When it came to restaurant openings in Houston, summer had absolutely no chill. The city saw dozens of new restaurants open, many with extravagant dishes and offerings like tableside cart service for martinis, steaks, and even ice cream. This fall, things seem to be going at a different pace. The openings, though, are no less exciting: At least two restaurants will open their first standalone flagship locations. Another two will be resurrected and revamped. And while summer openings seemed to lean fancy, many restaurants opening in the fall skew less formal, with the teams behind the Traveler’s Table and award-winning restaurant Amrina debuting more fast-casual options with comfort dishes from around the world. ChòpnBlọk, meanwhile, will unveil its spin on West African cuisine in Montrose. Still, it wouldn’t be Houston if things didn’t get a little showy, and this fall promises that, too.
Without further ado, here are the most anticipated restaurants for fall 2024.
Traveler’s Cart
Location: 1401 Montrose Boulevard
Key players: Thy and Matthew Mitchell, owners of Traveler’s Table
Projected opening date: September 2024
The diverse menu at Traveler’s Table will follow through at its more casual counter-service sister restaurant, Traveler’s Cart. Debuting in late summer, Traveler’s Cart is set to feature street dishes from around the globe inspired by owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell’s travels. Not much else is known about the menu other than to expect influences from Thailand, India, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Jamaica, and beyond.
MAVEN Coffee + co*cktails
Location: 1501 Silver Street, Sawyer Yards
Key players: Astros player Lance McCullers Jr., Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa, chef Nicolás G. “Nico” Baizan de Aldecoa
Projected opening date: September 2024
Following its cafe opening in Thompson Hotel, this Houston coffee and co*cktail lounge will open its first stand-alone location at Silver Street Studios this September. Like its hotel outpost, the new full-service restaurant will operate as a coffee shop by day, serving specialty coffee drinks and pastries. By night, it will transform into a co*cktail lounge serving signature co*cktails like its one-of-a-kind carajillo and a more extensive food menu that includes croissant truffle grilled cheese and caviar-topped tater tots.
River Oaks Theater
Location: 2009 W. Gray Street, River Oaks
Key players: Culinary Khancepts
Projected opening date: October 2024
Culinary Khancepts, the hospitality group behind The Woodlands’s Reel Luxury Cinemas and its accompanying restaurant, the Audrey, gives the storied River Oaks Theater on West Gray a similar makeover. The storied theater, which opened in 1939, will soon feature three auditoriums and a private screening room, all of which will feature new and improved lighting, projection, and sound systems, plus luxury seating with reclining chairs and in-theater dining. The connected restaurant Leo’s River Oaks, which fuels the theater’s menu, will also get a revamp with private dining rooms, an expansive patio, and a fine dining menu filled with seafood, steaks, and fine wines, making dinner and a movie an easy feat.
Haii Keii
Location: 3300 Kirby Drive, River Oaks
Key players: JAG Hospitality Group, chefs Jeff Auld, Jarred Tosto, Jeffrey Taylor, and Jose Espinoza
Projected opening date: late October 2024
Established by veteran chefs Jeff Auld and Jarred Tosto, Haii Keii restaurant will introduce a new interpretation of Asian cuisine to the River Oaks area. Executive chef Jeffrey Taylor, formerly of New York City’s Morimoto and Austin’s Uchi, will lead Haii Keii’s menu of Asian diasporic small plates, Beijing-style duck, Japanese milk bread, wok-fired noodles, and selections of Japanese, Australian, and American wagyu, while chef Jose Espnoza, formerly of Uchiko and Handies Douzo, handles the sushi. co*cktails will also be inventive, with ube espresso martinis and a clever JST (Japanese Standard Time) made with gin, yuzu, lemon, pandan, cream, vanilla bean, and ceremonial-grade matcha.
ChòpnBlọk
Location: 507 Westheimer Road, Montrose
Key players: Ope Amosu
Projected opening date: early fall
The new sign at this new Montrose restaurant is an unmissable indication that this West African is finally nearly here. James Beard Award semi-finalist Ope Amosu is branching out beyond his stall in Post Houston to open ChòpnBlọk’s fast-casual, standalone restaurant. The flagship will feature a mashup of West African cuisine, including newer dishes and co*cktails that show the breadth of African-born spirits. Diner favorites like its jollof jambalaya, stewed plantains, Minnie pies, and curry bowls that combine some of its staples will remain.
Mi Luna Tapas Restaurant & Bar
Location: 888 Westheimer Road, Montrose Collective
Key players: Youssef Nafaa, CEO of Bella Restaurants Group
Projected opening date: fall
Following a six-year hiatus, Mi Luna’s second coming will promise flamenco dancing, live music, and a lineup of tapas in the Montrose Collective. Its original founder, Youssef Nafaa, who also owns ZOA Moroccan Kitchen, seeks to immerse Houston diners in Spanish culture with Moorish influence through its dishes, which include plenty of tapas, paella Valenciana, seafood plates, and slow-cooked meats, including Moorish lamb shoulder and braised oxtail with garbanzo beans.
Doko
Location: 3737 Cogdell Street, 77019, Autry Park
Key players: Duckstache Hospitality
Projected opening date: fall
The team behind Japanese restaurants Handies Douzo, Aiko, Himari, and Kokoro will open two new restaurants this year. Located on the ground floor of Hanover Parkview at Autry Park, Doko will stick to Duckstache Hospitality’s Japanese roots, serving some of the restaurant group’s greatest hits, including its maguro crudo, sake-based co*cktails, and a special selection of nigiri made with fish flown in from Toyosu Market in Japan, as well as new favorites. Though the 50-person restaurant has a 12-seat bar, diners can also dip into the next-door Bar Doko, a 600-square-foot intimate space that will serve Japanese-style co*cktails.
Cowboix Hevvven
Location: 2103 Lyons Avenue, Fifth Ward, 77020
Key players: Meow Wolf, Cole Bee Wilson
Projected opening date: fall
Along with its immersive art exhibit, Meow Wolf Houston will debut its psychedelic dive bar set in the Texas cowboy version of the Upside Down. Bargoers can expect ethereal spins on comfort food and drinks, plus a strange display of creatures, including an elderly armadillo that spins yarn and a weeping sculpture that pays homage to one of Meow Wolf’s late founders, Matt King. Further sticking to its theme of drinking in the Great Beyond, the bar will play an eclectic collection of records by Texas musicians and genres, including Tejano, Ranchero, and futuristic music.
Pok Pok Po and Bol
Location: 3201 Louisiana Street, Suite 108, Midtown, 77006
Key players: chef Jassi Bindra, Kahani Social Group
Projected opening date: fall
Chef Jassi Bindra and Kahani Social Group are best known for Amrina, their opulent Indian restaurant in The Woodlands, but this fall, the team is getting more casual. Their new restaurant Pok Pok Po, will feature Bindra’s spice-laden take on fried chicken, inventive sides, and homemade condiments and sauces, all served in a fast-casual atmosphere. The team will also launch Bol, a counter-service Indian restaurant where diners can customize bowls with grilled meats, vegetables, grains, hummus, sauces, and dressings.
