Trio of Houston's Iconic Mandola Restaurants to Close

Three of Houston's iconic Italian restaurants — Nino’s, Vincent’s, and Grappino di Nino — will close Friday, August 5, after a local family's 45-year reign of service.

Owned by the Vincent Mandola Family Restaurants group, the trio of restaurants located at 2817 West Dallas Street, will close after dinner service this week — making way for a host of new restaurants.

Mandola Family

Houston Jewish-Herald Voice

Co-developers, including affiliates of Oxberry Group and TKG Capital Partners, purchased the 2.5 acres of land that the Mandola's owned with plans to create a new dining destination called the “Harlow District." Designers will begin construction this fall, with plans to open the first restaurant later this year.

TKG Capital Partners

Occupying a block stretching from West Dallas to West Clay, the new area will include the Printing Museum and the Hay Center building, formerly belonging to the American Legion. Initial renderings for the proposed restaurant hub show ample parking, with 258 individual spaces, and more than 32,000 square feet dedicated to restaurants and bars.

There's no word on what's next for the Mandola family, which has prided itself on sharing its original Italian family recipes for the past five decades. Restaurateurs and married couple Vincent and Mary Mandola first opened Nino’s in 1977, and soon after developed a local "Tuscan villa" where the restaurants were located, exuding Tuscan and Sicilian culture. Their daughters, Vinceanne and Dana, also joined their empire in the '90s and have worked with their restaurant group since.

Vincent Mandola died at age 77 in July 2020 due to heart failure following a battle with COVID-19.