Montrose Collective: Office Building With Retail At 888 Westheimer Rd.

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 5/17/2023 at 6:36 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

The Chelsea shared preview photos on Instagram yesterday.

Located in Montrose Collective, The Chelsea is an upscale bistro and bar opening in the coming weeks. 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 is the address.

Syn Group is the mind behind the Chelsea. The Dallas-based hospitality team operates several restaurants and bars is the Dallas and Fort Worth areas: America Gardens, Don Chingon, Wishful Drinking, and others.

With The Chelsea, Syn Group is partnering with the team behind Houston's Lincoln Bar, Pour Behavior, and several more food and beverage concepts.


https://www.instagram.com/thechelseahtx

 

 

Additional photos of The Chelsea. The photos are from the restaurant's website.

The Chelsea is billed as a bistro and bar. It's located at 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 in Montrose Collective.

[IntheKnowHouston]

Sometime last week, the website for The Chelsea went live.

Located in Montrose Collective, The Chelsea is an upscale bistro and bar opening in the coming weeks. 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 is the address.

Syn Group is the mind behind the Chelsea. The Dallas-based hospitality team operates several restaurants and bars is the Dallas and Fort Worth areas: America Gardens, Don Chingon, Wishful Drinking, and others.

With The Chelsea, Syn Group is partnering with the team behind Houston's Lincoln Bar, Pour Behavior, and several more food and beverage concepts.


https://chelseahtx.com

[IntheKnowHouston]

After private previews last week, The Chelsea is open to the public this week.

The Chelsea is located at 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 in Montrose Collective.




About the team behind the restaurant from CultureMap yesterday:


Restaurateurs Shawn Rao and Jonathan Serrano teamed up with Houston operator Roveen Abante, a partner in concepts such as Be More Pacific, Sushi Rebel, and the upcoming Conservatory Galleria food hall, to open The Chelsea. Rao and Serrano are native Houstonians who found success in Dallas with the Syn Group, a hospitality company that operates a number of concepts in the Metroplex, including Don Chingon, The Social House, and America Gardens.


About the space:

To create the proper atmosphere, Rao and his partners took inspiration from their travels across Europe. They created a space that features marble-patterned floors, shades of teal and burgundy, and lots of art on the walls. 

 

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/the-chelsea-restaurant-montrose-collective-1/

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 5/17/2023 at 6:36 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

The Chelsea shared preview photos on Instagram yesterday.

Located in Montrose Collective, The Chelsea is an upscale bistro and bar opening in the coming weeks. 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 is the address.

Syn Group is the mind behind the Chelsea. The Dallas-based hospitality team operates several restaurants and bars is the Dallas and Fort Worth areas: America Gardens, Don Chingon, Wishful Drinking, and others.

With The Chelsea, Syn Group is partnering with the team behind Houston's Lincoln Bar, Pour Behavior, and several more food and beverage concepts.


https://www.instagram.com/thechelseahtx

 

 

 

On 5/21/2023 at 4:06 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Additional photos of The Chelsea. The photos are from the restaurant's website.

The Chelsea is billed as a bistro and bar. It's located at 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 in Montrose Collective.

More photos of The Chelsea that were included in yesterday's CultureMap article.

The Chelsea is located at 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 119 in Montrose Collective.










 

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 11/9/2021 at 3:35 PM, hindesky said:

Austin based bar Idle Hands opens Wed. November 10th.

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/11-09-21-idle-hands-new-bar-cocktails-rooftop-patio-montrose-collective-matt-wolski-andrew-hunter/

 

Idle Hands closed its Houston outpost at 910 Westheimer Rd a few months ago. The rooftop bar was located in Montrose Collective.
 

[IntheKnowHouston]

4 minutes ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

Idle Hands closed its Houston outpost at 910 Westheimer Rd a few months ago. The rooftop bar was located in Montrose Collective.

I don't know for certain, but it's possible a bar concept from Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu may open in Montrose Collective.

Heugel and Yu are the team behind Thorough Fare. The hospitality group operates Better Luck Tomorrow, Anvil, Squabble, and others.

With Idle Hands' recent closure at 910 Westheimer Rd, the duo are rumored to take over the space. If true, it's possible the space could be a second location of Better Luck Tomorrow.

Back in April, Heugel spoke to Eater Houston about future projects from Thorough Fare. One project is a second outpost of Better Luck Tomorrow:


"...the pair is scouting locations for a second outpost of their thriving Heights bar, Better Luck Tomorrow. “We had delayed the new location for the hotel opening, but since we’re not doing that now, we are shifting our focus back to BLT,” he says, adding that they are looking at a 2024 opening, but it’s possible it could be sooner."

https://houston.eater.com/2023/4/17/23686378/houston-chefs-galveston-hotel-lucine

[ToolMan]

I'm really trying hard to like the restaurants at this place, but I just can't.

Marmo:
Nice happy hour. Appetizers and drinks are good. It's going to cost you after 6pm. Drinks are ridiculously priced if you are drinking anything other than wine.

Graffiti Raw:
You are spend some $$$ here

The Chelsea:
Decent wine prices - not sure about liquor. $24 for a burger and appetizers aren't much cheaper. 

Picnik:
Haven't checked it out yet. Looked online and the menu doesn't draw me in.

I wouldn't call these places fines dining either. Much better restaurants you can go for the same price or cheaper. Traffic is going to be horrid on Grant St. with Uchi and these places. I feel bad for the neighbors. Just rip it all up and turn it into a upscale Rainey St.

That's my Montrose is dead rant for the week.

[Texasota]

These places are all pretty new; hopefully they can find a better balance of price vs. quality. 

Given the number of excellent dining options within a 5 minute walk alone, I don't see them sticking around too long if they're both pricy *and* not worth it. 

[Amlaham]

13 hours ago, ToolMan said:

I'm really trying hard to like the restaurants at this place, but I just can't.

Marmo:
Nice happy hour. Appetizers and drinks are good. It's going to cost you after 6pm. Drinks are ridiculously priced if you are drinking anything other than wine.

Graffiti Raw:
You are spend some $$$ here

The Chelsea:
Decent wine prices - not sure about liquor. $24 for a burger and appetizers aren't much cheaper. 

Picnik:
Haven't checked it out yet. Looked online and the menu doesn't draw me in.

I wouldn't call these places fines dining either. Much better restaurants you can go for the same price or cheaper. Traffic is going to be horrid on Grant St. with Uchi and these places. I feel bad for the neighbors. Just rip it all up and turn it into a upscale Rainey St.

That's my Montrose is dead rant for the week.

I can't speak about the price/quality of the food (everyone's going to have their own opinion), but I can confidently say that traffic here isn't bad at all. Its actually a nice traffic flow from day till night. It doesn't feel like traffic on Westheimer near 610 (nightmare). I was actually impressed that a project this scale didn't create a traffic nightmare but for some reason, traffic feels exactly the same as it did when there was a shopping center here. I will say, I did a good amount of people walk here which helps, they could have been from the area or just parked on the street somewhere. IMO, this has to be one of the nicest developments in all of Houston. 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I always assumed these type of developments would be more affordable to tenants since they are leasing a space vs an entire building on a lot? In other words, tenants would have more room to be more affordable? 

 

Side note, I will say dinning in general has gotten a lot more expensive than it used to :/ 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Amlaham

[nate4l1f3]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:27 PM, ToolMan said:

I'm really trying hard to like the restaurants at this place, but I just can't.

Marmo:
Nice happy hour. Appetizers and drinks are good. It's going to cost you after 6pm. Drinks are ridiculously priced if you are drinking anything other than wine.

Graffiti Raw:
You are spend some $$$ here

The Chelsea:
Decent wine prices - not sure about liquor. $24 for a burger and appetizers aren't much cheaper. 

Picnik:
Haven't checked it out yet. Looked online and the menu doesn't draw me in.

I wouldn't call these places fines dining either. Much better restaurants you can go for the same price or cheaper. Traffic is going to be horrid on Grant St. with Uchi and these places. I feel bad for the neighbors. Just rip it all up and turn it into a upscale Rainey St.

That's my Montrose is dead rant for the week.

This is a reason why I’m less excited than I use to be when developments like this pop up— there just isn’t much here for me, and I’m tired of being squeezed for every dollar. I will say, they all look like really nice spots as far as ascetics go. I reluctantly spend $9-$10 for 2 scoops of ice cream at Van Luween only because it so good 🤤. 

[004n063]

5 hours ago, nate4l1f3 said:

This is a reason why I’m less excited than I use to be when developments like this pop up— there just isn’t much here for me, and I’m tired of being squeezed for every dollar. I will say, they all look like really nice spots as far as ascetics go. I reluctantly spend $9-$10 for 2 scoops of ice cream at Van Luween only because it so good 🤤. 

I've come to assume that first tenants in mixed use developments will always be Instagram-forward and pricey. I wish they were more inclusive, but I wouldn't be a very happy person if I couldn't accept that there are places that aren't meant for me.

I'd also care a lot more if there weren't hundreds of other much cheaper, equally bike-accessible, and honestly probably better food options out there for me. 

It feels true enough to say that places like this are good for the health of the Houston restaurant ecosystem, and I'm good with that.

Plus it's a cool building, and the benches are free.

[staresatmaps]

1 hour ago, 004n063 said:

I've come to assume that first tenants in mixed use developments will always be Instagram-forward and pricey. I wish they were more inclusive, but I wouldn't be a very happy person if I couldn't accept that there are places that aren't meant for me.

I'd also care a lot more if there weren't hundreds of other much cheaper, equally bike-accessible, and honestly probably better food options out there for me. 

It feels true enough to say that places like this are good for the health of the Houston restaurant ecosystem, and I'm good with that.

Plus it's a cool building, and the benches are free.

More people should understand this. It's exactly the same way with apartment buildings.

[trymahjong]

I was walking by

[nate4l1f3]

13 hours ago, 004n063 said:

I've come to assume that first tenants in mixed use developments will always be Instagram-forward and pricey. I wish they were more inclusive, but I wouldn't be a very happy person if I couldn't accept that there are places that aren't meant for me.

I'd also care a lot more if there weren't hundreds of other much cheaper, equally bike-accessible, and honestly probably better food options out there for me. 

It feels true enough to say that places like this are good for the health of the Houston restaurant ecosystem, and I'm good with that.

Plus it's a cool building, and the benches are free.

Completely agree and that’s where I’m at with it. 

[Texasota]

I cannot support a golf apparel store in Montrose.

[clutchcity94]

Just now, Texasota said:

I cannot support a golf apparel store in Montrose.

Yeah seems a bit odd to put a golf apparel store in such an eclectic neighborhood.

[trymahjong]

I was walking by:

[trymahjong]

A new nail salon?

[Amlaham]

Pattern Energy relocated its Houston Hub from downtown (32nd floor at 1201 Louisiana) to this building. They're occupying 21,000 sqft at the 2nd and 3rd floor, and have 150 employees that will be based out of this building.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:t_jKFZdy0bkJ:https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/pattern-energy-office-move-montrose-collective-18152760.php&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari

 

According to Radom, the Montrose Collective is officially FULLY LEASED! This is exciting because I feel like other developers will now look at this development and use it as a blueprint for their future project since this is clearly a success! 

[trymahjong]

We were walking by.......

guess this is perhaps a prelude to the library Story time after library is completed?

[trymahjong]

we were walking by

Today huge Aston  Martin display:

 

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:07 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Idle Hands closed its Houston outpost at 910 Westheimer Rd a few months ago. The rooftop bar was located in Montrose Collective.

  

On 6/2/2023 at 8:41 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

I don't know for certain, but it's possible a bar concept from Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu may open in Montrose Collective.

Heugel and Yu are the team behind Thorough Fare. The hospitality group operates Better Luck Tomorrow, Anvil, Squabble, and others.

With Idle Hands' recent closure at 910 Westheimer Rd, the duo are rumored to take over the space. If true, it's possible the space could be a second location of Better Luck Tomorrow.

Back in April, Heugel spoke to Eater Houston about future projects from Thorough Fare. One project is a second outpost of Better Luck Tomorrow:


"...the pair is scouting locations for a second outpost of their thriving Heights bar, Better Luck Tomorrow. “We had delayed the new location for the hotel opening, but since we’re not doing that now, we are shifting our focus back to BLT,” he says, adding that they are looking at a 2024 opening, but it’s possible it could be sooner."

https://houston.eater.com/2023/4/17/23686378/houston-chefs-galveston-hotel-lucine

If there were plans for a bar concept at 910 Westheimer from hospitality group Thorough Fare, I think they are no more. Word is Le Ciel Hospitality may lease (or has leased) Idle Hand's former space at Montrose Collective.

Le Ciel Hospitality is the team behind Ciel, the supper club dining concept at 4411 San Felipe St, Suite 101.  I haven't reached out to the restaurant group for details. The website for Montrose Collective's has nothing about Idle Hand's replacement. Furthermore, I am unable to find a website or social media accounts for a possible concept.

However, I did notice a recent entity filing that seems to back up the rumor. Le Ciel Hospitality filed an entity for 910 Westheimer LLC last month. So, maybe the group is working on something for 910 Westheimer.

Hopefully, whatever is planned for Idle Hand's former space will be reported by year's end.

Edited August 21, 2023 by IntheKnowHouston

[trymahjong]

I was walking by

[IntheKnowHouston]

4 hours ago, trymahjong said:

I was walking by

That's Foreign Fare, a fashion line centered on women's travel apparel. Papercity recently wrote about it. The shop is from the owners of Traveler's Table, the restaurant in Montrose.

Foreign Fare's pop-up store at Montrose Collective will run for a limited time. The pop-up store is located at 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 153.


https://www.foreignfare.com

https://www.instagram.com/foreignfareapparel

 

https://www.papercitymag.com/fashion/houston-travelers-table-restaurant-owners-launch-new-foreign-fare-fashion-line/

[bobruss]

When does the library open?

[trymahjong]

I was driving by.....

[hindesky]

https://hiskin.care

[thedistrict84]

On 8/19/2023 at 12:17 PM, trymahjong said:

we were walking by

Today huge Aston  Martin display:

 

I think that red one is a V8 Vantage. Basically a British Mustang (sort of). Also driven by Timothy Dalton’s Bond in The Living Daylights (one of the best Bond films, no lie).

[hindesky]

The head librarian spoke at the Neartown meeting in Nov. who said it would be opening soon.

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 4/27/2023 at 7:02 AM, trymahjong said:

Looks like Picnik is open

According to Houston Chronicle, Picnik will close its Houston outpost this weekend. The health-conscious restaurant from Austin is located in Montrose Collective at 888 Westheimer Rd, Suite 126.


Additional details from Houston Chronicle:

Open for about nine months, Picnik at 888 Westheimer confirmed its last day would be Sunday, Jan. 21. The executive chef at the Montrose location referred the Houston Chronicle to its corporate office in Austin when asked for more information about the closure. 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture/restaurants-bars/article/picnik-houston-closing-18617042.php

Edited January 19 by IntheKnowHouston