Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston West—Katy opened in December. The hotel, which is owned by Mac Haik Hospitality and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, has 208 rooms consisting of 52 studio kings and 156 two-room suites. The hotel also offers an Italian restaurant, Sola Stella Bistro and Lounge, which sources local ingredients. For meetings and events, the hotel has more than 7,000 square feet of flexible function space that includes the Rice Ballroom, which seats 165 guests theater-style, and the Texas Ballroom, which holds as many as 550 guests reception-style.
The Post Oak at Uptown Houston, a mixed-use development with a hotel, executive residences, luxury car dealerships, and multiple restaurants, opened in March. The development includes the 250-room Post Oak Hotel and a 35,000-square-foot event venue that includes two ballrooms—one that holds 1,684 guests for receptions and one that holds nearly 290 guests for receptions. The event venue also offers multiple meeting rooms and pre-function spaces.
Hotel Zaza Memorial City, a luxury hotel and apartment tower developed by Z Resorts and MetroNational, opened in December. The 17-story tower offers 159 guest rooms, which include custom-designed concept suites with themes including New Orleans, a safari, and the Caribbean, as well as the Magnificent Seven Suites on the 10th floor, offering customized spaces with themes including The Godfather and the beach. The hotel has more than 11,000 square feet of meeting and event space, which includes a Great Expectations ballroom and terrace that seats 540 theater-style or holds 365 guests reception-style, the Blue Room meeting space that seats 80 guests theater-style, and the Wishmaker ballroom and terrace that holds 165 guests reception-style or seats 200 guests theater-style.
Fig & Olive, a coastal Mediterranean restaurant with eight locations across New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, opened at the Galleria in March. Houston’s first location of the concept offers brunch, lunch, and dinner from a menu helmed by executive chef Thomas Laczynski and the brand’s corporate executive chef Timothy Hughes. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant has numerous seating environments, including a 24-seat bar and lounge, a 160-seat main dining room, a 40-seat outdoor terrace decorated with olive trees, and two private dining rooms with audiovisual capabilities.
Canadian concept Moxie’s Grill & Bar opened its second U.S. location in Houston’s Galleria in November. The restaurant offers internationally inspired dishes from executive chef Brandon Thordarson and wines and handcrafted cocktails curated by sommelier and beverage director Kim Spence. The two-story, 11,000-square-foot venue features a modern, sleek interior that includes an open kitchen, an outdoor patio, bar, and fireplace, and a second-story wraparound patio. The restaurant seats 448 guests and is available for private events.
Emmaline opened in the former Teala’s Mexican Kitchen space in Montrose in December. The restaurant, which serves American dishes with European influences, is helmed by owner Sam Governale and executive chef Dimitri Voutsinas. Designed by Ashley Putman, the two-story restaurant features an open kitchen and multiple rooms that combine new, old, and repurposed elements and a variety of seating arrangements. The restaurant’s airy, laid back atmosphere draws inspirations from venues and areas including Casa Tua in Miami, the Ivy in West Hollywood, and Romita Comeador in Mexico City. The rooms include the semiprivate garden room that seats 40; a main dining room that seats 64; a pet-friendly wraparound patio that seats 35; a bar that seats 25; and an upstairs terrace that holds 35 for receptions.
Holman Draft Hall, the latest venue from the Kirby Group, opened in Midtown in January. The beer hall offers more than 100 selections of beer and wine on tap and American fare from chef Brandon Silva. The venue features industrial chic decor and seating arrangements including reclaimed wood high-top tables and velvet sofas. The 8,000-square-foot restaurant holds as many as 400 guests reception-style and is available for private events.
Local Foods Heights—the fifth location of Benjy Levit and Dylan Murray’s sandwich, salad, and healthy entrees concept that sources local ingredients—opened in February at the Heights Mercantile urban market. The restaurant offers a menu helmed by executive chef Maria Gonzalez and a beverage program that highlights craft cocktails and local beers as well as nonalcoholic cocktails. The space, designed by Michael Has Office Architecture and Aaron Rambo, features a design inspired by the neighborhood that includes Eastern European lighting fixtures and architectural salvage from an adjacent antique shop. The 4,500-square-foot space seats 120 guests.
BCK: Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures, an American eatery and bar from the owners of Bosscat Kitchen and Libations, opened in the Heights in February. Located in the former Glass Wall space, the restaurant serves dishes inspired by childhood favorites of the owners and features seating and decor that evokes American nostalgia. The 3,000-square-foot venue seats 108 guests and is available for full buyouts.
New Orleans-based steak house Doris Metropolitan opened in the former Triniti Restaurant space in December. The 5,500-square-foot restaurant serves Mediterranean-influenced steaks, vegetable-based appetizers, and seafood. The 5,500-square-foot restaurants seats 110 guests and has a private dining room that seats 20 guests.
