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| Dynamic Dining Options Define Houston |
Houstonians know great cuisine! From swanky bistros in the Galleria to local haunts in Rice Village, the Greater Houston Region is poised to please when it comes to delivering unique fare and a multitude of choices.
Hot Houston Restaurant Openings
One of the most anticipated openings in Houston this year was Schiller Del Grande’s, The Grove. Located across the street from the Convention Center, this two-story, ultra-urban restaurant is one of two restaurants in Downtown Houston’s newest park. The Grove features four distinct meeting spaces that can accommodate from 18 in the Green Room to over 500 on the Event Lawn.
VOICE Restaurant and Lounge, inside the Hotel Icon, is making waves in the upscale dining industry. World-renowned Chef, Michael Kramer, has already turned this new venture in a guest favorite. VOICE offers special event space in the restaurant or in one of the hotel’s private meeting rooms.
Houston’s first green restaurant, Cullen’s Upscale American Grille, opened in March of this year in Clear Lake. This environmentally-friendly endeavor allows guests to order wine on Houston‘s first Wine Tablet PC’s, with real-time inventory.
Three private dining rooms accommodate groups of five to 48 people at Shula’s Steak House, inside the Hyatt Regency. This unique, new locale pays homage to the 1972 NFL Miami Dolphins, known for their “perfect season.”
Pagoda Bistro, an authentic Vietnamese eatery west of downtown, offers two event spaces for business meetings and private functions. This newly-opened hot spot brings the charm of Chinatown to one of Houston’s hippest locations.
Another hot restaurant in the Houston region is Armando’s, in Clear Lake. Restaurateur Armando Palacios offers trendy Mexican cuisine and both special event space and catering options.
Hue, from the creators of Azuma and Soma, offers space for private events and an eclectic menu of Vietnamese fare and fusion dishes. Hip techno music finishes off the environment at this trendy spot.
There are also several restaurants and projects that will open in the Greater Houston Region within the next year. A new fine-dining steakhouse, complete with its own private wine vault, will be added to The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center when renovations are complete in 2009.
The Houston Pavilion project will offer several new restaurants and some classic favorites when it opens in late 2008. Yao’s Restaurant will move from its current location to the downtown project and McCormick & Schmick’s, Mia Bella, Guadalajara’s, Cork Wine Bar and Red Cat Jazz Café will open additional locations in the development. New openings include: III Forks Steakhouse and Andalusia Tapas Restaurant & Bar.
Noteworthy Closings
The Houston restaurant market is booming, but there are several notable closings in the city. Antone’s Market River Oaks Café, Bistro Vino, Blue Fin Sushi, Bohemia, Garson, Golden Room, Sake Lounge and Ugo’s Italian Grill have all closed their doors this year. Luckily, Houstonians still have over 5,000 options for dining in and around the city.
Houston Dining Awards
With so many great restaurants, it is no wonder that numerous area locales received local and national awards for providing superb cuisine, wonderful service and unmatched ambiance. The following are some of the distinctions that local restaurants received in the past year:
Spotlight on: Dining on Demand
Meeting and events planners have seen an increased workload and greater expectations for cuisine at business meetings, social events and other functions. Houston businesses have identified the need to provide multi-restaurant options in a quick, headache-free format.
Innovative companies like, Takeout Taxi, are now offering a delivery service that picks-up and delivers fresh cuisine from multiple restaurants. This ingenious idea is perfect for meeting planners who are holding an event at a conference center, but want the exquisite offerings of restaurants like Artista, Polo’s Signature and El Tiempo. Takeout Taxi and other similar companies offer online ordering and many deliver for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
Dining on demand is revolutionizing the way that meeting planners plan events. This dynamic trend, along with the increased availability of digital menus, online ordering and text-message options has propelled the dining industry into the 21st Century.
Hot Houston Restaurant Openings
One of the most anticipated openings in Houston this year was Schiller Del Grande’s, The Grove. Located across the street from the Convention Center, this two-story, ultra-urban restaurant is one of two restaurants in Downtown Houston’s newest park. The Grove features four distinct meeting spaces that can accommodate from 18 in the Green Room to over 500 on the Event Lawn.
VOICE Restaurant and Lounge, inside the Hotel Icon, is making waves in the upscale dining industry. World-renowned Chef, Michael Kramer, has already turned this new venture in a guest favorite. VOICE offers special event space in the restaurant or in one of the hotel’s private meeting rooms.
Houston’s first green restaurant, Cullen’s Upscale American Grille, opened in March of this year in Clear Lake. This environmentally-friendly endeavor allows guests to order wine on Houston‘s first Wine Tablet PC’s, with real-time inventory.
Three private dining rooms accommodate groups of five to 48 people at Shula’s Steak House, inside the Hyatt Regency. This unique, new locale pays homage to the 1972 NFL Miami Dolphins, known for their “perfect season.”
Pagoda Bistro, an authentic Vietnamese eatery west of downtown, offers two event spaces for business meetings and private functions. This newly-opened hot spot brings the charm of Chinatown to one of Houston’s hippest locations.
Another hot restaurant in the Houston region is Armando’s, in Clear Lake. Restaurateur Armando Palacios offers trendy Mexican cuisine and both special event space and catering options.
Hue, from the creators of Azuma and Soma, offers space for private events and an eclectic menu of Vietnamese fare and fusion dishes. Hip techno music finishes off the environment at this trendy spot.
There are also several restaurants and projects that will open in the Greater Houston Region within the next year. A new fine-dining steakhouse, complete with its own private wine vault, will be added to The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center when renovations are complete in 2009.
The Houston Pavilion project will offer several new restaurants and some classic favorites when it opens in late 2008. Yao’s Restaurant will move from its current location to the downtown project and McCormick & Schmick’s, Mia Bella, Guadalajara’s, Cork Wine Bar and Red Cat Jazz Café will open additional locations in the development. New openings include: III Forks Steakhouse and Andalusia Tapas Restaurant & Bar.
Noteworthy Closings
The Houston restaurant market is booming, but there are several notable closings in the city. Antone’s Market River Oaks Café, Bistro Vino, Blue Fin Sushi, Bohemia, Garson, Golden Room, Sake Lounge and Ugo’s Italian Grill have all closed their doors this year. Luckily, Houstonians still have over 5,000 options for dining in and around the city.
Houston Dining Awards
With so many great restaurants, it is no wonder that numerous area locales received local and national awards for providing superb cuisine, wonderful service and unmatched ambiance. The following are some of the distinctions that local restaurants received in the past year:
- Pappas Steakhouse was named one of the top 10 steakhouses in the U.S. by MSN.com. (2008)
- Brennan’s of Houston won the Houston Press award for Best Atmosphere. (2007)
- Da Marco was hailed as the Best Restaurant by the Houston Press. (2007)
- Reef was named Houston’s Top New Restaurant by Citysearch.com. (2007)
Spotlight on: Dining on Demand
Meeting and events planners have seen an increased workload and greater expectations for cuisine at business meetings, social events and other functions. Houston businesses have identified the need to provide multi-restaurant options in a quick, headache-free format.
Innovative companies like, Takeout Taxi, are now offering a delivery service that picks-up and delivers fresh cuisine from multiple restaurants. This ingenious idea is perfect for meeting planners who are holding an event at a conference center, but want the exquisite offerings of restaurants like Artista, Polo’s Signature and El Tiempo. Takeout Taxi and other similar companies offer online ordering and many deliver for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
Dining on demand is revolutionizing the way that meeting planners plan events. This dynamic trend, along with the increased availability of digital menus, online ordering and text-message options has propelled the dining industry into the 21st Century.
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