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<\/p>\nEvery day, maybe hundreds or thousands of drivers pass by Max’s Wine Dive along Washington Avenue. There was a time when the restaurant was a talked-about fixture in Houston’s dining scene. Alas, its star has faded in recent memory. But a new owner and a team of chefs is hoping they can bring back that\u00a0je ne sais quoi that initially put the restaurant on the map.<\/p>\n
Christopher Gonzalez came into ownership of Max’s Wine Dive at 4720 Washington Ave. in April 2026 and launched a soft opening on July 15. A grand opening is expected sometime in early August, Gonzalez told Chron.<\/p>\n
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The exterior of Max’s Wine Dive in Houston, Texas, on July 15, 2026. The restaurant recently reopened under new ownership. (Wes Wilson\/Chron)<\/p>\n
Jerry Lasco opened the first Max’s Wine Dive in December 2006. Lasco, a former Continental Airlines pilot-turned-restaurateur, envisioned a restaurant that married familiar American Southern comforts with a substantial wine list. Its fried chicken, marinated in jalape\u00f1o-buttermilk, was certainly impressive. Hence the restaurant’s slogan: “Fried chicken and champagne-why the hell not?”<\/p>\n
Max’s Wine Dive’s appeal was apparent. Lasco expanded the concept to Houston’s Montrose, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth and San Antonio. But things started to get shaky in 2014. Lasko’s business found itself facing threats from competing wine bars and surging demand for cocktails and craft brews. One by one, Lasko was forced to shutter locations until the flagship along Washington Avenue was all that remained.<\/p>\n
Returning to one’s roots![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/chron_hearst_841\/83220c1a37a9af26deb28f3d13a45d19.jpeg\"\/)
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The interior of Max’s Wine Dive in Houston, Texas, on July 15, 2026. The restaurant recently reopened under new ownership. (Wes Wilson\/Chron)<\/p>\n
At some point, Max’s Wine Dive changed hands in 2024, Gonzalez said. He acquired the restaurant in April. “The place really got away: Lost the concept, sales went down, poorly managed, poorly run, not good. Million in debt,” he said. “I came into the picture and it kind of fell into my lap. I didn’t pay a dollar.”<\/p>\n
There was a moment when Gonzalez, who also owns Hunter’s Pub near Meyerland, wasn’t sure about reopening Max’s Wine Dive. He had gotten offers from other interested parties to turn the space into a club or something similar. But it was two chefs, Aaron Kalenda-Boza and Jacob Counihan, who got him to change his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Gonzalez, the three were on the same page about Max’s Wine Dive.<\/p>\n
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Food at Max’s Wine Dive in Houston, Texas, on July 15, 2026. (Wes Wilson\/Chron)<\/p>\n
“They want to keep things that are very popular there: the fried chicken, the mac and cheese, the collard greens, and the deviled eggs,” Gonzalez said. “They want to bring some Houston-inspired dishes, trying to go for some fusion stuff. During the soft opening, they had red snapper with red and green curry. They’re trying to hit all different kinds of pockets.”<\/p>\n
Some of the other changes include re-exposing the brick wall inside the restaurant and creating an open-kitchen environment that ultimately feels more homey.<\/p>\n
“People will say they know that place, but they haven’t been there in a while. So there’s no need to change the name,” Gonzalez said. “It just needs to be managed better.”<\/p>\n
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