Eight Houston Restaurant Openings to Know Right Now By Houston Eater

With a new Korean all-you-can-eat rice cake buffet, a new Third Ward cafe, and a new wine bar that specializes in sandwiches, here are the openings to note this August.

Summer has brought a wave of new restaurant openings, setting the city ablaze with new places to dine, drink, and lounge around on the patio should the unpredictable Houston weather allow for it. From beloved neighborhood gems adding new outposts in the suburbs to original concepts offering fresh dishes and prepared family meals, there are lots of worthy additions to add to your 2023 hit list. Here are the Houston restaurant openings you need to know about right now.

Dookki Tteokbokki

Located next door to H-Mart on Bellaire Boulevard, this long-anticipated Korean restaurant quietly opened in early August. The all-you-can-eat restaurant Dookki serves tteokbokki, a type of simmered Korean rice cake, which is customizable with a variety of sauces and broths. Diners can visit its rice cake bar, filling up their bowls with different styles of rice cakes, before loading their dish with proteins and other ingredients, like ramen. Then, it’s time to visit the sauce bar and add broth to cook it at your table. The restaurant also features an optional cheese plate for dipping, plus build-your-own bulgogli bowls, and an instant ramen station. The prices are hard to beat for such an elaborate buffet. Adults can eat for $20 to $23, while children can dine for $14 for lunch and $17 for dinner (Kids under 4 eat for free). 9750 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite 100.

Love Croissants

The beloved croissants by chef Omar Pereney finally have their own home. Sharing a space with restaurant Weights and Measures at 2808 Caroline Street, Love Croissants offers fresh baked croissants Wednesday through Sunday, with divine savory options like butter, ham and asiago, and crolache — a kolache and croissant hybrid that’s stuffed with jalapeño cheddar beef smoked sausage and three-year aged cheddar. Sweet classics include pan au chocolate and twice-baked almond cardamom, which can be copped fresh and warm at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 11 a.m. on days that it’s open. Cruffins — muffin-shaped croissants made with rotating and seasonal flavors like hot chocolate tiramisu and raspberry passionfruit — are only available on weekends.

Nando’s Peri Peri

The international chain that champions Portugese-South African cuisine and culture made its Texas debut in Houston’s Uptown on August 7. Located at 1717 Post Oak Boulevard in the same shopping center as Bluestone Lane coffee shop, Kenny and Ziggy’s, and Il Bracco, the restaurant was packed on opening day, with some customers waiting an hour or more for a table. Those familiar with “cheeky Nando’s” know that the restaurant prides itself on its flame-grilled chicken, with sides like mashed potatoes and roasted corn, and multiple different sauces with varying flavors and spice levels, all for the drizzling and dipping. But the restaurant is now offering a bevy of new items, like wraps, a veggie-packed Rainbow Bowl, frozen cocktails, and sides like the Brussels sprouts and the Peri mac and cheese — all of which have been debuted in Houston first and will be introduced to its other locations in the coming weeks. It’s not Nando’s only Texas stop, though. The restaurant will open new outposts in Katy at La Centerra and Dallas-Fort Worth.

The Rado Market & Cafe

Lucille’s chef Chris Williams latest project — the revival of Third Ward’s historic entertainment venue Eldorado Ballroom — finally opened in mid-July, with a celebratory multi-use space featuring an art gallery filled with pieces by Black Third Ward artists and the renovated ballroom. The on-site cafe and market, the Rado Market, welcomes in the community to indulge in breakfast tacos, farm fresh salads, and sandwiches that are masterpieces for the mouth and reflections of the neighborhood’s flavors (The oxtail smash burger and the three-cheese grilled cheese, served with a side of green gumbo for dipping, are must-orders). The grab-and-go market is also an homage to Third Ward, with produce, fresh pressed-juices, ready-made-desserts, and seasonings made by local entrepreneurs. Be sure to stop by the wine shop, which features obscure picks chosen by community members, and the book nook, which features personal picks from chef Chris’s home collection for sale. And don’t be afraid to pack a picnic and take it to nearby Emancipation Park. Rado also sells insulated picnic bags and blankets for that very reason.

Tin Drum Asian Kitchen

The Atlanta-based Asian cafe and restaurant has now planted roots in Washington Heights, offering what seems to be a chaotic smorgasbord of Chinese, Szechwan, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, and Korean dishes, according to a release. Housed in the Vic at the Interpose, the multiuse-development at 1111 Shepherd Drive, the restaurant aims to channel the culture and ambiance of Hong Kong, with colorful art, neon lights and graffiti, but features a menu that traverses asia with stirfry, ramen, street snacks, wings, and more. Tim Drum also features a boba bar, with customizable fruit and milk teas and slushees, and a mini mart, where a variety of candy, sauces, and snacks from countries throughout Asia are available to-go. Steven Chan, the restaurant’s founder and CEO, based the restaurant on his upbringing in Hong Kong and the tale of Tin Drummer, a man who woke a neighborhood up each morning by playing a time drum, leading them to the local cafe.

C3

Sommelier and spirits expert Sean Beck, who previously worked with James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega at restaurants including Hugo, Caracol, and Xochi, opened C3 Cafe in Bravery Chef Hall in July. The food hall stall offers a variety of coffee, cocktails, and mocktails, plus sells licensed cannabis products. A grand opening is planned for September.

Fiora’s Bottle Shop

This anticipated wine bar in the bustling Montrose Collective is finally open, offering dozens of varieties of wine and bubbly drinks by the half- or full-sized glass, or the bottle, meaning plenty of opportunity to sip, sample, or flat-out indulge. Sandwiches are also a major focus, with . One of the standouts includes the massive (and appropriately named) GOAT sandwich, in which genoa salami, mortadella bologna, applewood smoked ham, pepperoni, capocollo, and provolone and American cheeses are stacked on a 14-inch bagquette with a heap of condiments and the best of sandwich stuffers, including red onions, shredded lettuce, tomato, and peperoncini.

Coco Crepes & Coffee

Billed as Houston’s first creperie, this cafe and coffee shop opened its ninth location at 3303 Richmond Avenue on July 24. The cafe is quite spacious, sitting nearly 100 people indoors, and offering a 400-square-foot outdoor patio where diners can unwind. Crepes run the gamut with sweet and savory options, like the marshmallow and graham-cracker loaded S’Mores crepe, and La Gallette, which is filled with roasted vegetables, tomatoes, spinach, cheese and a roasted red pepper pesto. The on-site coffee bar offers a variety of drinks, including espressos, smoothies, and Coccocinos, iced coffees made with house gelato.

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Source: www.houston.eater.com