Downtown Restaurant And Bar Market

[H-Town Man]

56 minutes ago, mattyt36 said:

This podcast (which I mentioned in another thread) discusses the possibility (although it almost sounded as if the Central Houston guy thinks it is only a matter of time) for tunnel businesses to relocate to the street level to cater to the residential and after-hours population to counter the reduction in the daytime office population and then to reprogram the tunnel space with art installations or other museum-type exhibits.

Looped In Podcast: Interview with Kris Larson and Angie Bertinot of Central Houston on downtown Houston's recovery post-pandemic (houstonchronicle.com)

I listened to it. If the one bright spot of the pandemic is that it kills the tunnels, that would be something. But I think in certain areas of downtown like the central and western areas, there aren't enough other uses that could lure those shops out, like there are in the northern and eastern areas.

Nonetheless, the guy running Central Houston sounds smart and some of the figures they cited made it sound like downtown is indeed on its way back.

[Nate99]

My unscientific observation is that there are some pockets in the tunnels that seem to be fully "back", but overall, while you always had a lot of turnover in the shops, there are a lot more empty stalls than there were historically with only a handful of new places opening.  I'd guess there will be consolidation with the successful places getting concentrated and fill their empty holes while the other locations find some other alternate use. 

The remaining open/accessible places are doing well, again in spots. The pan-Asian food court under the Jason's Deli at Main/McKinney is frequently jammed as is the expanded space under Pennzoil and the new BofA  building does good business, though a few of the stalls did not reopen after Covid.   Allen Center seems humming along just fine too.

The HC shops are a hot mess, The area around the former Beck's is almost completely dead, and Chase tower is down an Alonti and a pizza shop but up a Brown Bag Deli. 

[tigereye]

2 hours ago, Nate99 said:

My unscientific observation is that there are some pockets in the tunnels that seem to be fully "back", but overall, while you always had a lot of turnover in the shops, there are a lot more empty stalls than there were historically with only a handful of new places opening.  I'd guess there will be consolidation with the successful places getting concentrated and fill their empty holes while the other locations find some other alternate use. 

The remaining open/accessible places are doing well, again in spots. The pan-Asian food court under the Jason's Deli at Main/McKinney is frequently jammed as is the expanded space under Pennzoil and the new BofA  building does good business, though a few of the stalls did not reopen after Covid.   Allen Center seems humming along just fine too.

The HC shops are a hot mess, The area around the former Beck's is almost completely dead, and Chase tower is down an Alonti and a pizza shop but up a Brown Bag Deli. 

All of the Alonti locations downtown have closed up. 

919 Milam is undergoing renovation work, which is why Beck’s Prime and Brown Bag Deli are closed. Neither of their spaces (nor DiMassi’s) has cleared out so they’ll likely reopen after the renovation is done. 
 

From what I’ve seen last year to currently, YES I’d say the tunnels feel like they’re back now, especially in the last few weeks. 

[editor]

16 hours ago, tigereye said:

From what I’ve seen last year to currently, YES I’d say the tunnels feel like they’re back now, especially in the last few weeks. 

Back in October, I'd use the tunnels to get around because I don't like being near people.  These days, I'm back on the streets, because the tunnels are packed at peak hours.

I wonder what the traffic numbers are like on some of those tunnels.  There used to be companies that would hire people to sit in lawn chairs with hand clickers and count people walking by.  I wonder if that's still a thing.

[hindesky]

"Ramon Soriano, owner of wildly popular taco shop La Calle, is slated to open an '80s Spanish pop and rock bar on Main Street this summer, in the space that formerly housed Boomtown Coffee."

https://www.chron.com/food/article/the-80s-are-back-downtown-houston-17272132.php

[nate4l1f3]

4 hours ago, hindesky said:

"Ramon Soriano, owner of wildly popular taco shop La Calle, is slated to open an '80s Spanish pop and rock bar on Main Street this summer, in the space that formerly housed Boomtown Coffee."

https://www.chron.com/food/article/the-80s-are-back-downtown-houston-17272132.php

Was hoping for another cafe but beggars can’t be choosers 🤷🏻‍♂️  

[editor]

39 minutes ago, nate4l1f3 said:

Was hoping for another cafe but beggars can’t be choosers 🤷🏻‍♂️  

I won't go.  Bars (other than tiki) aren't my scene.  But I appreciate him trying to at least be a little different.

Unless 80's Spanish pop/rock bars are all over the place, and I just haven't noticed.

[j_cuevas713]

Based on the energy this past weekend and the one before, I think downtown is coming back stronger. Pre-pandemic we started to see some real synergy downtown. With the addition of POST, which has become a hub for different activity, it's really helped create more energy downtown. I think with the renovation of The Shops, the Stros Village, and Skanska's future project, things are only going to get better and better. 

[nate4l1f3]

On 7/5/2022 at 11:09 AM, j_cuevas713 said:

Based on the energy this past weekend and the one before, I think downtown is coming back stronger. Pre-pandemic we started to see some real synergy downtown. With the addition of POST, which has become a hub for different activity, it's really helped create more energy downtown. I think with the renovation of The Shops, the Stros Village, and Skanska's future project, things are only going to get better and better. 

Do you have a sense of how Finn Hall is looking lately? I really want that place to succeed. 

[editor]

On 7/5/2022 at 11:09 AM, j_cuevas713 said:

Based on the energy this past weekend and the one before, I think downtown is coming back stronger. Pre-pandemic we started to see some real synergy downtown. With the addition of POST, which has become a hub for different activity, it's really helped create more energy downtown. I think with the renovation of The Shops, the Stros Village, and Skanska's future project, things are only going to get better and better. 

The busiest days seem to be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; which jibes with what I've read in the business press about how most office workers who can pick the days they go in to work are gravitating toward the middle of the week.

[editor]

4 hours ago, nate4l1f3 said:

Do you have a sense of how Finn Hall is looking lately? I really want that place to succeed. 

Not great.  I've been there, or through there, about five times in the last couple of months, because I have business with Chase.  Foot traffic has been very light.  And I think the really good chicken joint closed.  Or at least it wasn't open the last time I went.

The big problem with Finn, as someone who lives down the street, is that you never know when it's open, so you don't bother to go.  Sure, the food court, itself, has regular hours.  But each vendor within is allowed to set their own, lesser hours.  So what's the point of going, if it's safe to assume that half of the options are going to be closed?

In large retail spaces, like malls, it's not uncommon for the owner to require minimum operating hours of its stores.  Finn should do this.

Also, it's not open on weekends.  Every other bar and restaurant on Main Street can be packed after a Saturday Astros game, but Finn is closed.  It makes the street look bad.  It makes Finn look unreliable.  It makes the restaurants inside look amateur.  If you're a restaurant on Main Street that's not open on weekends, you're not a business.  You're a hobby.

I think I'm not going to try with Finn anymore.  If it can't respect the neighborhood enough to be open on weekends, then why would I give it any of my money?  There are other options. 

[nate4l1f3]

3 hours ago, editor said:

Not great.  I've been there, or through there, about five times in the last couple of months, because I have business with Chase.  Foot traffic has been very light.  And I think the really good chicken joint closed.  Or at least it wasn't open the last time I went.

The big problem with Finn, as someone who lives down the street, is that you never know when it's open, so you don't bother to go.  Sure, the food court, itself, has regular hours.  But each vendor within is allowed to set their own, lesser hours.  So what's the point of going, if it's safe to assume that half of the options are going to be closed?

In large retail spaces, like malls, it's not uncommon for the owner to require minimum operating hours of its stores.  Finn should do this.

Also, it's not open on weekends.  Every other bar and restaurant on Main Street can be packed after a Saturday Astros game, but Finn is closed.  It makes the street look bad.  It makes Finn look unreliable.  It makes the restaurants inside look amateur.  If you're a restaurant on Main Street that's not open on weekends, you're not a business.  You're a hobby.

I think I'm not going to try with Finn anymore.  If it can't respect the neighborhood enough to be open on weekends, then why would I give it any of my money?  There are other options. 

I was upset as well when I was down there on a weekend and it was closed!

[j_cuevas713]

On 7/6/2022 at 2:22 PM, nate4l1f3 said:

Do you have a sense of how Finn Hall is looking lately? I really want that place to succeed. 

They seem fine, they're just running on a different schedule at the moment. As things continue to pick up, places will change their hours. It's just hard to recover financially in the service industry. You have to slowly get back in the green. 

[editor]

I stopped into the new coffee shop/bar on Travis Street, across from Frank's Pizza today.  It's called The Lucky Italian, and is owned by the same people who own The Italian Job across the street.

Very good coffee, but this location is leaning heavily on the bar/nosh scene for revenue.   Still, I'm happy to have another place to buy beans downtown.  There's a couple of pastry cases, but the offerings are meager, which is fine since the guy behind the bar (I think he's the owner) says they only opened yesterday. 

He says it opens at 6am Monday through Friday, and 7am Saturday and Sunday.  I thanked him for being open on weekends, because I won't patronize a restaurant that only exists to feed the commuters, and has no interest in contributing to the community.† (*cough* Finn Hall *cough*)

It's a much larger space than the old one, and a dining room goes through from Travis Street to Prairie Street.  He says they're going to do lunch and sammitches and small plates for dinner.  There's also a smattering of outdoor seating for the world's last smokers.

On a side note, I noticed that Day Six is now flogging the fact that it's open at 6am.  I guess that's a change?  I don't know.  It's also promoting catering, which is not a bad idea now that there are almost 12,000 more office workers downtown than there were last year.

†: One exception: Chick-fil-a, because I dig that it gives all of its employees a day of rest.   

 

[editor]

District Market is open again. It's been closed since at least late August. 
 

I probably won't eat there, but it seems like a handy option for emergency pasta, sauces, chocolate, and coffee beans. 
 

The door says it's open until 10pm on weekdays, so I'll make an effort, since they are. 

[jermh]

15 hours ago, editor said:

District Market is open again. It's been closed since at least late August. 
 

I probably won't eat there, but it seems like a handy option for emergency pasta, sauces, chocolate, and coffee beans. 
 

The door says it's open until 10pm on weekdays, so I'll make an effort, since they are. 

It's been open for a few months. The food is pretty much the same as before the pandemic, and the groceries they have are expensive but super convenient if you need something last minute. For example, a six-pack of Spindeltap Houston Haze IPA is $18 bucks. The market portion has counter service, and the Cellar 7 Bar portion next door has table service, but both serve the same food. They also have some breakfast/brunch options and are open on the weekends. I wish we had more breakfast options with weekend hours Downtown.

[editor]

I expect most of the groceries will be over-priced, but I don't mind paying a premium for the convenience.  

I didn't have time to do anything but breeze through it on my way to Frank's last night.  It looks like it might be possible to order some food at the register to go, like to take home for dinner.  Is that right?

[jermh]

1 hour ago, editor said:

I expect most of the groceries will be over-priced, but I don't mind paying a premium for the convenience.  

I didn't have time to do anything but breeze through it on my way to Frank's last night.  It looks like it might be possible to order some food at the register to go, like to take home for dinner.  Is that right?

Yes, you can order to go at the counter. They are also on the Ritual app, so you can pre-order and pick up when it's ready. I'm right there with you on a convenience tax on their groceries. The more options we can have Downtown, the better. It's surprising how limited food selection can get late evening on a weeknight. 

[wilcal]

New Poke place open in Pennzoil Place tunnels: Uncle Sharkii. Have had it twice and it is pretty good.

https://www.unclesharkii.com/

[staresatmaps]

New 24/7 pizza vending machine at 625 Fannin where the Fannin Food Mart and another one next to Social Beer Garden HTX.

[editor]

On 9/2/2022 at 5:35 PM, staresatmaps said:

New 24/7 pizza vending machine at 625 Fannin where the Fannin Food Mart and another one next to Social Beer Garden HTX.

I'll totally check that out.

We had a pizza vending machine in the dorm at my college in 1989.  It was pretty great.

But even better was the french fry vending machine next to it.  It had a big plexiglass front, and you would watch your fries being made. 

A big thing turned, and a potato would drop into a holder.  Then another thing would mash it through the slicing grid, and the potato fingers would fall down a chute into the boiling oil.  Then there was a little countdown clock while you watched your spuds fry.  The little metal basket would then rise up, tilt clockwise, and the fresh fries slid down a chute into a paper cup.

[Nate99]

On 9/2/2022 at 5:35 PM, staresatmaps said:

New 24/7 pizza vending machine at 625 Fannin where the Fannin Food Mart and another one next to Social Beer Garden HTX.

That Food Mart has probably had a half dozen of its windows smashed out since it opened, always promptly replaced. I worry for pizza bot's safety. 

[jermh]

A resturant/bar called Victory Lounge is going in the former BirdDog Saint retail space at 711 Main St. 

[staresatmaps]

5 hours ago, jermh said:

A resturant/bar called Victory Lounge is going in the former BirdDog Saint retail space at 711 Main St. 

3.7 google rating in Miami. But I guess we always need more crappy ripoff brunch/hookah/bottle service places.

[j_cuevas713]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:04 PM, staresatmaps said:

3.7 google rating in Miami. But I guess we always need more crappy ripoff brunch/hookah/bottle service places.

I mean this is better than another SpongeBob/Anime pop up with stickers lining the building

[Nate99]

Pizza bot appears to be operational. 
 

 

[jermh]

21 hours ago, Nate99 said:

Pizza bot appears to be operational. 
 

 

Pizza from the pizza bot was reasoably good on a walk home from a bar last weekend. It's not Franks, but there wasn't a giant 1am franks line either. It takes about 3 minutes to spit out an entire well cooked pizza.

[JBTX]

4 hours ago, jermh said:

Pizza from the pizza bot was reasoably good on a walk home from a bar last weekend. It's not Franks, but there wasn't a giant 1am franks line either. It takes about 3 minutes to spit out an entire well cooked pizza.

All hail pizza-bot.

[jermh]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:04 PM, staresatmaps said:

3.7 google rating in Miami. But I guess we always need more crappy ripoff brunch/hookah/bottle service places.

 

On 9/12/2022 at 1:21 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

I mean this is better than another SpongeBob/Anime pop up with stickers lining the building

 

I don't think this place will be my scene, but I'm happy something is going into the retail space that will keep vagrants from camping and peeing in front of it. Plus, renting this place means another chance something I like can go in elsewhere, eliminating another empty retail space. I heard it is supposed to open in 2-3 weeks and didn't believe it at first, but they've had full construction crews working and making decent progress since last week.

[downtownian]

On 9/16/2022 at 9:49 AM, jermh said:

Pizza from the pizza bot was reasoably good on a walk home from a bar last weekend. It's not Franks, but there wasn't a giant 1am franks line either. It takes about 3 minutes to spit out an entire well cooked pizza.

I had it at 2am on Friday and it was pretty good for a pizza ATM.