Here's a look at the best new Houston restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private and party rooms to open for events this fall. These new and renovated Houston venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
A new Del Frisco's Grille opened at Hughes Landing's Restaurant Row in the Woodlands in May. The restaurant offers a twist on American dishes, with options like cheesesteak egg rolls and ahi tacos, as well as a Sunday brunch that includes red velvet Belgian waffles and a build-your-own bloody Mary. The venue's interior is 8,000 square feet and seats 240. The patio is 3,500 square feet and seats 120. For events and meetings, the space has a private room that seats 25 and comes with a television and audiovisual hookups, along with a group dining menu.
The Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, a $25 million project expected to be a premier destination for performing and visual arts, is set to open in October. Designed by Lake Flato and Studio Red, the two-building site takes up a 60,000-square-foot city block and has five event spaces available for rent. Box 1 is 1,300 square feet and holds 90 for receptions, and Box 2 is 3,600 square feet, with a dance floor and fixed seating for 159. Box 3 is 2,300 square feet and holds about 340 for receptions, while Box 4 is 4,800-square-foot space with a proscenium theater that seats 329. A 3,000-square-foot gallery will also be available for events and have seating for 200.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Galveston Beach opened in February, concluding the multimillion-dollar renovation of the former Galveston Beach Hotel. The five-story, 97-room hotel overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and has a beachfront saltwater pool with a swim-up bar, 24-hour fitness and business centers, and private cabanas for rent. The venue has more than 2,600 square feet of event space, including a boardroom, outdoor lawn space, and a meeting room that holds 130 for receptions.
B&B Butchers & Restaurant, which combines a traditional butcher shop with an upscale steak house, opened in May in the two-story historic Dittman Bakery building. The butcher shop offers house-made and house-cured meats and sausages, while the steak house has fine-dining options including Wagyu beef carpaccio and surf and turf beef Wellington. The space is 7,500 square feet and seats 80 in the downstairs dining area and 40 in the upstairs, with three private dining rooms that seat 100 people total for private events. A 1,500-square-foot rooftop patio overlooking downtown seats 64, while the two bar areas seat 25 downstairs and 15 upstairs.
The SpringHill Suites Houston Downtown/Convention Center is scheduled to open later this summer. The 167-room hotel from Marriott is located in the business district near Minute Maid Park, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and the Toyota Center. The hotel has a 2,133-square-foot room for events that seats 230 theater-style. Other amenities include an outdoor heated pool and free Wi-FI.
Weights and Measures, a casual American restaurant, bakery, and bar, opened in Midtown in January. The restaurant is located in an industrial warehouse that was built in the 1950s. The interior, which was designed with vintage touches including fabric sofas and shag carpeting, has an open kitchen and a glassed-in room where customers can see bakers preparing dough for pastas and pastries. The 5,000-square-foot space seats 150 and offers a long table for groups that seats as many as 15 people.
The Commoner & Boulevardier, a two-bar venue that tech entrepreneur Carson Hager opened in March, offers two distinct concepts under one roof on Main Street. Downstairs, the Commoner provides a low-key neighborhood dive-bar vibe with darts, free happy hour snacks, and standard mixed drinks. Upstairs, Boulevardier is a swanky, limited-entry lounge that serves craft cocktails. Together, the venue is 4,000-square-feet and seats 170. Private events are usually held at Boulevardier, which seats around 60 guests.
The two-story El Tiempo Cantina, the restaurant's seventh location, opened in April in Montrose. Offering traditional Mexican fare and margaritas, the venue has an interior with splashes of rich colors and dark woods. Design features include a spiral staircase with flames of red stained glass, panoramic pictures of Guanajato, Mexico, on the walls, and four patios. The space is 6,000 square feet and seats around 300. The venue is available for semiprivate events.
The gastropub Bovine and Barley, which specializes in a variety of meat and beer options, opened on Main Street in April. Helmed by Michael Collins and Jason Lowery, the 3,400-square-foot space features a giant lighted "HTX" sign on exposed brick walls; menu items include brisket hoagies, meatloaf "muffins," and barbecue pork ribs. The space seats 160 and has a private room for events that seats 25.
Nourish Juice Bar, a cold-pressed juice and smoothie bar focused on healthy eats, opened in July. The venue offers a variety of fruit- and vegetable-filled juices and smoothies, acai and pitaya bowls, coffee, and veggie sushi. Designed as both a "grab-n-go" juice bar and sit-down coffee shop, the 1,400-square-foot space is available for private events and holds about 45 guests for receptions.
