These Houston-Area Restaurants Closed In 2016

HOUSTON, TX — Upscale Mexican restaurant Anejo, home of an extensive tequila list and what some saw as overpriced fajitas, closed its doors earlier this month, following Triniti, Little Liberty Rice Village, and Up, which also closed this year.

Perhaps now is a good time to take a look back at some of the more notable departures of 2016. Some analysts are speculating that the Houston restaurant scene is oversaturated, and that 2017 will see a bursting of the bubble, while others bemoan a lack of quality brought on by individuals opening restaurants without doing their research and claim that a few other closures would be a good thing.

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Thanks to our friends at Houston Business Journal, we bring you the 2016 Houston-area restaurant RIP list:

• French restaurant Au Petit Paris, at 2048 Colquitt St., officially ended operations in June after nine years in business.
• Baker Street Pub & Grill shut down its Rice Village location in January. Austin-based Hopdoddy Burger Bar will take over the space for its second Houston-area location.
• Black & White, at 1001 Studewood St. in the Heights, closed indefinitely in late November after just over a year in operation. The restaurant struggled to pay its employees and also failed to pay the Houston Food Bank from its participation in Houston Restaurant Weeks.
• Bourbon on Bagby, at 2708 Bagby St., closed earlier this year. Midtown Barbecue was expected to move into its space.
• Bramble, at 2231 S. Voss Road, closed in July. Chef Randy Rucker closed the Southern-style restaurant after it had been open for roughly a year.
• Brasserie Max & Julie in Montrose closed July 31 after nine years.
• BRC Gastropub, at 519 Shepherd Drive, shut down this past summer to become a private event and catering venue. The restaurant sported a large red rooster in its parking lot.
• Celtic Gardens shut down its Midtown location in February and was transformed into Irish Cowboy.
• Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill announced it would close its Washington Avenue restaurant on May 24. Hawaii-based ramen bistro Agu is taking over the spot.
• Cullen’s American Grille and Whisk(e)y Bar shuttered in April after nearly 10 years of service and was expected to be converted in a medical center.
• D’Amico’s Italian Market Cafe, operated by HUSA Management Inc., closed its Katy location Feb. 29. The Italian restaurant was located in the LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch shopping center. It was replaced by Restless Palate.
• Dry Creek Cafe, at 544 Yale, closed earlier this year. Houston culinary powerhouses Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu will open a new concept in the space.
• The Durham House shut down in June after losing its second chef in six months.
• Restaurant group Treadsack closed Foreign Correspondents, at 4721 N. Main St., in December and neighboring bar Canard at the end of the year. Foreign Correspondents had only been open a little more than a year, but it received plenty of accolades. It was one of only four Texas finalists for Bon Appétit’s America’s Best New Restaurants 2016, and it received a nod in Southern Living's The South's Best New Restaurants for 2016.
• Funky Chicken and Bradley's Fine Diner officially closed in January 2016. The restaurants were located in the same strip at 181 Heights Blvd. and 191 Heights Blvd. Lee Ellis' newly formed Houston-based company, Cherry Pie Hospitality, took over both locations and already opened Pi Pizza in the former Funky Chicken space.
• Georges Bistro, at 219 Westheimer Road, shuttered in March, as owners Georges and Monique Guy moved back to France.
• Gratifi Kitchen + Bar closed both its dog and human doors on July 13.
• Hong Kong Chef, at 5112 Bissonnet St., closed March 31 after more than 60 years in service to make room for Bellaire's new multilevel H-E-B.
• One of Houston’s oldest bars, Kay’s Lounge at 2324 Bissonnet St. near Rice Village, closed Sept. 3.
• Kubo's Sushi Bar and Grill posted a sign at its location at 2414 University Blvd.that said that it had closed in March.
• La Vista, at 1936 Fountain View Drive, expects to close this spring, according to an announcement in late December. The Italian restaurant was known for its BYOB concept. It plans to reopen in another location in Houston.
• Mark’s American Cuisine, a nearly 19-year-old Montrose restaurant housed in a church, ended its regular service May 29. Underbelly chef and owner Chris Shepherd is taking over the space for his new concept, One Fifth.
• Mo's … A Place for Steaks, at 1801 Post Oak Blvd., announced it was closing in late October due in part to the glut of high-end restaurant seats in the Galleria area, owner Johnny Vassallo told the Houston Business Journal.
• Mockingbird Bistro, at 1985 Welch St. in Montrose, expected to close at the end of December. The restaurant was started about 15 years ago by chef John Sheely, who failed to come to terms with his landlord over the lease, which he wanted to extend.
• Midtown seafood and steak restaurant Mr. Peeples closed in March after less than three years in business.
• Oxheart announced in December 2016 it plans to close March 15 and reopen a new concept a few months after. The eatery’s chef, Justin Yu, won an award from the James Beard Foundation in 2016.
• Paul’s Kitchen in Upper Kirby closed Feb. 28 and reopened as a banquet hall, The Merrill House.
• Italian eatery Pepino's, at 1421 Richmond Ave., put up a for-lease sign in July.
• Ponzo's Italian Food, at 2515 Bagby St. in Midtown, announced through its Facebook page that it closed Oct. 16. The eatery was known for its pepperoni rolls and meatball subs.
• Montrose restaurant Sparrow Bar + Cookshop announced it closed in late spring, but owner and executive chef Monica Pope didn’t explain why.
• Stoked Tacos & Tequila closed its location, at 2416 Brazos St., in November. Stoked opened less than a year earlier, taking over the former space of Cook & Collins, which shuttered on Jan. 31.
• Tarakaan, a high-end Asian concept in Midtown at 2301 S. Main St., announced in July it would shut its doors. Tarakaan first opened in September 2015 in the 6,000-square-foot former Knoll furniture showroom.
• Zelko Bistro in the Heights closed this past summer.

Which restaurants do you think will close in 2017? Let us know in the comments section.

— Image: Houston Streetwise