A Favorite Barbecue Food Hall Stall Returns With a New Location in Cypress

A familiar barbecue restaurant from shuttered downtown food hall The Conservatory will soon be back in action: Burro & Bull is opening at 25618 Northwest Freeway #3B in Cypress, in a shopping center along 290 and Spring-Cypress. This is a new outpost for Burro & Bull, which closed in 2019 after nearly four years at the Conservatory.

Burro & Bull’s owners John and Veronica Avila originally secured a building on Harrisburg for their barbecue shop, but that project went on hold during the pandemic. A collaboration with the couple and Bruce Gingrich and Andria Cain on a newly-opened Gulf Coast-style seafood and Creole restaurant called Acadian Coast-inspired an extension of their partnership to revive Burro & Bull with a location in Cypress. Jesse Gallegos will serve as chef de cuisine for Burro & Bull.

The new restaurant in Cypress will serve up Conservatory favorites like smoky queso and boudin balls, along with new items like smoked brisket flautas and chile Colorado pork steak. The menu draws from Texas’s many regional influences, from German smokehouses to Mexican ranches.

Burro & Bull

Sausages will be sourced from the Avilas’ Henderson & Kane General Store, and smoked meats will be accompanied by tangy tamarind barbecue sauce, smoky pozole, and tamales made with smoked beef tallow. Build a barbecue plate (known as a parilladas) with smoked prime Black Angus brisket, for example, along with tortillas, avocados, and torreados (marinated and charred jalapeños).

Burro & Ball

In addition to a drink list stocked with craft beer and Texas spirits, cocktails like the Bluebonnet (made from fresh blueberries and Texas vodka) or the Southern Sipper (made with grapefruit juice and muddled mint) are perfect for drinking in Burro & Bull’s indoor/outdoor bar with roll-up doors.

This isn’t the only forthcoming project from the Avilas. In addition to a second, yet-to-be-announced location for their Henderson & Kane general store, the couple is also planning a Prohibition-era soda shop and speakeasy called Old Sixth on Washington Avenue, set to open in early 2022. Burro & Bull is expected to open by the end of November.

• A Boozy Soda Shop With Vintage Vibes Will Open on Washington Avenue [EHOU]
• Exciting New Gulf Coast Eatery Acadian Coast Sets an Opening Date [EHOU]
• El Burro & the Bull leaves downtown Conservatory for a new project on the city’s east side [Chron]