Iconic New Orleans Restaurant Acme Oyster House Is Coming to Houston

And now, finally, for some good news — iconic New Orleans restaurant Acme Oyster House is officially headed to Houston.

Permit applications filed with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission indicate that the restaurant is headed to 1201 Westheimer Road, in the space once occupied by now-shuttered Tex-Mex restaurant El Real. The permit application was filed on April 17, which means that despite the coronavirus chaos, plans are still in motion for the Houston outpost of Acme Oyster House.

“Acme has been very excited about entering the Houston market for a while now,” says Grant Walker, the Lee & Associates broker who repped Acme Oyster House in the deal. “We were looking for the right site to come available, and that happened when Bryan Caswell decided to close down El Real.”

For the unfamiliar, Acme Oyster House has been a staple in New Orleans since 1910, serving an extensive menu of Cajun and Creole favorites like gumbo, red beans and rice, po’ boys, and of course, oysters. Oysters are shucked to order and served raw, char-grilled, or in a boozy oyster shooter.

The restaurant has evolved into a chain over the years, and now operates multiple Louisiana outposts and restaurants in Florida and Alabama, but its New Orleans outpost, located in the French Quarter, continues to attract tourists in droves. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the chain has closed some restaurants while offering takeout at others, according to its website.

No timeline has been set for Acme Oyster House’s debut, largely because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We are still moving forward and very excited to bring Acme to Houston,” Walker says. Stay tuned for more details.