Your Guide to All the Food Halls Opening Downtown This Year

You might not know it yet, but by the end of 2018, downtown Houston will be knee-deep in food halls. What are they? Palatial spaces with common seating, lined with restaurant counters and bars—like fancier mall food courts. Here are the major players:

Conservatory

• What: Houston’s first food hall, literally located underground, with 100-plus beers on tap
• Where: 1010 Prairie St.
• Food: Pho, poke, barbecue, crepes
• Must-Try: The Pho Spot and its righteous broth
• FYI: It’s open until 2 a.m. on weekends
• Opens: Already did, in 2016

Bravery Chef Hall

• What: 9,000 square feet of chef-run counters and bars (three of them) from the Conservatory team
• Where: Aris Market Square, 409 Travis St.
• Food: Vietnamese pub grub, ranch-to-table wood-fired steaks, pasta, coastal Latin
• Must-Try: The first eatery, Blind Goat, from 2012 MasterChef winner Christine Ha
• FYI: Expect new concepts from chefs Ben McPherson (Krisp) and David Guerrero (Andes Café), and rancher Felix Florez (Black Hill Meats).
• Opens: Sometime this summer

Lyric Market

• What: A $58 million, 31,000-square-foot space housing 24 tenants and a speakeasy
• Where: Lyric Centre Parking Garage, 411 Smith St.
• Food: Global cuisines, from Tel Aviv to Spain
• Must-Try: Clark Cooper Concepts will offer a cocktail bar and do tapas and paella.
• FYI: Comes with 700 parking spots!
• Opens: Fall 2018

Finn Hall

• What: A 20,000-square-foot hall featuring 10 big Houston names and two bars
• Where: The Jones on Main, 712 Main St.
• Food: Vietnamese, Korean, Mediterranean, Sichuan, American, coffee
• Must-Try: Amaya’s affogato—Fat Cat ice cream doused in espresso
• FYI: Confirmed: New offerings behind Harold’s, Mala Sichuan, Love Buzz, Dish Society, Goode Co., and more
• Opens: Mid-2018

Food Hall at Capitol Tower

• What: The hall will be part of the eco-friendly skyscraper’s two-level atrium
• Where: 800 Capitol St.
• Food: Fresh, chef-driven eats are promised.
• Must-Try: Vendors currently unknown.
• FYI: The hall will connect to the tunnels and do both lunch and dinner.
• Opens: 2019

Published in the The Houstonian's Essential Guide to Asiatown issue of Houstonia Mag.