Downtown Houston Food Hall to Debut Three New Chef-Owned Restaurants

Bravery Chef Hall, the Downtown food hall home to chef-owned restaurants like Kokoro and Figo Sugo, will debut three new locally-owned establishments this year, including a coffee and cocktail lounge, a Thai restaurant, and a sandwich shop dishing out deli-quality meats and fresh-baked bread.

Sommelier and spirits expert Sean Beck, who previously worked with James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega at restaurants including Hugo, Caracol, and Xochi, is leading the newly-opened C3 Cafe, which pours up variety of coffee, cocktails, and mocktails, plus sells licensed cannabis products. The cafe, which opened in July with limited hours, will officially open to the public and host its grand opening in September, according to a representative.

In August, chef Sam Mangkalee and owner Steve Weng are slated to open Banh Banh Thai Food, a restaurant that will cook up comforting Thai classics like Pad Thai, coconut shrimp salad, and drunken noodles. Florence and a Machine, a Florentine-style sandwich shop that plays off the name of the English rock band, will also open in August, crafting charcuterie boards and hand-helds made with deli meats, crisp cheeses, and freshly baked focaccia bread.

The food hall has also launched an intriguing summer lineup of chef-led tasting events, featuring collaborations among chefs and vendors through August. The event series kicked off on Monday, July 17 with Bravery Chef Hall’s Italian restaurant Figo Sugo hosting an “All-American” dinner, followed by a pool-party themed dinner with chefs John Kincaid and Choey Dang of Margaux’s Oyster Bar; a charcuterie, tapas, and wine pairing from Florence and a Machine and Bravery Wine Bar on August 2, and more. Tickets are available online on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Leo Spin

The 9,000-square-foot food hall, which is formerly home to James Beard Award-nominated chef Christine Ha’s restaurant, the Blind Goat, currently has five restaurants that are all owned and operated by a chef. The food hall officially opened in 2020.