Bungalow Dining has soft-opened in the former Sambuca space at 909 Texas Avenue, moving into downtown Houston's historic Rice building just two blocks from its original Main Street address. The Black-owned restaurant shut down its first location in July 2026 ahead of the move, and a formal reopening is being planned for November.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the soft-opened space occupies the building once home to Sambuca, the Italian restaurant that closed in 2024. Bungalow Dining was founded by Alife Hospitality in 2022, and the new location gives the concept considerably more room to work with: a What Now Houston report puts the footprint at 10,226 square feet, with a larger bar, an expanded patio, and a dedicated venue for private parties, birthdays, and cocktails.
Three Private Rooms, One With a View of the Action
The new build-out adds three private dining rooms spread across the first and second floors, accommodating 20, 25, and 30 guests respectively, with one room overlooking the main dining room below. The interior leans on natural tones and distinctive light fixtures, a design choice that signals a step up from the original Main Street footprint. Jonathan Reitzell said the new location supports cocktails, dinner, birthdays, private dinners, and patio visits, while JR Martins described the move as representing Bungalow's evolution and its next chapter, according to CultureMap Houston.
Running the kitchen is executive chef and operating partner Mark Holley, who brings decades of experience to the pass. Per the Houston Chronicle, Holley was previously an operating partner and executive chef at Davis Street at Hermann Park, and CultureMap's reporting adds stints at Pesce and Holley's to his résumé.
A Menu That Splits the Difference Between Steakhouse and Gulf Coast
The reworked menu blends classic steakhouse staples with global and Gulf Coast influences, headlined by a 32-ounce tableside tomahawk. Diners can also expect jerk Wagyu meatballs with honey barbecue sauce and a 48-hour oxtail ragu served over pappardelle, both confirmed by the Chronicle's report. The same account notes a snapper crudo with coconut milk leche, a Cajun ribeye, and creamed kimchi collard greens, while CultureMap adds that the crudo also comes with scotch bonnet oil and that a halibut dish arrives with crabmeat and orzo.
Dessert options include a New Orleans-style praline cheesecake and a lemon buttermilk chess pie, according to CultureMap's account of the new offerings. The pairing of rich, steakhouse-scale mains with Gulf Coast and Caribbean flavors mirrors the broader expansion Bungalow Dining is undertaking with its move, trading a smaller original footprint for a venue built to handle both intimate private dinners and larger group events.
When Doors Officially Open
Bungalow Dining is planning to officially reopen at 909 Texas Avenue this fall, with BLAC pointing to an early November target date, What Now Houston saying the restaurant will reopen in the fall, and the Chronicle saying a grand opening is planned sometime in November. Planned hours, per BLAC, are Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight. For now, the soft-opened dining room, bar, and patio give downtown Houston diners an early look at the next chapter of a restaurant that has already outgrown its first home.
