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Houston’s lauded restaurateurs Bobby Heugel and James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu are getting snazzy with their newest endeavor.
The duo will open the Fancy later this summer in Galveston’s anticipated Hotel Lucine, which will also open later this year. According to a release, the 55-seat American “fine-ish” dining restaurant, designed by Kartwheel Studio, is said to offer a combination of quirky Southern hospitality with a Galveston island disposition while serving cuisine informed by French techniques. In addition to the restaurant, the hotel will also feature a rooftop bar, lobby bar billed “the Den,” and a lavish pool.
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The heart of the Fancy’s menu will be seafood and Texas meats with a French flair, available for lunch or dinner daily, and for weekend brunch. Diners can expect appetizers like shrimp cocktail and oysters on the half shell alongside pork and Texas beef meatballs and a warm mussel salad with chiles and olives. Entree dishes like a pot roast of pork belly with roasted oysters in mignonette, whole-roasted Gulf flounder crowned with a braised oxtail and mustard green sauce, and a “deluxe” French dip sandwich made with hand-cut rib-eye, Comté, thyme persillade, and mushroom jus round out the meal. The restaurant will also serve rich desserts, including warm butter cake, a favorite at Yu’s restaurant Theodore Rex.
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Heugel, who has been credited with elevating the city’s cocktail culture with classic cocktail bar Anvil, and the newly-opened Refuge, will set up guests to imbibe with classics and fresh takes like the “Bobby’s Martini,” which Heugel’s team deems the “fanciest martini on the Gulf Coast.” Fancy’s wine list will include nearly 100 variations to choose from with an emphasis on smaller producers.
The restaurateurs have also strived to stick to the ethos of Hotel Lucine’s co-owner and partner Keath Jacoby, a Galveston Island native who wants the restaurant to be for visitors, tourists, and locals alike.
Yu and Heugel, thus, aim to capture the essence of Galveston’s diverse scene and to offer a welcoming charm for guests — and the duo is quite dedicated to the project. Yu and Heugel plan to live together on the island during the hotel’s first year, according to a release.
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Yu has collaborated with Heugel before on local restaurants, including Better Luck Tomorrow and Squable, which they both own. Together, they launched their hospitality group Thorough Fare in 2021.
Once opened, the Fancy will offer lunch 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Brunch will be served on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 1002 Seawall Blvd., Galveston, Texas, 77550.
