Here's a look at the best new Houston restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this winter. These new and renovated Houston venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Cordúa Restaurants opened Churrascos at the Gateway Memorial City in December. The 8,400-square-foot space was designed by San Francisco-based MBH Architects and seats 296, including 30 seats on a second-floor patio. Two adjacent private dining rooms—one that holds 48 and one for 32—fit 80 guests when combined and have audiovisual equipment.
Wyndham Houston West Energy Corridor Houston is finishing a $12 million renovation of its guest rooms, as well as its 9,000-square-foot meetings and events wing and other interior spaces. The 20-story, 344-room hotel was rebranded as a Wyndham in 2012.
Chef Donald Chang opened a new version of his former restaurant Nara in November in the Inner Loop. Instead of the original's Japanese cuisine, the new concept is a modern, Korean-inspired restaurant. The space has a 96-seat main dining room with a central sushi and bun bar, a private 16-seat room designed for an authentic Korean grilling experience, and a 60-person patio lounge. In December, Nara began offering a 10-person chef's table in front of an exhibition kitchen.
For business travelers, Westin Houston Memorial City has added a workspace called Tangent. The concept, which Westin plans to roll out to additional locations, offers a space for quick meetings, interviews, or teleconferencing. The third-floor space has a floor-to-ceiling whiteboard, flexible seating, and complimentary snacks and beverages. It accommodates four people and can be booked by the hour or day.
Cook & Collins, a neighborhood comfort food restaurant, opened in January. The 180-seat space includes a dining room, an upstairs dining terrace, and a patio with decor that includes blond woods, velvet banquettes, subway tiles, and a wall of mirrors in assorted frames.
Houston-based HUSA Management, the largest British pub operator in North America, has opened a new outpost of Baker St. Pub & Grill in Cypress. The 5,700-square-foot pub seats 185, including 85 on the patio and 100 inside at tables, bar seats, and couches.
Funky Chicken, a casual farm-to-table comfort food restaurant, opened in December from James Beard award-winning chef Bradley Ogden and his son, chef Bryan Ogden. The venue seats 70.
Grub Burger Bar opened a 188-seat location in CityCentre last year. It offers buyouts and has a second-floor patio for events.
Hyatt Place Houston/The Woodlands, the third Hyatt Place in the Houston area, opened in January. The 146-room hotel has more than 6,100 square feet of flexible, high-tech meeting space and offers free Wi-Fi.
Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon, the largest L.G.B.T. bar in Texas, opened in August in the former Esquire Ballroom. The 11,000-square-foot nightclub offers a large dance floor, multiple bars, and a stage that once hosted performances from Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson.
