Houston’s Best Restaurant Openings of 2019
By Brooke Viggiano
River Oaks District
Real-deal Mediterranean fare fresh from the seas
This lavish slice of Santorini flies its seafood in daily from all over the globe; that means you can get decadent and buttery Hawaiian Kona Kampachi, jumbos prawns sourced straight from Madagascar, and branzino fresh from the Aegean. Dine on ouzo blue mussels, flaming saganaki, and lobster pasta, and at brunch, roasted langostino scrambles and Greek “chilaquiles” with bison short machaca. Rockstar sommelier Evan Turner (known for his work at Helen Greek) has also cherry-picked a big, bold, and beautiful collection of wines — housed right in a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling, glass-enclosed wine room — to pair alongside your meal.
River Oaks District
High-end seafood tavern with one of the biggest raw displays in town
Part seafood tavern, part whiskey-fueled speakeasy, this sibling establishment to Ouzo Bay offers reimagined tavern fare in a rich, ship-wrecked setting. Not only does it house one of the choicest whiskey selections in the city (and live music seven nights a week), but it also features one of Houston’s largest raw bars, brimming with lobster displays and ice towers of oysters and caviar. Dig into beer mussels and boardwalk fries, Maine lobster rolls, and Viet-Cajun peel-and-eat shrimp.
River Oaks District
Real-deal Mediterranean fare fresh from the seas
This lavish slice of Santorini flies its seafood in daily from all over the globe; that means you can get decadent and buttery Hawaiian Kona Kampachi, jumbos prawns sourced straight from Madagascar, and branzino fresh from the Aegean. Dine on ouzo blue mussels, flaming saganaki, and lobster pasta, and at brunch, roasted langostino scrambles and Greek “chilaquiles” with bison short machaca. Rockstar sommelier Evan Turner (known for his work at Helen Greek) has also cherry-picked a big, bold, and beautiful collection of wines — housed right in a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling, glass-enclosed wine room — to pair alongside your meal.
River Oaks District
High-end seafood tavern with one of the biggest raw displays in town
Part seafood tavern, part whiskey-fueled speakeasy, this sibling establishment to Ouzo Bay offers reimagined tavern fare in a rich, ship-wrecked setting. Not only does it house one of the choicest whiskey selections in the city (and live music seven nights a week), but it also features one of Houston’s largest raw bars, brimming with lobster displays and ice towers of oysters and caviar. Dig into beer mussels and boardwalk fries, Maine lobster rolls, and Viet-Cajun peel-and-eat shrimp.
