One of Houston’s Best Soul Food Spots—and the Steakhouse No One Asked For—Closed

Chef-owner Aaron Davis has closed the Seabrook home of his acclaimed soul food restaurant, but he’s already lined up the next one. In a social media post, Davis said the NASA Road 1 space—where Viola & Agnes landed in 2020 when it first opened and then again in 2022 when it reopened—was always more than he could manage alone. Some of that was evident from the waits for the food, which Davis often cooked on his own using recipes inspired by his family and grandmothers, which prompted the name of the restaurant.

He has since raised over $8,500 through GoFundMe to move to a yet-to-be-named location. His gumbo, fried catfish, chicken and waffles, and rotating specials like oxtails earned the restaurant a spot on the New York Times list of 2024’s 50 best restaurants. Until it reopens, fans can find his cooking weekdays at Durb’s Restaurant in League City, where he serves his dishes until sell out.

Magnolia Park’s occult-themed, skull-lined home for punk, rock, and metal shows played its last set on Wednesday, September 30, after financial pressures caught up with the bar. A short renovation will follow, and the space comes back on Halloween night as La Calavera, which will still book bands but, per the owners’ Instagram, will focus “a lot on the neighborhood going forward.” Since 2022, Black Magic has been a cheap, grungy refuge for local and touring acts, known for its pentagram backdrop and $6 beer-and-shot deals.

Houston families managing food allergies lost one of their few worry-free treat stops when Awesome Bites Co. closed its storefront at the Shops at Sawyer Yards on Sunday, September 27. Owner Jennifer Thai announced the decision on social media, writing that it followed months of “trying, pivoting, hoping and holding on.” Thai got her start selling at farmers’ markets when she couldn’t find safe treats for her daughter, then settled into a permanent home in 2019 with a plant-based menu void of dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, or tree nuts. She hinted the brand will continue in some form, saying she was parting with “this version” of Awesome Bites.

The last piece of one of the city’s most influential restaurant groups is gone. Underbelly Burger in Spring Branch served its final burgers on Sunday, September 13, according to a social media post that thanked guests and staff but offered no explanation. A representative told the Houston Chronicle there wasn’t much more to share. The burger shop once belonged to Underbelly Hospitality, the company James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd launched. He went on to open restaurants like UB Preserv, which became an incubator of some of the city’s best chefs and a champion of the Houston food scene.

The group never regained its footing after its 2022 split from Shepherd, shuttering GJ Tavern, Pastore, Comalito, and Wild Oats in the years since. Georgia James, the steakhouse Shepherd founded and named after his mother, lives on under Bari Hospitality Group, which bought it in 2024.

Sito’s #1 is officially closed. As reported last month, Pappas Restaurants shuttered the original Pappasitos Cantina at Richmond Avenue and Hillcroft on Sunday, September 13, citing the location’s long-term outlook. Brothers Chris, Harris, and Greg Pappas opened it in 1983, and its sizzling fajitas, hefty portions, and tart margaritas became the blueprint for more than 20 restaurants in Texas and Georgia. The company offered every employee a job at another Pappas restaurant but hasn’t decided what’s next for the property.

Bistro Le Cep didn’t announce its impending exit, but Chron reported that “there were signs:” an Instagram account untouched since August 2025, a dead website, and finally a padlock on the front door and a for-lease banner over the awning. The French bistro on Westheimer Road in Westchase cleared out sometime in June or July, according to a representative for landlord LandPark Commercial, who shared no details on why. Open since 2001, Le Cep built a devoted following for old-school dishes like duck à l’orange and chocolate mousse, and its snug dining rooms stayed packed in its early days, as former Houston Chronicle critic Alison Cook observed in 2002.

Houston’s run with the one-entree steakhouse is over. Medium Rare, the Washington, D.C.-based concept, closed its Midtown outpost at the Mix at Midtown after service on Sunday, September 6—less than two years after opening in November 2024. Founded in 2011 by restaurateur Mark Bucher, the restaurant kept things simple: a roughly $30 prix fixe of bread, salad, and coulotte steak frites draped in Bordelaise-style sauce, plus a second round of steak and frites and big desserts. The farewell post called it “goodbye for now.” 

It’s worth noting: Houston has no shortage of locally based steak-focused restaurants (at least two have opened in the last month—Mack Allan’s and Parkwood),  so opening a steakhouse here (or anywhere in Texas, really) is pretty ambitious for an out-of-town concept. But it might not be just about the ample amount of competition. Maybe it’s about the location?

Medium Rare is the third restaurant to leave the Mix in Midtown within the past month or so. Its neighbors Pok Pok Po and Bol closed in late August. If you miss Medium Rare, make the trek up to Dallas. Their location is still open.

Another 2001 original is gone. Qin Dynasty, the Chinese American restaurant on Buffalo Speedway near West U., closed without fanfare, and by mid-September its signage had come down, according to Culturemap Houston. Over 25 years, it drew regulars for chicken lettuce wraps, pork dumplings, and spicy-tangy chicken. No reason for the closure has been made public.