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 winter. 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.
Tarakaan, a pan-Asian restaurant helmed by chef Micah Rideout, opened in Midtown in September. The restaurant offers East-meets-West appetizers, entrées, desserts, and sharable plates, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. The interior evokes a 1920s Shanghai speakeasy, featuring multilevel seating vignettes, birdcage chandeliers, Buddha sculptures, and espresso-hued hardwoods. The entire 6,000-square-foot space is available for buyout, with a dedicated 2,000-square-foot event space that seats 60 or holds 85 for receptions.
Located across from the Galleria Shopping Center, the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria opened in October. The 14-story hotel has 325 guest rooms and more than 11,000 square feet of meeting space and event space. The largest space, the Regency Ballroom, accommodates 783 guests for receptions; it seats 630 theater-style, 480 banquet-style, or 270 classroom-style. Six other meeting rooms, all located on the second floor, also are available for meetings.
Chefs Greg Lowry and Matt Lovelace's Pour Society opened in Gateway Memorial City in September. The gastropub reimagines Southern favorites, including a crab- and shrimp-based seven-layer dip, Mexican fried chicken thighs, and catfish schnitzel with dirty rice. The sports-oriented restaurant includes 17 televisions and a 40-foot bar, and a rotation of four cocktails on tap. The 7,000-square-foot space offers a semiprivate room that seats 24 or holds 40 for receptions.
Hampton Inn by Hilton Houston I-10 East opened in June. The 89-room hotel offers free Wi-Fi, a business center, an outdoor pool and whirlpool, and a fitness center. The hotel has a 1,560-square-foot meeting room for special events, which seats 97 banquet-style or 150 theater-style or holds 120 for receptions.
Fielding's Local Kitchen & Bar opened in Creekside Village Park Center in the Woodlands in August. Specializing in handmade pastas, charcuterie, and pizza, the restaurant features an on-site bakery and open kitchen, as well as a variety of seating options including booths and marble community tables. The restaurant also has a front patio with seating on U-shaped sofas. The 4,500-square-foot space seats 150 and is available for private events.
Dual Mediterranean and seafood concept Black & White opened in Houston Heights in September. Helmed by Sven Hossfeld and Hernán García, the bistro features international seafood dishes on the "white" side and European-Mediterranean cuisine on the "black" side. The restaurant also has an outdoor terrace and offers free Wi-Fi and valet parking. The 6,024-square-foot space seats 200, including a private dining room for 20 guests. The restaurant is available for buyouts.
Bramble, chef Randy Rucker's restaurant that focuses on modern Southern cuisine, debuted in July. The menu, which changes daily, can offer dishes like pan-roasted redfish, lightly corned short rib, and roasted chicken brined in sweet tea. The restaurant layout includes an open kitchen around a live fire and a patio garden, which is also tended and harvested by chefs. The 2,800-square-foot space seats 70 and is available for private dining and special events.
Japanese tavern Izakaya opened in Midtown in July. Lead by chefs Manabu Horiuchi and Jean Philippe Gaston, the restaurant's menu divides its seafood, sushi, and meat dishes into cheeky categories like Raw Stuff, Starting Line, and Nom Nom Nom. Two dining rooms feature painted concrete floors, wood tabletops, and colorful murals created by a local tattoo artist. The 4,500-square-foot space seats 180 and is available for private events.
Live music venue White Oak Music Hall is slated to open in spring 2016 in the Near Northside neighborhood. Owned by Pegstar Productions, the venue will feature three stages in a multilevel building with 15,000 square feet of interior space, 3,000 square feet of exterior balcony space, and a 17,000-square-foot lawn for outdoor viewing. The three stages, tentatively named "Music Hall," "Stage at White Oak," and "Lawn at White Oak," will accommodate around 1,000, 200, and 2,000, respectively. The venue will be located a five-minute walk from the Metro Light Rail and will have 400 off-street parking spots.
Housed in a 100-year-old New Orleans-style house, Southern eatery the Durham House opened in October. Chef Don Schoenburg's menu offers locally sourced dishes including coffee-crusted short ribs, beer-crusted grouper, and braised rabbit, along with a full-service bar featuring a rotating curated cocktail list. The space includes a welcome porch and an interior that has whitewashed walls and white metal chairs. The 1,600-square-foot restaurant has a private room that seats 40.
