Spaghetti Warehouse Returns to Houston With a New Name and Location

A year after Spaghetti Warehouse’s Downtown location succumbed to damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, its owners are launching a new spin-off restaurant called Warehouse 72.

Named in homage to the year that Spaghetti Warehouse first opened its doors in Dallas, the new eatery will debut this fall at 7620 Katy Freeway, Suite 305 in the Marq-E Entertainment Center. The interiors for the 8,600-square-foot casual restaurant feature 22-foot ceilings, table-and-chair seating, plus a two-sided bar that serves both the interior dining room and a 740-square-foot patio. The industrially-designed indoor-outdoor space is divided by windows that will open depending on the weather. The restaurant also features a private dining room equipped with audio-visual equipment and a retail store stocked with prepared food for take out.

Executive Chef Don Flores will revamp the Spaghetti Warehouse menu while keeping some of the favorite dishes in tact. Flores most recently served as executive chef of Katsuya in Los Angeles, and before that, logged time at NYC restaurants Casa Pomona, Tao, Bes, and Neo. Diners can look forward to pasta and pizza, plus American dishes with a Mediterranean twist, including short ribs roasted with Italian herbs served with pickled baby carrots; traditional Italian porchetta stuffed with fresh herbs, roasted garlic, and chili, served with seasonal vegetables; roasted brussels sprouts; warm beets with whipped herb goat cheese; and Pizza Guanciale, a Neapolitan-style pie with whipped mozzarella, Berkshire sausage, Tuscan pesto, and local honey. As far as drinks go, Warehouse 72 will offer craft cocktails, sangria, and Italian wines, plus local and national beer.

“Exactly one year ago, Spaghetti Warehouse faced a turbulent and uncertain future after the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey,” Michael Kim, President of Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurants, said in a statement. “The destruction of the longtime Spaghetti Warehouse home in downtown Houston [was] a crippling blow to the overall Spaghetti Warehouse brand. It has been a very difficult circumstance in the months that ensued, but we really wanted to come back despite the many challenges associated.”

Warehouse 72 is road testing its dishes tonight at a pop-up at Evelyn’s Park from 4 to 8 p.m. Stay tuned for its opening date and regular hours of operation.

• Spaghetti Warehouse Is Definitely Not Closed Forever [EHOU]
• Downtown’s Spaghetti Warehouse Still Assessing the Damage from Hurricane Harvey [EHOU]
• One Year After Hurricane Harvey, Houston’s Restaurant Scene Thrives [EHOU]