Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel Are Opening a Restaurant and Bar in Galveston

Justin Yu, chef and founder of downtown restaurant Theodore Rex, and barmaster Bobby Heugel, of Anvil, Tongue Cut Sparrow, and other hotspots, will open a restaurant together in Galveston in the summer of 2022.

The yet-to-be-named restaurant and bar will be part of a new 61-room boutique hotel on the Seawall called Hotel Lucine. The project is the work of a group of Galveston hospitality veterans, including Dave Jacoby president of the Galveston Historical Foundation, and Robert Marcus, a real estate and hotel professional.

The hotel, at 10th Street & Seawall Boulevard, will occupy a 1963 building overlooking the Gulf of Mexico that originally opened as Treasure Isle Motel, and was most recently the Pearl Inn.

Hotel Lucine

It’s one of the few remaining midcentury modern buildings on the Seawall, and though it will undergo extensive renovations, many of the hotel’s original details, including a U-shaped courtyard, will be preserved, according to a press release.

The hotel will include multiple restaurant and bar experiences created by Yu and Heugel, who have also worked together on Houston restaurants Better Luck Tomorrow and Squable. The hotel’s den will serve as a spot where guests can enjoy a nightcap, and a rooftop bar will include 180-degree views of the Gulf. This will be the first restaurant and bar concept within a hotel for Yu and Heugel.

While Galveston is known for a handful of high-quality dining spots, including the century-old seafood stalwart Gaido’s, hand-crafted cocktail bars are few and far between on the island, save for Daiquiri Time Out, the spirits-focused bar that opened near the Strand in 2016.

“We hope to make (Hotel Lucine) a refuge for culture, fun, and culinary and cocktail delights that you never want to leave,” said Robert Marcus in the press release.

Stay tuned to Eater for additional details on the project.