Axios Houston

Notable 2024 Houston restaurant openings

By Shafaq Patel,

28 days ago

Houston food enthusiasts have had no shortage of sizzling new restaurants to explore this year.

Why it matters: Some favorite spots have expanded — like El Bolillo Bakery , Tacos Doña Lena and The Pit Room — while new experiences have added fresh flavors to Houston's already bursting culinary scene .

Here are some notable openings from the first half of 2024:

The restaurant group behind Loch Bar and Marmo opened Japanese restaurant Azumi in late June in the River Oaks District.
Azumi offers a largely sushi-focused menu, along with several tasting options like the Toyosu nigiri plate and the Japanese A5 Wagyu flight.
If you go: 4444 Westheimer Road, Suite G130.

Ema

Before opening her brick-and-mortar cafe Ema in March, pastry chef Stephanie Velasquez was already a semifinalist for this year's James Beard Award in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category.
Ema serves Mexican and Mexican-inspired drinks, pastries and food, making everything from pan dulce to dishes with heirloom corn. The horchata berlinesa and guava pastry were scrumptious .
If you go: 5307 N. Main St., Suite 100.

The highly anticipated restaurant by Chris Williams , James Beard Award finalist and chef-owner of famed Lucille's, opened in the Ion in March.
Late August's menu, influenced by both Williams' and chef Sergio Hidalgo's backgrounds, has a mix of Southern, West African and Central American foodways.
If you go: 4201 Main St., Suite 120.

Chefs Hideki Hiwatashi and Ho Chee Boon, both of whom have experience in Michelin-starred restaurants , present a contemporary and luxury approach to Japanese and Asian cuisines at Molihua, in the Blossom Hotel in the Medical Center.
Molihua opened in April and serves dim sum, sushi and hand-pulled noodles.
If you go: 7118 Bertner Ave.

Maximo, known for its in-house nixtamalized tortillas, serves up tacos — from barbacoa to brisket to sweet potato — along with burritos and small plates. It opened in early April in West University.
If you go: 6119 Edloe St.

After a two-and-a-half-year wait, the posh Montrose restaurant opened in June. The menu fuses French, American and English cuisines, featuring a caviar tea sandwich, a Crescent Island duck Wellington, and an extensive list of wines and Champagnes.
If you go: 2531 Kuester St.