Rice Village’s Much-Anticipated Food Hall Opens This Weekend

Houston’s buzzy food hall Politan Row Houston welcomes its first diners this weekend, bringing a mashup of global cuisines, agave cocktails, and modern-industrial vibes to Rice Village.

The indoor-outdoor, 7,350-square-foot dining hall (2445 Times Boulevard) comes from the team behind NOLA’s legendary St. Roch Market. The Politan Group has opened similar food halls in Miami and Chicago. Vendors at each are manned by local and up-and-coming chefs, some of whom got their start as a food truck.

Politan Row Houston houses nine vendors to start, including outposts from chefs, a coffee shop, and a craft cocktail ball called Bar Politan. The sprawling one-story setup offers all-day dining, counter-side service, and a variety of soft seating arrangements to plop down with to-go orders.

The opening lineup includes bao buns by Phillip Kim at Breaking Bao; ceviches, tostadas, and Mexican tacos built with hyper-local ingredients from Victoria Elizondo at Cochinita & Co.; Egyptian and Mediterranean dishes by Rafik Abohattab at Torshi; vegan-friendly fare and juices from Amanda Altman and Nais Sanchez at Nice Sprout; Japanese-Peruvian fusion by Masaru Fukuda at PACHA Nikkei; Caribbean flavors from Keisha Griggs at Ate Kitchen; and Thai and Southeast Asian dishes from Evelyn Garcia at Kin.

Shawn Chippendale/Politan Row

Denny Culbert/Politan Row

Drink stands include coffee, boba teas, and Indonesian-inspired soft-serve from Susu Kopi and Boba and cocktails at Bar Politan. The in-house bar program is big on agave elixirs, like the Hell’s Bells with Blanco tequila, mezcal, and yellow bell pepper. Happy hour, weekdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., means patrons can saddle up to cooper bar stools for beer, wine, and cocktails all $7 or less before 7 p.m.

Jenn Duncan/Politan Row

Design accents include polished concrete flooring, marble details, lush greenery, and white table tops perched on tulip-shaped bases.

Hours are daily, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Brunch will join the mix later.

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• Good Grief, It Looks Like Yet Another Food Hall Is in the Works for Houston [EHOU]
• See a Rendering of Rice Village’s Much-Anticipated Food Hall [EHOU]