Houston restaurateur Isa Loshaj, owner of Midtown’s Good Times Kitchen + Bar, is opening a family-friendly spinoff called Tavolina 44 in Cinco Ranch. The restaurant will open in late spring at 22756 Westheimer Parkway, offering Italian dishes along with some Balkan items from Good Times. The original Good Times location will remain open.
Loshaj told the Chron that Tavolina 44 "will skew more Italian than Good Times" but will still feature signature Balkan staples such as sujuk, a dry, fermented sausage. He described the Katy outpost as geared toward families and said the menu and programming could include brunch and deals like "kids eat free." The whole idea, he added, is to cut down the commute, since he lives in Cinco Ranch and has been driving to Midtown for years.
The restaurant will sit inside the Villagio Town Center shopping center at 22756 Westheimer Parkway, according to Realmo. That stretch of Westheimer mixes casual eateries and bars with more upscale options, a combination that helped steer Loshaj toward a relaxed, family-focused concept for the suburb.
Where Tavolina 44's flavors come from
Sujuk is not a trendy add-on for Loshaj. He has served the sausage at Good Times and says it has been in his family for roughly a century. The Houston Chronicle profiled his sujuk and its ties to his Kosovar roots in 2022, noting that the cured meat shows up on flatbreads and other dishes at the Midtown restaurant.
What Katy diners should expect
The new opening comes on the heels of the mid-January closure of Copenhagen European Kitchen & Bakery, which local coverage noted leaves Cinco Ranch with fewer European dining options, according to MyNeighborhoodNews. Loshaj has not yet released a full menu or a firm opening date, but his plans for family-friendly meals and weekend brunch point to a more casual counterweight to nearby fine-dining spots.
Build-out and permitting will ultimately set the exact launch date, though Loshaj expects Tavolina 44 to open its doors in late spring. Until then, Katy residents can count down to a taste of Good Times a lot closer to home.
