Bacari Dunleavy LLC is tied to four properties near the former Ostia restaurant in Montrose, but the purchase does not establish what will happen there. Chron reported that documents show the company acquired 2032 Dunlavy St., the former Ostia site, as well as 1816 Indiana St., 2012 Dunlavy St. and 2014 Dunlavy St. The company has not announced plans for the properties.
One practical milestone for any future commercial use is separate from the real estate transaction: City of Houston guidance says a Certificate of Occupancy is required before a commercial building or individual lease space is occupied, and when an existing occupancy classification changes. That rule describes a city requirement; it does not indicate what use is planned for these addresses.
Different Montrose properties, different outcomes
Recent local examples show why a property sale alone says little about what comes next. In a separate Montrose project, CultureMap reported that Justin Yu, Bobby Heugel and partners bought the former Vibrant space at 1931 Fairview for a neighborhood restaurant expected to open in spring 2026. That project involved a stated restaurant plan; no comparable plan has been announced for the Bacari-linked properties.
Other Houston cases have followed different paths. CultureMap reported that Chivos closed at the end of 2022 and Best Regards took over its 11th Street location. Its 2023 closures roundup also reported that Third Ward’s Spanish Village closed in March to make way for a development. These are separate examples, not evidence of a broader trend or a guide to the former Ostia site.
The neighborhood context
The former restaurant sits in a dense part of the city. The City of Houston’s 2020 super-neighborhood data, based on 2016–2020 American Community Survey estimates, lists Neartown-Montrose—the broader area that includes Montrose—with 32,589 residents and 9,966 people per square mile. The figures provide a population-and-density snapshot, not a measure of recent change or evidence about the properties’ future use.
Chef Travis McShane permanently closed Ostia in September 2025, according to The Houston Chronicle. The acquisition now puts four nearby properties under the same company’s ownership, but whether they will become a restaurant, be redeveloped or serve another purpose remains unconfirmed.
