... Theodore Rex opens tomorrow.  

[downtownian]

13 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

And another... Theodore Rex opens tomorrow.  

 

Went on Monday. It's like a more casual oxheart (not tasting menu style) but with the same incredible attention to detail. Menu is a little bit more approachable and it's less veggie-centric. It cost about half as much as Oxheart as well.

[downtownian]

Just broker speculation but thought I would share:

 

Grocery stores will soon have little choice but to breach the downtown market, which has a large-enough mass of residents to support a grocery store, Gaines said. He's skeptical of Randall's, Kroger or Walmart taking the risk of building an urban, multistory grocery store in downtown Houston.

"I think H-E-B definitely will," Gaines said. "Whole Foods will."

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2017/11/01/broker-downtown-houston-has-enough-residents-to.html

 

[CREguy13]

I could see HEB being in a mixed-use project on the south side of Downtown, capturing both Downtown/Midtown, and WF on the north side more towards Market Square since that is more their clientele.  With the Astros winning the World Series and Crane's plan to put a park next to MMP, I am very excited for the next residential boom in downtown and all that will come with it. 

[Naviguessor]

Don't forget about Fertitta and his ownership of the Rockets.  Bet he brings a lot of energy to his corner of downtown too.  I bet he reveals a big concept in the coming months. 

[kbates2]

And if Camden indeed breaks ground soon, he will Tilman will already have a start on more energy over there.

[nate4l1f3]

5 hours ago, CREguy13 said:

I could see HEB being in a mixed-use project on the south side of Downtown, capturing both Downtown/Midtown, and WF on the north side more towards Market Square since that is more their clientele.  With the Astros winning the World Series and Crane's plan to put a park next to MMP, I am very excited for the next residential boom in downtown and all that will come with it. 

Could you share more about Cranes plan for a park? I haven’t heard about this. Exact location? Link?

[tigereye]

On 11/2/2017 at 5:43 PM, nate4l1f3 said:

Could you share more about Cranes plan for a park? I haven’t heard about this. Exact location? Link?

 

https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/other/astros-owner-jim-cranes-vision-for-downtown-79852#ath

 

Also, a reminder that Crane owns 2 buildings on Texas south of Home Plate (probably the bars on block 161). With Nau Center for Heritage dead, could this be the spot? 

 

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/03-30-16-astros-owner-gives-the-inside-scoop-on-his-two-new-restaurants-near-minute-maid-park/#slide=0

 

Quote

With that kind of optimism for the neighborhood surrounding the baseball stadium, Crane has been securing properties to insure that the quality of development remains high. He already owns the two old buildings on Texas, "south of home plate," as he describes it, properties for later development.

Edited November 4, 2017 by tigereye

[Houston19514]

On 11/3/2017 at 10:04 PM, tigereye said:

 

https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/other/astros-owner-jim-cranes-vision-for-downtown-79852#ath

 

Also, a reminder that Crane owns 2 buildings on Texas south of Home Plate (probably the bars on block 161). With Nau Center for Heritage dead, could this be the spot? 

 

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/03-30-16-astros-owner-gives-the-inside-scoop-on-his-two-new-restaurants-near-minute-maid-park/#slide=0

 

 

I don't think the Nau site is currently a parking lot. So it doesn't really fit the description. My guess is the current premium lot along Hamilton (or part of it).

[tigereye]

10 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

I don't think the Nau site is currently a parking lot. So it doesn't really fit the description. My guess is the current premium lot along Hamilton (or part of it).

 

That would make sense, since the New Hope building will be demolished to expand the premium lot to Congress, which could recoup any parking spots lost for a new park.

 

I’ll guess the new park goes in at the home plate gate/clock tower as part of a reworked front entrance there. 

[cspwal]

On 11/5/2017 at 9:21 AM, tigereye said:

 

That would make sense, since the New Hope building will be demolished to expand the premium lot to Congress, which could recoup any parking spots lost for a new park.

 

I’ll guess the new park goes in at the home plate gate/clock tower as part of a reworked front entrance there. 

 

I thought part of the agreement for getting public money for the stadium was having that affordable housing.  Are they going to move it to a new location?

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, cspwal said:

 

I thought part of the agreement for getting public money for the stadium was having that affordable housing.  Are they going to move it to a new location?

 

Yes.

[tigereye]

6 hours ago, cspwal said:

 

I thought part of the agreement for getting public money for the stadium was having that affordable housing.  Are they going to move it to a new location?

 

New Hope is moving to Harrisburg. 

 

The Astros helped raise money for the new building, then bought the Hamilton St property. Once Harrisburg is complete, New Hope will move in and Hamilton St Houses will be demolished for the premium lots, potentially freeing up land for the rumored new park.

[Houston19514]

On 7/1/2017 at 0:50 PM, cspwal said:

I just looked at all the hours for all the restraunts in downtown

There are 106 places that serve food on the weekends, and 68 of them are open on sundays

Most are concentrated in NW downtown, with a lot of new ones around the ballpark.

 

The list is pretty long so that I attached it here

Eaterys in Downtown.rtf

 

On 7/2/2017 at 2:36 PM, Houston19514 said:

 

Great work cspwal.  I hope you'll be willing to make additions and updates to that fantastic resource:

 

1600 Bar & Grill 

AMC Dine-In Houston 8 (formerly Sundance Cinema)

Arte Pizzeria

Ballpark Cafe at the Westin

Downtown Aquarium

Einstein Bros Bagels

El Burro and the Bull

Foundation Room at the House of Blues

Great American Cookie Co

Last Concert Cafe

Lucky Strike

Mars Bakery

Melange Creperie

Phoenicia

Salata GreenStreet

Shula's American Steakhouse

Starbucks 1600 Lamar

Starbucks 1200 McKinney

Humble Cafe @ The Courtyard by Marriott

The Isles Eatery and Rhum Bar

The Pearl

The Wine Cellar

Trofi 

Wok & Roll 1200 McKinney

 

 

 

 

On 7/5/2017 at 5:12 PM, Houston19514 said:

 

Cspwal, I have some more to add to your awesome list of the many places to eat in downtown Houston on weekends. From the prior list of additions I posted, I think we need to delete Wok & Roll and Great American Cookie Co, as it appears they are not open on weekends after all.

 

New additions:

806 Lounge

1820 Lounge

Buffalo Bayou Coffee 

Café Bene

Chick-Fi-A Houston Center

Cueva

House of Blues Restaurant & Bar

Lobby Bar Hilton Americas

MKT Bar

MOKU Bar 

OKRA Charity Saloon

Part & Parcel

Potbelly 1000 main

Potbelly Mckinney 

Russo's NY Pizzeria

Starbucks UH-D

Subway 1600 Smith

Subway 2314 Bagby

Thai Basil

Texas T

Wokker @ Craft Beer Cellar

 

 

So it appears we have approximately 273 restaurants, cafés, etc where one can get food in downtown Houston.  Approximately 124 of those are M-F only (and the vast majority of those 124 M-F establishments are in the tunnels).

 

 

On 9/28/2017 at 1:26 PM, Houston19514 said:

Add Oxbow 7 to the long and growing list of places to eat in downtown Houston in the evenings and on weekends.

 

On 10/2/2017 at 0:14 PM, Houston19514 said:

With today's opening of Hotel Alessandra, we can add Lucienne and Bardot to the long list of places to eat in the evenings and on weekends in downtown Houston.

 

On 10/5/2017 at 10:08 AM, Houston19514 said:

And another... Theodore Rex opens tomorrow.  

 

And another spot to grab a bite downtown on the weekends:  Cafe Cosmopolita

[cspwal]

From the looks of the menu it'll just be a bite (though I wonder how the breakfast tacos will be - stiff competition on those in downtown)

[Urbannizer]

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/11-30-17-massive-live-music-venue-the-rustic-breaks-ground-downtown-get-ready-for-more-of-pat-green/#slide=3

 

Houston gets a new place to dine and catch live performances come summer 2018. The folks behind Bowl and Barrel and The General Public at Houston's CityCentre and The Rustic in Dallas and San Antonio, along with Kyle Noonan, Josh Sepkowitz, and Texas country singer Pat Green, all of FreeRange Concepts, held a press conference and groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the new Houston location of The Rustic.

 

[rechlin]

I noticed today that Market Square Bar and Grill, formerly between Warren's and Treebeard's, is now closed.  I don't know how long it has been closed, but they had a nice outdoor patio in the back and were a decent lunch place.  Also I noticed Fusion Taco, formerly between Barnaby's and Henke and Pillot, has also closed.  Their tacos were good, but their service was so incompetent that twice I vowed not to go back again for a long time.

[mkultra25]

On 2/28/2018 at 6:00 PM, rechlin said:

I noticed today that Market Square Bar and Grill, formerly between Warren's and Treebeard's, is now closed.  I don't know how long it has been closed, but they had a nice outdoor patio in the back and were a decent lunch place.  Also I noticed Fusion Taco, formerly between Barnaby's and Henke and Pillot, has also closed.  Their tacos were good, but their service was so incompetent that twice I vowed not to go back again for a long time.

 

Market Square Bar and Grill was founded/run by the guy that owns landmark Montrose watering hole TK Bitterman's. There's a comment on Yelp from last November referencing the closure and commenting that it had just changed ownership about three months prior. I wonder if their business took a hit in the aftermath of Harvey? 

[mollusk]

Fusion took water damage during Harvey; between that and opening a new location on North Main they decided to close the Market Square location.

 

And yes, the service could be very aggravating there.

[102IAHexpress]

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 0:14 PM, Houston19514 said:

With today's opening of Hotel Alessandra, we can add Lucienne and Bardot to the long list of places to eat in the evenings and on weekends in downtown Houston.

 

I just called Lucienne to make a reservation for dinner on Sunday. They are closed for dinner this Sunday and every Sunday. Please add Lucienne to the long list of places not fully open on the weekends in Downtown. Very frustrating. 

 

On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 10:08 AM, Houston19514 said:

And another... Theodore Rex opens tomorrow.  

 

Is this place even in downtown?

[mollusk]

4 hours ago, 102IAHexpress said:

Is this place even in downtown?

 

It's on Nance, so, very technically, no... 

 

However, those of us who populate downtown would call it close enough for gummint work - particularly when using IAH for context.

[samagon]

On 3/3/2018 at 5:54 PM, 102IAHexpress said:

 

I just called Lucienne to make a reservation for dinner on Sunday. They are closed for dinner this Sunday and every Sunday. Please add Lucienne to the long list of places not fully open on the weekends in Downtown. Very frustrating. 

 

 

places not open on Sunday in downtown:

 

1. Chic-fil-a

2. Lucienne

3. Hobby Lobby

[102IAHexpress]

11 hours ago, samagon said:

 

places not open on Sunday in downtown:

 

1. Chic-fil-a

2. Lucienne

3. Hobby Lobby

 

Hobby Lobby serves food? I didn't know there was a Hobby Lobby in Downtown? I didn't think the restaurant scene in downtown was this bad if a Hobby Lobby counts as a restaurant. But I guess, I've seen fast food restaurants inside Targets and Wal-Marts so I guess they do count too. I've seen some fanatics regarding Costco's pizzas. 

[Texasota]

Anyway, plenty of restaurants (particularly more chef-driven ones) are closed one day of the week. Often that's a Monday, but Lucienne went with Sunday, and not even the whole day. They are doing a Sunday brunch. Their hours are actually pretty expansive - 6:30am-10pm M-F (with a mid-afternoon break), 11am-10pm on Saturday (with a mid-afternoon break), and 11am-2:30pm Sunday. In no way is that suggestive of any sort of "Nobody stays downtown on the weekends" mentality.

[102IAHexpress]

 

23 minutes ago, Texasota said:

Anyway, plenty of restaurants (particularly more chef-driven ones) are closed one day of the week. Often that's a Monday, but Lucienne went with Sunday, and not even the whole day. They are doing a Sunday brunch. Their hours are actually pretty expansive - 6:30am-10pm M-F (with a mid-afternoon break), 11am-10pm on Saturday (with a mid-afternoon break), and 11am-2:30pm Sunday. In no way is that suggestive of any sort of "Nobody stays downtown on the weekends" mentality.

 

It's a standard hotel restaurant not the former ElBulli in Catalonia. A guest should be able to have dinner at a "luxury" hotel any night of the week, especially Sunday. 

Look, it is what it is, I just don't think downtown should market itself as some plentiful restaurant destination any night of the week. To do so would be to willfully ignore facts to the contrary. It's just not there yet. Not knocking downtown, it's great for bars; restaurants not so many yet; and street level restaurants on the weekends even less than that.

[Texasota]

I agree with that; I just don't agree with your assessment that Lucienne is part of the problem. Part of that might just be my hope that Lucienne will actually be a good restaurant, rather than *just* a hotel restaurant. Oxbow 7 is open nights a week, and I think the food is mediocre and overpriced. That's one thing Downtown does not need any more of. 

[LBC2HTX]

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

I agree with that; I just don't agree with your assessment that Lucienne is part of the problem. Part of that might just be my hope that Lucienne will actually be a good restaurant, rather than *just* a hotel restaurant. Oxbow 7 is open nights a week, and I think the food is mediocre and overpriced. That's one thing Downtown does not need any more of. 

Might have to do with the fact that Caswell is no longer running Oxbow 7, or maybe he wasn't getting the job done and got the axe, with no improvement since. 

[mollusk]

As someone who sometimes gets tasked with laying out downtown food options to visitors who are sick to death of hotel food, I'm finding that it's much easer to make those recommendations now than it was in the past.

[samagon]

17 hours ago, mollusk said:

As someone who sometimes gets tasked with laying out downtown food options to visitors who are sick to death of hotel food, I'm finding that it's much easer to make those recommendations now than it was in the past.

 

I think this is the important thing.

 

Eating in downtown at night and on weekends, you aren't wanting for options as you would have in the past. 

 

And it's going to continue getting easier.

Edited March 7, 2018 by samagon