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Texas-based hot chicken chain the Cookshack is opening two more Houston area locations. The restaurant, which opened in Fort Worth in 2019, will open its sixth location in Spring at 21640 Kuykendahl Road and its seventh location in Katy at 223 Mason Road, serving up chicken sandwiches and tenders with spice levels ranging from “not so hot” to “AMF,” which stands for “adios my friend.”
Founded by CEO Mark Rogers and chef Stephen Payne, the Cookshack will also offer chicken and waffles, smoked ribs, hot chicken tacos, salads, and more from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Webster to get Houston taco joint
Matthew Pak and Shawn Bermudez, the owners behind the Burger Joint, will open their second Taco Stand location in Webster in 2023. Located in the Baybrook development at I-45 and El Dorado boulevard, the restaurant will be situated in a development anchored by H-E-B and is just down the road from its sister restaurant, the Burger Joint.
The restaurant focuses in on street-style tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, and quesadillas, with fillings such as al pastor, barbacoa, lengua, carnitas, fish, and shrimp, and corn and flour tortillas. The restaurant will also continue offering its aguas frescas, canned and frozen margaritas, palomas, ranch waters, and beers.
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Italian restaurant opens second restaurant later this year
Following its debut in Cypress at the Boardwalk Towne Lake in May, Italian restaurant Passerella will open its second location at 6011 Washington Avenue, in September.
The restaurant will replace Union Kitchen on Washington Avenue, which closed in July. It is slated to have a large outdoor patio, a private dining space that seats 30 people, and a similar menu, with a variety of seafood, pasta, pizzas, and antipasti.
Responsible for five Union Kitchen locations and three Jax Grill locations in the region, Passerella’s operating restaurant group Gr8 Plate Hospitality has tapped its chef Victor Ortego as head chef.
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‘Texas No. 1 Burrito’ gets a home in Katy
Burrito chain Freebirds will launch another location in Katy at 9910 Gaston Road, Suite, 100 on August 16. The grand opening will kick off at 10:30 a.m. that day, with free chips and dip for guests, plus a giveaway of free burritos for a year for the first 25 people in line. The menu will closely mirror its other locations, including customizable burritos and burrito bowls, with ingredients like queso blanco, guacamole, vegan chorizo, and its new special, prime rib.
First launched in California in 1987, Freebirds opened its first Texas location in College Station in 1990, and later moved its headquarters to Austin in 2019. With more than 55 locations in Texas alone, the franchise bills itself as having the No. 1 Texas burrito and has plans to open additional locations in Texas, including in Conroe.
