Houston’s Most Anticipated New Restaurants, Fall 2019

It’s been a busy summer for Houston’s bustling restaurant scene, and it’s unlikely that the clip of exciting openings will slow down anytime soon, especially not this fall. In the coming months, Houstonians can expect a slew of exciting new dining options.

Ranging from a chic new Italian restaurant planned for Downtown Houston’s C. Baldwin Hotel from superstar chef Chris Cosentino to much-anticipated Rice Village food hall Politan Row, get excited for these much-anticipated restaurant openings as the weather (finally) begins to get a little bit cooler and we head into yet another glorious Texas fall.

Rosalie

ROHE Creative

ROHE Creative

• Who: Much-lauded San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino, known for his restaurant Cockscomb and appearances on food TV shows like Iron Chef America.
• What: Named for Cosentino’s grandmother, Rosalie will serve midcentury Italian fare in a stunning space decked out with Murano glass chandeliers, tons of greenery, and vintage fixtures. Look forward to handmade manicotti stuffed with blue crab, Gulf shrimp fra diavolo, and a list of more than 100 wines. Sasha Grumman, known for her time at Cosentino’s Cockscomb in San Francisco and, most recently, executive chef at Launderette in Austin, will lead the kitchen.
• Where: Inside the C. Baldwin Hotel at 400 Dallas Street in Downtown Houston
• When: mid-September 2019

Politan Row

Bell Butler Design and Architecture

• Who: Politan Group, the minds behind New Orleans’s famed St. Roch Market, credited with kicking off America’s food hall trend, and the recently debuted Politan Row in Chicago.
• What: A 7,350 square foot food hall that will house 10 distinct restaurants, including a permanent outpost of steam bun slinger Breaking Bao and new taco destination Cochinita & Co. Politan Row will also house a cocktail bar helmed by beverage director Sophie Burton, and an “all-day coffeehouse” from Houston’s own Greenway Coffee that will serve boba teas and Indonesian soft-serve. Expect more vendors to be announced ahead of Politan Row’s debut.
• Where: 2445 New Times Boulevard in Rice Village
• When: October 2019

Traveler’s Table

Debora Smail for Traveler’s Table

Debora Smail for Traveler’s Table

• Who: Owner Matthew Mitchell, a former writer and journalist, and executive chef Jordan Economy, who most recently helmed the kitchen at Rudyard’s in Montrose.
• What: A “global” restaurant that will serve dishes influenced by the cuisines of Africa, India, the Caribbean, and the Americas, among other locales, that will open inside the stunning Montrose space vacated by chef Paul Qui’s Aqui. Expect a wide-ranging menu — everything from butter chicken and pork vindaloo to seafood risotto and a classic burger is in the works — alongside creative cocktails and wine.
• Where: 520 Westheimer Road in Montrose
• When: October 2019

Koffeteria

Koffeteria/Facebook

• Who: Pastry chef Vanarin Kuch, formerly of Tiny Boxwood’s and a contestant on Top Chef: Just Desserts in 2011.
• What: An innovative bakery with over-the-top pastries like croissants crusted with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Koffeteria will also serve ice creams, coffee, pies, and “composed desserts,” like a modern carrot cake served in a clay pot.
• Where: 1110 Hutchins Street, Suite 102, in EaDo
• When: Late October 2019

Guard and Grace

Guard and Grace [Official Photo]

Guard and Grace [Official Photo]

Guard and Grace [Official Photo]

The dining room

• Who: Denver chef and restaurateur Troy Guard’s TAG Restaurant Group
• What: In the works for more than a year and a half, the Houston outpost of Guard and Grace will occupy a sprawling 15,000 square foot space that boasts complete with a giant dining room, private dining space, and private wine lockers for moneyed regulars. Expect Prime, Angus, dry-aged, and grass-fed steaks, along with a fully stocked raw bar and freshly made charcuterie.
• Where: 500 Dallas Street, inside One Allen Center in Downtown Houston
• When: November 2019

Musaafer

The Spice Route Company [Official Photo]

• Who: Shammi and Mithu Malik, the minds behind Dubai’s the Spice Route Company, and chefs Mayank Istwal and Shivek Suri
• What: An extensively researched Indian restaurant — Istawal and Suri traveled through the country for 100 days to learn from chefs and home cooks — that boasts that it will serve dishes and ingredients used for the first time outside of India in Houston.
• Where: The Galleria’s ritzy VI Wing, which also houses Nobu, Shake Shack, and Fig & Olive.
• When: Hopefully sometime this fall! The restaurant was originally expected to debut in 2018, but construction delays have pushed that debut back for nearly a year.

More openings to keep an eye out for this fall:

• Acclaimed South African restaurant Peli Peli’s fourth Houston-area outpost just debuted in The Woodlands this week.
• Michelin-starred dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan is currently working on its first Houston-area location in Katy. Fingers crossed it opens this fall.
• The third outpost of beloved Houston bakery Common Bond, debuting in the Heights on October 1.
• Originally expected to open earlier this summer, restaurateur Michael Sambrooks’s Tex-Mex restaurant Candente will open in the coming weeks, likely sometime in “mid-September.”
• Houston’s first location of California chain In-N-Out Burger is set to debut at the Grid in Stafford. Expect it to arrive in late November.
• Handies Douzo, a new handroll spot from the chefs behind buzzy new Bravery Chef Hall sushi bar Kokoro, is expected to debut this fall. The restaurant recently raised $75,000 via crowdfunding platform NextSeed.
• Camerata, Houston’s favorite wine bar, will add a second location in Garden Oaks sometime this fall.
• Legendary sandwich shop Antone’s Famous Po’Boys will debut its third location in the Texas Medical Center’s Medical Towers Building sometime in October.