Flurry of New Restaurants Is Just One Reason to Head to Houston’s East End Now

Flurry of New Restaurants Is Just One Reason to Head to Houston’s East End Now

Driving Range at East River 9

LAST YEAR, A landmark gift from the Kinder Foundation fastracked plans to expand Buffalo Bayou Park east of Downtown. It’s yet another indicator that Houston’s East End neighborhood is one worth visiting. Of late, it seems to be an especially popular choice among restaurateurs.


Watering hole Eight Row Flint, known for its ranch water and stellar tacos, recently opened a second location on Harrisburg near popular wine bar How to Survive on Land and Sea. A custom rick house anchors the expansive main dining room, and eclectic art decorates the walls. The stairway leads to an open-air rooftop patio with seating for 80.

Meanwhile, the Gatsby Hospitality Group, which made waves last year with Gatsby’s Prime Seafood and, before that, Gatsby’s Prime Steakhouse in Montrose, quietly opened its latest concept on Navigation. With an aim of being an area go-to, the “craft-casual” Gatsby’s Grill homages the El Segundo neighborhood with Latin-tinged offerings and chic comfort food.

And on the other side of the bayou, the nine-hole public course East River 9 has bowed, with a driving range, putting green and pickleball courts — and a full-service restaurant that boasts a mean burger.

Riverhouse Houston's Gulf Coast Shrimp Street Tacos and Classic Cheeseburger

Eight Row Flint

Calle Viejo at Eight Row Flint

Gatsby's Grill

Food

Spring Expression

WHILE SPRING CAN seem fleeting in Houston, chef de cuisine Felipe Botero at Le Jardinier inside the MFAH is making the most of the season’s freshest ingredients. French for “the gardener,” Le Jardinier is helping to extend Springtime sensations, even if it’s just through the extra-fresh ingredients Botero has used to craft the seasonal menu.

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ON MARCH 29, the same day Beyoncé dropped her celebrated Cowboy Carter album and sent Nashville’s most prickish pundits into a tizzy, Texas icon Willie Nelson and young buck Orville Peck released their duet, “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,” further scrambling the brains of close-minded country fans with the catchy refrain: “Say, what do you think all them saddles and boots was about?”

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Art + Entertainment