3 Houston Restaurant Openings Diners Need to Know

Houston’s dining scene moves at a lightning-fast pace, and it’s tough to keep up with every new restaurant that opens in this sprawling city every week. To make it a little easier, scope out this roundup of brand new eateries that Houston diners need to know about right now.

Dolce & Cannoli Pizzeria

This brand new addition to Memorial City Mall brings seriously nerdy New York-style pies to the mall. According to CultureMap, Dolce & Cannoli chef Drew Rogers was so obsessed with perfecting his dough that he had a water filtration system installed that would help “mimic the mineral content of [New York City’s] celebrated tap water,” which he says produces a superior dough. Alongside the pies, sandwiches, salads, and a bounty of Italian sweets like cannoli and tiramisu will be on offer.

Mina Ristorante

Shawn Chippendale for Mina Ristorante

Taking over the space formerly occupied by Borgo Food Station at 3641 West Alabama, Mina Ristorante will kick open the doors on Monday, April 8. The restaurant is a project of Borgo chef Monica Fallone, and will serve casual, counter-service lunch options like antipasti, “lunch bowls,” and lasagna Bolognese.

At night, the space will become a full-service restaurant with heartier fare like chicken marsala, freshly-made pastas, and salmon steak paired with crunchy quinoa. Mina is now open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday for dinner. On Fridays, dinner service runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Rice Box River Oaks

This popular eatery with the self-proclaimed “best Chinese takeout in town” has officially opened its doors at 1111 South Shepherd Road in River Oaks. The restaurant announced its debut on Instagram over the weekend, and showed off a few dishes from the new menu, including “legendary” cumin beef and the Rice Box’s first-ever dessert, a steamed milk bun that’s filled with sweet custard.