Take a Quick Peek Inside Bovine & Barley Opening Soon in Downtown

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Have you walked by the former El Centro Comida y Copas restaurant on 416 Main and wondered, "what the heck is going on behind those cloaked windows?" Thanks to sharp-eyed readers (and a strategically fallen window covering), you can finally get a glimpse of what could become another Main Street hotspot. Behind the cloaked windows at 416 Main is Michael Collins', co-owner of The Refinery Burgers & Whiskey, upcoming project Bovine & Barley.

Swamplot first reported the upcoming concept this summer but Collins and company have remained tight-lipped on details since. A snapshot taken from outside shows the letter H shining brightly, adorning a brick wall and beneath it, an elevated seating area to the far right. Towards the middle of the restaurant, a bar with a distinctive design imprint and on the countertop, what appears to be taps for beer. The tipster tells Eater Houston that Bovine & Barley looks to be on track to open in early 2015.

According to Bovine & Barley's Facebook, the forthcoming bar is billed as an urban bar and eatery. The name of the restaurant suggests the menu will have a heavy focus on beef and beer. While a number of bars have opened in Downtown's lower Main Street in the last two years, nearly all have been cocktail-centric. It will be interesting to see how Bovine & Barley will fare against the more established Flying Saucer three blocks away. If bars serving upscale craft cocktails next to one another can make it, there's a good chance Bovine & Barley will have some longevity. Then again, many said the same of Goro & Gun before shutting its doors this summer.