Another piece of Houston restaurant lore is set to disappear. Construction crews have begun tearing down 1212 Waugh Dr., a building that housed not one but three dedicated seafood restaurants.
The work comes about six months after renovation plans were filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. According to the permit, the $800,000 project will convert the existing 6,926-square-foot building into a 6,730-square-foot convenience store with a gas station. Construction was originally scheduled to begin in November and wrap up by August 2027, but demolition is already underway. As with many TDLR filings, dates listed are subject to change.
The renovation closes the chapter on the building’s nearly 15-year run as a Montrose dining destination.
For much of that time, the building was home to Tony Mandola’s, the Cajun-Italian restaurant owned by Tony and Phyllis Mandola. The restaurant united two of Houston’s most prominent restaurant families: Tony, a member of the Mandola restaurant family, and Phyllis, the daughter of legendary restaurateur “Mama” Ninfa Laurenzo. Tony Mandola’s relocated to Waugh Drive in 2011, where it remained until closing in 2021, as the Houston Chronicle reported.
The Gatsby Hospitality Group reimagined the space as Gatsby’s Prime Seafood, an upscale seafood restaurant that opened in 2022. After operating for just over a year, the concept was rebranded as Ocean 12 Vibe Dining in 2023. According to the Houston Business Journal, which first reported the news about the gas station development, Ocean 12 quietly closed in mid-2024.