Here's a look at new Houston hotels, conference centers, restaurants, private rooms, and other spaces to open for events this spring. The new and renovated Houston venues are available for conferences, meetings, corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, and more.
Restaurant group Treadsack International debuted Hunky Dory in Houston Heights in October. Sharing space with Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant Bernadine's, the British-American restaurant offers spins on classic cuisine including fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and rabbit escabeche. Named after the singer David Bowie's fourth album, the restaurant's interior features a mix of '70s Bowie, classic British pubs, and English country-inspired decor. For private events, the restaurant offers buyouts, as well as a chef's table that seats 10, a patio that holds 50 for receptions, a feasting menu for as many as 40, and a private dining room (shared with Bernadine's) that seats 40.
Renovated bowling alley and arcade Bowlmor Lanes reopened in November. Located off Katy Freeway, the venue offers 39 nightclub-inspired bowling lanes, a sports bar, billiards, and standard bar food. The 32,000-square-foot space holds as many as 300 for receptions and is available for private events. The space also has a private seven-lane bowling section for as many as 65 people.
Treadsack International opened Bernadine's, the other half of its joint venture with Hunky Dory, in Houston Heights in January. The Southern, Gulf Coast-inspired seafood concept features a raw bar and offers dishes like fried oyster salad, grilled Gulf fish, and marinated blue crab claws. The restaurant also has an extensive cocktail menu, with offering such as mint juleps and Coke and peanut highballs. For private events, the restaurant offers buyouts, a patio that accommodates 50 for receptions, or a private dining room (shared with Hunky Dory) that seats 40.
The Westin the Woodlands is slated to open adjacent to Waterway Square in March. The 302-room hotel will feature a 150-seat contemporary American restaurant, a glass-walled bar and lounge, an infinity pool, and a workout gear rental program. The hotel will have 11 meeting spaces amounting to 15,000 square feet, including a nearly 6,000-square-foot ballroom that will seat 222 with a dance floor.
Killen's Steakhouse reopened at a new 2.5-acre location in Pearland in November. The steak house still serves its signature cuts of meat and seafood dishes and also boasts an extensive wine list of more than 5,000 bottles in its cellar and an additional 680 in a wine tower incorporated into the design of the 180-seat main dining room. For private dining and events, the space has a banquet room that seats 75, a private wine room that seats 60, and a private dining room that seats 10. The space also seats 30 at the bar and 120 on a patio.
Micro brewery and beer garden SpindleTap Brewery opened in north Houston in November. The venue, which shares a 70,000-square-foot warehouse with a Houston-based trucking company, offers five signature beers brewed on site and features a tavern that offers catering. The brewery occupies 10,000 square feet—which can expand if needed—and seats as many as 600. The space is also available for private events for groups of as many as 300.
The third Pappas Bros. Steakhouse opened downtown in October. Known for its steak and wine selections, the latest location offers steaks that are dry aged in house for at least 28 days, as well as a wine list of more than 3,900 selections. The restaurant offers six private dining rooms: the Train Car room seats 36, the Side Car room seats 16, the Dining Car room seats 60, the Wine Room seats 32, and a lounge seats as many as 150. The venue also offers the option of splitting two of the rooms, for a total of eight private dining rooms.
Bourbon-focused gastropub Revolver Bourbon Social reopened in a new redesigned space in the Washington corridor in January. The new space incorporates bourbon into its food, with menu items like Brussels sprouts with bourbon barbecue sauce and a burger with barbecue bourbon pulled pork. The restaurant also serves more than 100 bourbons and whiskeys, 30 wines, 19 beers on tap, and craft cocktails. The venue, which offers the option of reserving sections, has a 1,600-square-foot interior and a 4,700-square-foot patio and can accommodate parties of approximately 400.
Holiday Inn Houston Downtown opened in the former Savoy Hotel location in January. The 212-room hotel is located across the street from the Metrorail and near attractions including the Toyota Center, Discovery Green, and the George R. Brown Convention Center. The hotel also has an in-house restaurant, Burger Theory, which serves burgers and American fare. For meetings and events, the hotel has a 1,250-square-foot room that seats 100 banquet-style, 125 reception-style, or 130 theater-style.
The owners of the Axelrad building in Midtown transformed the space into Axelrad Beer Garden, which opened in December. The indoor-outdoor venue mainly focuses on craft beers, offering 31 beers on tap and 95 bottles and cans. While it doesn't serve food, guests may bring in dishes from Luigi's Pizzeria next door. The indoor space is 2,000 square feet and seats 80, while the outdoor space is 12,000 square feet and holds as many as 300 for receptions.
