Lankford’s, the nearly 90-year-old Houston burger institution, is finally heading up I-45. The family’s third location opens this Saturday in The Woodlands, taking over the former Baja Cantina space along the Waterway and bringing its big, saucy burgers and tater-tot sides much closer to north Houston diners. It is the latest step in a slow-and-steady expansion beyond the original Midtown home base.
As reported by CultureMap Houston, the Woodlands restaurant debuts this Saturday, January 31, and comes tricked out with a 12-tap self-serve beer wall, a milkshake bar that serves both traditional and boozy shakes, and a dog-friendly Rescue Menu that sends a portion of proceeds to the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. Ahead of the grand opening, the team ran a reservation-only soft opening, then shifts into regular operating hours for the public.
What to Expect Inside
The Woodlands menu leans into what made the Midtown original a cult favorite. A straight-ahead classic cheeseburger sits beside the Grim, which piles bacon, mac and cheese, and a sunny-side egg into one towering stack, and the spicy Firehouse for those who like some heat with their beef. The full Woodlands lineup, posted on the restaurant’s menu, also includes chicken sandwiches, chili, a maple-bourbon pork chop, and weekend brunch.
Lankford’s is also nudging into wine-club territory. The restaurant has rolled out a membership program, Lankford’s Reserve, described on the site as a 360 dollar per year club that offers members wholesale pricing on bottles along with dining discounts.
A Family Affair
Per a press release on Visit The Woodlands, third-generation owners Paul and Jessica Prior are leading the latest expansion, with the younger generation stepping in to help run the new Waterway location. The same release notes that the family is also expanding the Midtown flagship with a coffee and wine bar, part of a careful modernization that keeps Lankford’s firmly rooted in its comfort-food identity rather than turning it into something unrecognizable.
Practical Details
After the soft opening wraps, CultureMap Houston reports that Lankford’s in The Woodlands will operate Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner starting at 11 a.m., and on weekends for brunch and dinner starting at 10 a.m. The restaurant’s website lists an online reservation portal along with contact information for the new spot.
The arrival of Lankford’s adds another familiar Houston name to a growing cluster of openings along the Waterway, a pattern local outlets have been tracking. The Houston Chronicle notes that The Woodlands has attracted several second locations and fresh concepts in recent months, and Lankford’s gives north Houston diners a direct line to a decades-old burger tradition without the drive into town.
