A diverse mix of restaurants swung open their doors around Houston last month.
Chef Justin Yu of Theodore Rex launched his newest concept: House of Louie, which draws on Italian and French influence. Burger Bodega, that hit smash-burger joint, grew to Katy. A New York bagel brand made its Texas debut.
Here’s our list of 15 restaurants, bars and cafes that opened in the Houston region in September. Let us know what we missed.
AUGUST OPENINGS:
Barbecue, Vietnamese, Mediterranean: See 16 of Houston’s newest restaurants, cafes
AYLA
6750 Main
AYLA, based inside the InterContinental Houston hotel, serves Mediterranean food. (AYLA)
The name for this Mediterranean restaurant, based inside the InterContinental Houston hotel, comes from the Turkish word for a halo of light. Its menu includes char-grilled octopus Provencal, pan-seared seabass with saffron risotto, herby lamb chops and a Black Angus tenderloin. Hummus, muhummara, labneh, baba ghanoush and more are on offer from the mezze selection, and for drinks, diners can choose botanical cocktails, spritzes, Mediterranean wines or low-to-no alcohol drinks.
24 Waterway Ave., The Woodlands
Interior seating at Bari Ristorante in The Woodlands. (Quit Nguyen)
The River Oaks Italian restaurant Bari expanded to The Woodlands. In its 9,000-square-foot space, it serves house-made pastas and dry-aged meats. Many menu items will stay constant – fritto misto, pappardelle bolognese – though the new location also offers some dishes all its own, like the pollo piccata and culaccia e melone.
The Bixby
7202 Long Point, Suite A
The Bixby’s menu stars 14 cocktail creations. (Hasan Yousef)
A new neighborhood cocktail bar opened at the same property as Long Point Social Club, a pickleball bar. With space for 45 guests inside and 40 on the patio, the Bixby blends California and Houston vibes. Its menu stars 14 cocktails, including the gin-strawberry-kombu-lime-togarashi Bixby Cup and the tequila-pisco-mango Bianco-Salers-pepper Crocodile Tears. Customers can get other classic cocktails, wine, beer and alcohol-free drinks too.
21904 Franz, Katy
Abbas Dhanani, chef-owner of Burger Bodega, expanded to Katy. (Michael Ma)
The popular smash burgers of Washington Avenue are now available in Katy, too. Chef-owner Abbas Dhanani brought the same menu with him to his second location: chopped cheese sandwiches and milkshakes as well as the burgers. The space is dressed up to look like a New York-style bodega, with space to seat just over 100.
Chatime x SunnyUp Bakery
23119 Colonial Pkwy., Suite C4, Katy
A Taiwanese tea company and a Taiwanese bakery teamed up for this Katy concept. (Chatime USA)
Taiwanese tea chain Chatime and sponge cake bakery SunnyUp debuted a dual-concept store in Katy. It combines boba tea, cakes, popcorn chicken and fried calamari for an all-in-one stop; many of its teas emphasize floral tea flavors. The store marks SunnyUp’s first retail location in America.
Chef Sun’s Noodle & Dumpling
1531 Hwy 6 #100, Sugar Land
Sugar Land gained a halal Chinese restaurant last month. Chef Sun’s serves potstickers, steamed vegetable dumplings, chicken soup dumplings, several noodle soups, fried rice, crispy fish with Thai chili sauce and more. It also includes a selection of American Chinese classics, like orange chicken, sesame chicken and broccoli beef.
2850 Westheimer
H&H Bagels opened its first Texas location in River Oaks in September. (Courtesy/H&H Bagels)
This New York City bagel brand, born in Manhattan in 1972, just launched its first Texas location. It sells classic sandwiches – bacon, egg and cheese; nova salmon – plus cream cheese in a host of flavors: scallion, spicy scallion, veggie, strawberry. Bagels come in varieties like plain, everything, sesame, cinnamon raisin, whole wheat, pumpernickel and more.
1931 Fairview
House of Louie is now open in Montrose from Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel. (Kirsten Gilliam)
Chef Justin Yu and bar owner Bobby Heugel, both prominent in Houston’s food and drink scene, debuted their newest restaurant. House of Louie draws on French and Italian inspiration, Yu said. He said glazed duck with vegetables and seasonal fruit is already popular, as is the yellowtail crudo with pickled vegetables. Pastas – and fried lasagna – are on the menu too. The bar leans into Gulf Coast seasonal trends.
Kirby Ice House
530 Bay Area Blvd., Clear Lake
Kirby Ice House grew to Clear Lake. (Alex Montoya)
Kirby Ice House broke in its newest location in Clear Lake, with patio seating, rotating beers, yard and arcade games and dog-friendly outdoor spaces. It’s meant to be a casual neighborhood spot, with food trucks and craft cocktails, ready for game-day watch parties.
4400 Post Oak Pkwy.
Charred octopus, Chilean seabass, and a Tomahawk steak at Mack Allen’s, a new fine dining restaurant. (Michael Anthony)
Houston restaurateur Mack McDonald brought a new fine-dining restaurant to the River Oaks area. The new American concept can seat up to 500 restaurants in its 16,000-square-foot space. Besides a bar and multiple private rooms, it also features a quarter-acre garden courtyard. Prime steaks and Australian wagyu star on the menu, with other entrees like rack of lamb and roast Chilean sea bass. A raw bar and sushi are on offer too.
Spice in Heights
1111 Studewood, Suite 100
Spice in Heights serves Mediterranean food like seared red snapper and harissa-grilled jumbo shrimp. (Spice in Heights)
At this Mediterranean restaurant, diners might choose pistachio-crusted lamb chops, seared red snapper or harissa-grilled jumbo shrimp. The menu includes a classic mezze section – baba ganoush, falafel – but it’s not entirely sticking to tradition. Happy hour deals range from a fattoush salad to tuna tartare, fish and chips and street beef tacos.
Tapestry
2323 Allen Pkwy.
The Ismaili Center is shown in Houston Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. It recently opened a new all-day cafe. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle)
The Ismaili Center, a landmark venue that opened in Montrose last year, debuted an all-day cafe. Guests might grab butter chicken flatbread, a chai masala cookie or “naan-chos,” which combine paratha, chicken and mozzarella. To drink, there’s green juice, mint lemonade, mango lassis, chai and espresso. After the meal, diners might wander around the center, looking at art exhibitions or the gardens.
Tavolina 44
22756 Westheimer Pkwy. #180, Katy
Tavolina 44 serves Italian food in Cinco Ranch. (Tavolina 44)
Tavolina 44, a new Italian restaurant, opened in Cinco Ranch. It stars a recipe for sujuk, a cured sausage, passed down through the owners’ family for generations. Now, that recipe is featured on charcuterie boards and atop pizzas and mixed with fusilli. Other dishes include salmon, grilled branzino, a burger and seafood risotto. Tiramisu or ricotta cheesecake might round out a meal.
Texas Biergarten at Sienna Oaks
1515 Golden View, Missouri City
A veggie spring roll wrap at Texas Biergarten. (Texas Biergarten)
The Sienna Oaks amenity center opened an onsite restaurant with coffee, pastries and grab-and-go lunch: Think a Caprese sandwich on focaccia, pistachio pesto pizza or seasonal bruschetta. For dessert, diners might get Nutella triple chocolate brownies or a banana split. Wine and beer are available.
Trill Burgers
7616 Westheimer
Trill Burgers expanded west of the Galleria. (Trill Burgers)
This Houston mini-chain expanded to a fourth location, just west of the Galleria. This one seats 70, with a wrap-around drive-thru. It also offers late-night hours. The menu hasn’t changed: The OG Burger, with two smashed patties, caramelized onions, Trill sauce, pickles and cheese, remains the star.
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This article originally published at Burgers and fine dining: 15 new restaurants, cafes that opened around Houston last month.
