Historic Houston Restaurants

[Dave W]

On 10/24/2020 at 1:27 AM, JESS Kalinowsky said:

Anyone remember a 1960's  big private home that was converted into a restaurant, that had a big back yard with Peacocks? Famous for fried chicken family style Sunday brunch. Seems it was in SouthEast Houston, near a bayou. Older mini-mansions.  JESS@FriendsTravel.com if you remember 

 The Green Parrot on MacGregor Way. It was opened in the early 1950s.

[Casafun]

On 10/5/2005 at 1:56 PM, MarthaG said:

There use to be an area that was upstairs at Sharpstown Mall that had bars and resturants. Anyone remember that? Names of any of them? I use to go see live music there sometimes.

Chelsea Street Pub

On 8/28/2020 at 8:00 PM, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

Cyclone Anaya's?

Yup.  Best drinks and birthday celebrations ever.  The guy would put a plastic apron on you stand on a chair across the room and shoot tequila/sprite thru this bong looking thing into your mouth (over diners heads)

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

On 9/12/2004 at 8:23 PM, groovehouse said:

Even though it's only been gone a short time, I miss the original Antone's on Taft. The chain Antone's pale in comparison to the original locations. I don't even know how many 'original' stores exist.

I also miss ZuZu, which was on Shepherd near Fairview. It was Mexican fast food and I remember a salsa bar or something... it was quaint with good food.

haha, let's dredge one up from the beginning. This post is old enough to drive. I wonder if Groovehouse still looks at this forum occasionally... Yo, we're doing shows at HoB again soon, hope to see you around.

[TJM]

Does anyone remember Old Shucker’s just off of I-45 in Conroe?  Tiny place, good food, (90% crabs), and a rollicking happy hour for folks on their way from Houston to the Woodlands in the early 1980s.  I tended bar there for a time.  

 

Owned by Gerry (Jerry?) and Becky Doyle - great folks and good times!

[Watson503]

A few off the top of my head - Ballatori's on Leeland, Hymie's Burgers (across from Queen of Peace church) on Telephone, Basim Bugers (old Chuck Wagon on Lawndale), Zappo's, ZZ Zamora's, La Hacienda off Braeswood and Main, Moose's - first on Chetwood and later moved to the Bellaire Triangle. 

[D.P.]

Does Anyone remember the BBQ Rib restaurant on Westheimer? (I think it was a White building) and I think the name started with an "H". It sat on the south side of the street. I can't remember if there was a Jack 'n the Box near it. Going out toward hwy 6 (but not that far), just going in that direction. 

It had "the" Best bbq sauce. This would have been back in the 90's.

Also what is the name of the Mexican restaurant, where when you Need something, you pull the little Flag up on your table and one of the workers would come to your table to see what you needed. I think it started with a "P".

Edited June 5, 2021 by D.P.
Added another question.

[august948]

36 minutes ago, D.P. said:

Does Anyone remember the BBQ Rib restaurant on Westheimer? (I think it was a White building) and I think the name started with an "H". It sat on the south side of the street. I can't remember if there was a Jack 'n the Box near it. Going out toward hwy 6 (but not that far), just going in that direction. 

It had "the" Best bbq sauce. This would have been back in the 90's.

Also what is the name of the Mexican restaurant, where when you Need something, you pull the little Flag up on your table and one of the workers would come to your table to see what you needed. I think it started with a "P".

Not sure about the BBQ place but the Mexican restaurant was Pancho's.

[Bruce Ross]

My brother and I did the local flyer advertising for both ZuZu locations. The Shepherd location did hot business with our first few area runs, but tailed off over time to steady.  The West University location was very steady all around. Good food, and a shame that it never lasted for more than a few years. 

[kbear37]

Leo's Mexican Restaurant was located on Shepard near Westheimer. They had some of the best hot sauce and great enchiladas.

Also remember two 70's restaurants next each other on Woodway Square (Gessner & Westheimer).

Don The Beachcomber and The Flying Tiger (right next to each other)

Edited October 3, 2021 by kbear37
omitted word that corrected grammar

[PJE]

Does anyone remember the name of a restaurant that was off of 45 and they served their food on a trash can lid? I think it was a cajun restaurant.

 

[Specwriter]

11 hours ago, PJE said:

Does anyone remember the name of a restaurant that was off of 45 and they served their food on a trash can lid? I think it was a Cajun restaurant.

 

Thankfully, no. 🙂

[JudgeBen]

I remember Delmonico on lower Westheimer. An upscale Italian restaurant I went to with my parents in the 1950’s. Any info about it. 

[michael.sonnier]

I used to work a lot at the Great Mine Company.  I worked a lot of backup rolling silverware into napkins into glasses.  We rode the elevator up and down with us inside pulling  a rope beside.  What fun.  we had Halloween parties and they served a lot of nutmeg there in ice cream drinks.  The steak was so good famous Houston Oilers Football players would dine there all the time.   They were very busy every single night.  Oh, what good times thosew were!

[pecos]

On 6/5/2021 at 2:56 PM, august948 said:

Not sure about the BBQ place but the Mexican restaurant was Pancho's.

was it Bud Bigalow's Steak House ?

[Dave W]

4 hours ago, pecos said:

 name of chinese restaurant on south main across from medical towers 1950-60's ?

Ding How was at 6800 South Main.

[mkultra25]

17 hours ago, Dave W said:

Ding How was at 6800 South Main.

[brucesw]

Now that I don't remember at all.  Possibly gone by the time I got here in '70?  Wasn't Lee's Den in that block too?, with the Astrodome mock-up?

@pecos Bud Bigelow's was one of the Steak House Associates restaurants I believe just a little west of the Galleria next to the fire station on the north side of the street.  SHA also had The Stables (Westheimer in River Oaks and on S. Main) The Courtyard (on I-10) and another restaurant that I think was seafood @ 2607 Westheimer that became the first Chuy's in Houston (from Austin).  All three restaurants along Westheimer were on the north side of the street.

@D.P. Westheimer is a pretty long road.  Can you be a little more specific about location (and time frame).  I can only think of 3 bbq restaurants on the south side of Westheimer:

Thomas BBQ - mid 70s and on, Westheimer @ Chimney Rock or not far west of there, in a strip center (it may have been white).  Great lunch spot.

Luther's (became Pappas) - Westheimer @ Gessner - still there.  I may be remembering that wrong.  May have been a white building when it was Pappas.

Brandon's - late 90's at the earliest, in Carillon Square, may have been a white building. Brandon was the son-in law of the man who wound up running Thomas (3 locations) after his restaurantuer partner died just shortly after opening.

I don't know that any of them specialized in ribs.

Edited May 13, 2022 by brucesw

[Dave W]

7 hours ago, brucesw said:

Now that I don't remember at all.  Possibly gone by the time I got here in '70?  Wasn't Lee's Den in that block too?, with the Astrodome mock-up?

...

Lee's Den was at 8100, just past the Ace Trailer Park.

I can't remember when Ding How closed, it was definitely around well into the 60s.

[pecos]

On 5/13/2022 at 4:30 PM, brucesw said:

Now that I don't remember at all.  Possibly gone by the time I got here in '70?  Wasn't Lee's Den in that block too?, with the Astrodome mock-up?

@pecos Bud Bigelow's was one of the Steak House Associates restaurants I believe just a little west of the Galleria next to the fire station on the north side of the street.  SHA also had The Stables (Westheimer in River Oaks and on S. Main) The Courtyard (on I-10) and another restaurant that I think was seafood @ 2607 Westheimer that became the first Chuy's in Houston (from Austin).  All three restaurants along Westheimer were on the north side of the street.

@D.P. Westheimer is a pretty long road.  Can you be a little more specific about location (and time frame).  I can only think of 3 bbq restaurants on the south side of Westheimer:

Thomas BBQ - mid 70s and on, Westheimer @ Chimney Rock or not far west of there, in a strip center (it may have been white).  Great lunch spot.

Luther's (became Pappas) - Westheimer @ Gessner - still there.  I may be remembering that wrong.  May have been a white building when it was Pappas.

Brandon's - late 90's at the earliest, in Carillon Square, may have been a white building. Brandon was the son-in law of the man who wound up running Thomas (3 locations) after his restaurantuer partner died just shortly after opening.

I don't know that any of them specialized in ribs.

Bud Bigelow's was west of Voss rd on Westheimer.

[pecos]

On 6/17/2019 at 1:06 PM, Sharon said:

Someone said Velvet Turtle?  I worked there in 81. I don't think I've ever seen a place quite like it to this day. The chilled bowls in ice for gazpacho and cucumber soup, the presentation of chilled salad forks at the tables, and tableside tossed salad in green goddess dressing, and I have never had anyone remove the shell from a lobster tail like we did there. But let me tell you, the managers were a unique kind of crazy!  I remember an older lady, head waitress named BJ with the old fashioned hair "do" sitting on the end barstool drinking till she slurred her words. And Gordon was the very flamboyant bartender/manager he was hilarious and fun, but pretty strict.  And Marvin Ziegler saw a mouse in the kitchen but didn't even care because he enjoyed dinner so much. Wait.... I may have mentioned that before. If so, sorry. Fun times there!

Zindler.....Marvin Zindler

[DJKAggie]

Does anyone remember a barbecue place along 290 heading towards Jersey Villlage called Buffalo Bill's? It was my absolute favorite. We always went there when we lived in the Cy-Fair area in the early to mid-80s. Not sure when it closed, but the Q was awesome. Always a very nice owner working there.

[Kniff]

I lived in Houston for 2 years from 79-81. I worked at Spoons and the Mason Jar on Katy Freeway. They were owned by the same company. Such fun places to work. Spoons baby back ribs were delicious. The decor at the Mason Jar was eye catching, everything hanging from the ceiling. They served salad in a bucket, warm sour dough rolls and great clam chowder. I also worked at Houstons on Westheimer and another supper club on Westheimer that was high end, owned by a couple of NY brothers, Grossbar I think.

[carrob]

On 1/6/2016 at 9:02 AM, nerevar59 said:

 

I worked at Ari's from May '77 to Aug. '77. I was the dessert "chef", and made the French onion soup, and the garlic bread. Ari had a direct phone line installed from the kitchen to the bar, and we could order whatever we wanted. My favorite waitress was GiGi. Ari would let us have steaks after work, and we would go out to his house on some weekends to work on his property.

Ari opened Athenas last year, off Eldridge on 529. He was bored being a sales man. Sad to say, today, 7/12/22, Ari passed away last night. No details, but he was running a restaurant, and that made him happy till the end. He was a crusty old Greek, but just as loveable. He shall be sorely missed.

 

[Okie Sam]

On 6/21/2007 at 5:03 PM, Willsatx said:

Did you all have a PEOPLE'S RESTAURANT in Houston?

There was one in 1982. Does anyone remember where it was?

[Jana Kincer]

Interested in buying any Houston restaurant matchbooks that you guys have collected. Please let me know. I can trade with you as well

[Jana Kincer]

On 2/7/2013 at 4:44 PM, IHB2 said:

I just unpacked these 70 vintage matchbooks from my late parents' stuff. Mostly Houston area restaurants of the 1950s and 1960s, but also some Houston hotels, oil industry service companie, and some great Bellaire businesses. There are another 80 or so from all over Texas and some international and other US states - I'll post a pic of these after I take it.

 

I sob a little just looking at the Valian's matches, and Kaphan's, and Pier 21, and Safari, and...

 

 

 

Would you be willing to sell that collection? I will give you a good price

[Clifford]

I have 4 childhood favorites from the 60s. Very obscure. I wonder if anyone remembers them? I even have a hard time being sure of their names and locations. 

There was a coffee shop/ diner in Westbury, on Belfort, next to the library and putt putt golf, called Kings? I just remember that part of the name. Fried grilled cheese battered, with cracker crust. Never had anything like it again.

Another was the best Italian I've ever had called Leonardo's. There were flip-card movie machines and other antiques. Best real Italian food. It was south of Westbury, out Hillcroft, somewhere. 

Then there was Brittain's Broiler Burger in Westbury Square. Very tasty flame grilled burgers and nice lemon ice cream.

Of course, Alfred's Delicatessen on Stella Link. Amazing burgers and borscht.

I remember these places and wonder if no one else remembers. 

[brucesw]

Can't help you with the first two but there were several Brittain's around, all gone, so far as I know.  The last having been renamed Bellaire Broiler Burger at the intersection of BIssonnet and Bellaire, closed during the pandemic.  A food truck has been operating at that location for a couple of months, claiming to have the recipes and planning on reopening the restaurant after remodeling the interior but I understand they gave up because of issues with the building and have shut the truck down.  I'd like to find a broiler burger place but don't know of any.

 

Alfred's - of course.  Hamburger Steak Sandwich on an Egg Roll - one of the greatest burgers of all time!  All locations gone for years.  Alfred's son operated Kahn's Deli in the Village for a few years, just sandwiches, not the burger, but that's gone now, too.

[Earlydays]

...also outstanding roast beef sandwiches at Alfred's

[kbates2]

Kahn's Deli had the best reuben i've ever eaten.  Most of the sandwiches at Kahn's were the best I've ever had.