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Italian food lovers are in good company in Houston. Throughout the city, there are numerous Italian restaurants serving the best of the best of pastas, pizzas, and gourmet Italian dishes. Soon, it seems that there’s even more to come as global, beloved Italian food hall and market reportedly plans to open a location in Houston where visitors can find all sorts of prepared Italian dishes, groceries, and live events in an immersive, culinary experience.
For the uninitiated, Eataly is a transnational entity and immersive culinary experience with over 50 locations from Italy to the United States, Japan, and Sweden. The company promotes an experiential destination – wherein, we’ve seen at least once referred to as a “Disneyland for foodies” – featuring food halls filled with full-service restaurants focusing on regional Italian cuisines as well as service counters where patrons can grab a quick slice on the go.
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Additionally, Eataly is also comprised of a gourmet marketplace. Priding itself in its high quality Italian products, hard to secure elsewhere, the market offers a robust inventory of Italian goods from specialty olive oils to local Italian meats and, of course, Italian wines. Furthermore, Eataly locations also house pasta laboratories for fresh-made pastas, as well as bakeries, butchers, and fishmongers.
A big component of Eataly is its culinary school. As one of Eataly’s core concepts, the market aims to provide an Italian culinary education hosting cooking schools or La Scuola, as well as offering open and transparent kitchens where customers can look in on the magic behind the making.
Eataly is presently in the midst of a North American expansion, with plans to open around 20 stores over the next five years. Following rumors of a possible location in Houston, the Houston Business Journal reports that the company has submitted paperwork for a location in Houston to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
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Houston Business Journal reports that the filing, submitted October 24, 2025, calls for an $11.5 million, 20,050-square-foot space at the 500 Westheimer retail plaza. Per the filling, construction is slated to start this coming January, with an anticipated completion of date of September 2026.
It should be noted that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation should be treated as preliminary; that is, not officially confirmed by Eataly, and subject to change.