{"id":360007,"date":"2026-07-03T14:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/360007\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T14:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:42:08","slug":"houston-saw-restaurants-like-chroma-new-agas-location-open-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/360007\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston saw restaurants like Chroma, new Aga&#8217;s location open in June"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Nem n\u00fa\u00f6ng cu\u00f4n, grilled pork sausage rolls, is seen at Xeo Yum along Long Point Road in Houston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nem n\u00fa\u00f6ng cu\u00f4n, grilled pork sausage rolls, is seen at Xeo Yum along Long Point Road in Houston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n<p>Everything from a Brazilian-Cuban sandwich shop to a bar inspired by Chicano culture <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/food-restaurants\/article\/houston-may-restaurant-openings-22259550.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">debuted last month<\/a> in the Houston area.<\/p>\n<p>The Houston Chronicle\u2019s No. 1 restaurant of 2025,\u00a0Aga\u2019s, expanded to Katy. Chef Claire Smith \u2014 of late restaurants Alice Blue, Shade and Canopy \u2014 launched an all-day cafe by the Menil Collection. A longtime matcha pop-up established a brick-and-mortar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MM_onlineOnly\" title=\"CCI Online Only\">MORE OPENINGS:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/food-restaurants\/article\/vua-bun-bo-gulf-22317492.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Restaurant specializing in bun bo hue, long-simmered spicy Vietnamese soup, to expand<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s our list of 17 restaurants, bars and cafes that opened in June. Let us know what you think.<\/p>\n<p>If you plan to open a restaurant, cafe, bakery or bar soon, please reach out to aviva.bechky@houstonchronicle.com to let us know for a future roundup.<\/p>\n<p>102\u00a0W. Grand Parkway S., Suite 100, Katy<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Aga\u2019s new take out location opens in Katy, Tuesday, June 16, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Aga\u2019s new take out location opens in Katy, Tuesday, June 16, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n<p>The number one restaurant on the Houston Chronicle\u2019s most recent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/project\/top-100-restaurants-houston\/\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Top 100 Restaurants<\/a> list launched a second location. Longstanding community favorite\u00a0Aga\u2019s brought its Indian-Pakistani dishes to a takeout- and delivery-only restaurant in Katy. Owner Shaukat Maredia told the Chronicle that 75% of the menu would remain the same. Customers can still pick up their favorites: karahis, biryanis, the signature chicken lollipops.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The Branch<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"The Branch is the latest offering from the group behind Lucille's and Late August.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Branch is the latest offering from the group behind Lucille&#8217;s and Late August.<\/p>\n<p>Lucille&#8217;s Hospitality Group<\/p>\n<p>On the 12th floor of the Forme apartment building, the Branch marks the latest offering from Lucille\u2019s Hospitality Group, the restaurant group behind Lucille\u2019s and Late August. The bar and lounge stars a raw bar, crudo specials, oysters, caviar and charcuterie, with wellness-focused cocktails to sip.<\/p>\n<p>Chroma<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Chroma, by chef Claire Smith, serves global comfort food.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Chroma, by chef Claire Smith, serves global comfort food.<\/p>\n<p>Becca Wright<\/p>\n<p>Chef Claire Smith returned to the Houston restaurant scene last month with Chroma, an all-day cafe on the Menil Collection\u2019s campus. Smith had made a name for herself here with Shade, Canopy and Alice Blue, but she closed her last restaurant two years ago. At Chroma, she serves global comfort food: campechana with summer gazpacho, the chicken flautas from Alice Blue, Thai red curry snapper.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Signature cocktails at Concrete Rose are inspired by a Tupac Shukar poem.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Signature cocktails at Concrete Rose are inspired by a Tupac Shukar poem.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Lazo<\/p>\n<p>Chicano culture sits front and center at Concrete Rose, an upscale bar near Daikin Park. The ceiling mural shows Mexican immigrants, and the framed photos spotlight Houston\u2019s Hispanic culture. The business name, and the names of the signature drinks, take inspiration from the Tupac Shakur poem &#8220;The Rose That Grew from Concrete.&#8221; The Concrete, for instance, combines cognac, rum, prosciutto-washed coquerel calvados, apple-turmeric syrup and fragrant bitters. The No One Else Even Cared uses tequila, tomato-yerba cordial and rum, and it comes with both avocado sorbet and an avocado chip.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Ema Japanese Cuisine<\/p>\n<p>6700 Woodlands Pkwy. Suite 250, The Woodlands<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Ema Japanese Cuisine replaced Prime Beef Shabu in The Woodlands.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:16 \/ 9\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ema Japanese Cuisine replaced Prime Beef Shabu in The Woodlands.<\/p>\n<p>Ema Japanese Cuisine<\/p>\n<p>Prime Beef\u00a0Shabu closed in The Woodlands, and Ema took its place. Sushi rolls dominate much of the menu, with everything from a classic California roll to the salmon-avocado-peppered tuna Texans offering. Nigiri and sashimi are both available, as are a selection of grilled meats, katsu curries, udons, ramens and fried rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Co-owner Tyler Ho makes matcha tea at Enso in Houston, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  The popular pop-up is opening its first location in the Heights.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:4 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Co-owner Tyler Ho makes matcha tea at Enso in Houston, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  The popular pop-up is opening its first location in the Heights.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n<p>Enso has long been a darling of Houston\u2019s matcha scene as a pop-up. Now, for its first brick-and-mortar, owners Anh Ngo, Danny Kim and Tyler Ho created a minimalist space that leans on Japandi (Japanese-Scandinavian) style. They serve both specialty lattes \u2014 in flavors like blueberry lavender, mango, cherry vanilla and pandan \u2014 and traditional, unflavored matcha with different tasting notes.<\/p>\n<p>Galaxy Pizza<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Galaxy Pizza opened in Spring with modified Detroit-style pies.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Galaxy Pizza opened in Spring with modified Detroit-style pies.<\/p>\n<p>Rebekah Flores<\/p>\n<p>This new pizzeria stars a modified Detroit-style dough, aged four days and baked in a conveyor oven. Garlic butter infuses the crust. Signature options here include a triple-pepperoni offering, a bacon-ham-pepperoni-pineapple creation and a \u201cSalad Days\u201d pie topped with spinach, tomato, garlic, feta and artichoke hearts.<\/p>\n<p>La La Land Cafe<\/p>\n<p>9935 Barker Cypress, Cypress<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"La La Land opened a new location in Cypress.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 4\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>La La Land opened a new location in Cypress.<\/p>\n<p>CS Visuals<\/p>\n<p>La La Land Cafe expanded to a drive-thru location in Cypress. At the new store, customers can grab banana cloud lattes and mango passionfruit coolers. For breakfast, they might pick up an avocado toast and can even get it topped with an extra garnish of white truffle oil and burrata.<\/p>\n<p>Ojo de Agua<\/p>\n<p>10720\u00a0Kuykendahl, Suite 10B, The Woodlands<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Mahi mahi a la talla at Ojo de Agua.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Mahi mahi a la talla at Ojo de Agua.<\/p>\n<p>Ojo de Agua<\/p>\n<p>This Mexican City-inspired restaurant expanded from the River Oaks area to The Woodlands. Its wellness-inspired menu includes tacos,\u00a0ceviche, acai bowls, salads, sandwiches, fresh juices and cocktails.<\/p>\n<p>700 Town and Country Blvd., Suite 2640<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A variety of bagels from PopUp Bagels, which is opening its first Houston shop at Twon and Country.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A variety of bagels from PopUp Bagels, which is opening its first Houston shop at Twon and Country.<\/p>\n<p>Alex Stein\/Alexander Stein<\/p>\n<p>This fast-expanding bagel chain just launched its first Houston location. Customers are meant to \u201cgrip, rip and dip\u201d the bagels in cream cheese, instead of slicing them in half. The menu sticks to the classics: five bagel flavors, plain and scallion cream cheese, whipped butter and the occasional limited special flavor. Customers must order at least three bagels with smears.<\/p>\n<p>Qurbah House of Coffee<\/p>\n<p>2000 Reflection Bay,\u00a0Pearland<\/p>\n<p>This new coffee shop in Pearland opened at the beginning of June with drinks and pastries. Among its lattes are a salted caramel mocha and banana bread matcha; Qurbah also sells sweets like a fruit- and chocolate-covered waffle. It offers both patio and indoors seating.<\/p>\n<p>Rizwan\u2019s Biryani Desi Kitchen<\/p>\n<p>Rizwan\u2019s Biryani has long served Karachi-style biryani out of a grocery store. Now, it has moved into a full restaurant. Customers can try the namesake chicken and beef\u00a0biryanis, or dishes like chicken pulao, white karahi and zarda, a sweet Pakistani rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sultan Gate Roastery<\/p>\n<p>23441\u00a0Kingsland,\u00a0Suite 300, Katy<\/p>\n<p>This trendy new Middle Eastern coffee shop opened with baklava, Turkish delights, crepes, waffles and more. Around the store, which is decorated with green arches, customers can pick out an assortment of nuts, sweets, chocolates and pastries. Signs hovering above the countertop advertise offerings like\u00a0kunafa, legumes and candy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tricolore Italian Fast Table<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Tricolore serves desserts including panna cotta and nutella-stuffed chiacchiere.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 1\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tricolore serves desserts including panna cotta and nutella-stuffed chiacchiere.<\/p>\n<p>Giuseppe Traina at Tricolore Italian Fast Table<\/p>\n<p>Giuseppe \u201cJoe\u201d Traina launched Tricolore as a Katy ghost kitchen this winter before opening a dine-in restaurant with about 30 seats halfway through June. Its menu features classic Italian dishes: tonnarelli cacio e pepe, gnocchi with gorgonzola, tagliatelle alfredo with truffle. For dessert, a diner might order panna cotta or nutella-stuffed chiacchiere.<\/p>\n<p>Wise Street Eats<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Wise Street Eats serves casual food including burgers and sliders.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:2 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wise Street Eats serves casual food including burgers and sliders.<\/p>\n<p>Levi Young<\/p>\n<p>This street food concept just expanded from Spring to the Heights, bringing its halal food into Houston proper. Get sliders, loaded fries, gyros or a rice bowl. A dirty mac wrap \u2014 combining mac and cheese, Cajun fries and chicken tenders in a flour tortilla \u2014 puts the restaurant\u2019s hearty comfort food ethos on display.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"The b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o Saigon, shrimp and pork belly crispy savory crepe is seen at Xeo Yum along Long Point Road in Houston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o Saigon, shrimp and pork belly crispy savory crepe is seen at Xeo Yum along Long Point Road in Houston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n<p>At the Conservatory food hall, Cuong Nguyen built a following for banh xeo, Vietnamese savory crepes stuffed with shrimp, pork belly and bean sprouts. He was forced to close when the hall shut down. But now Nguyen is back in Spring Branch, cooking his signature banh xeo as well as \u00a0tamarind wings, pho and vermicelli plates. He wants to make the crepes a more popular staple of Vietnamese cuisine in Houston \u2014 and indeed, he said, customers have already come from as far as Beaumont to try them.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"The El Jardin sandwich, made with black bean pur\u00e9e, sofrito, mustard greens and tostones, is photographed at Yuma in Houston on Thursday, June 18, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The El Jardin sandwich, made with black bean pur\u00e9e, sofrito, mustard greens and tostones, is photographed at Yuma in Houston on Thursday, June 18, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n<p>Husband-and-wife duo Mike Hartley and Miriam Leek-Meira sold Brazilian and Cuban sandwiches out of their pop-up for years. Last month, they turned Yuma into a full restaurant. The cubano, with roast pork, ham, gruyere, pickles and mustard, is the best-seller. But they also offer sandwiches like caipira \u2014 a Brazilian-inspired cheesesteak \u2014 and the chicken-based El Penny Cubano Banh Mi. A full bar emphasizes cachaca- and rum-based drinks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nem n\u00fa\u00f6ng cu\u00f4n, grilled pork sausage rolls, is seen at Xeo Yum along Long Point Road in Houston,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-360007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}