Renowned chef Hugo Ortega, a James Beard Award winner and the most celebrated Mexico-born culinary talent in Texas, is gearing up to open his second downtown Houston restaurant. The highly anticipated project, slated for a late summer 2024 debut, will be located at the recently completed Norton Rose Fulbright Tower at 1550 Lamar Street, overlooking the scenic Discovery Green park.
A New Venture in a Dynamic Space
While details such as the restaurant's name and concept remain under wraps, the space will occupy one of two ground-floor retail locations in the $225 million Norton Rose Fulbright Tower. The other retail tenant, Tenfold Coffee, opened its second location in November.
This will mark Ortega’s first restaurant opening in nearly four years, following the debut of Urbe in Uptown Park—a concept celebrating Mexican street food. Notably, the new establishment will sit just across Discovery Green from Xochi, H Town Restaurant Group’s acclaimed Oaxacan-inspired eatery, which opened in 2017.
Hints of What's to Come
Earlier this year, Ortega and his wife and business partner, Tracy Vaught, established a new corporation named Sin Fronteras Hospitality, signaling ambitious plans for the future. Public records show the company has filed trademarks for the names Madre Perla and Zaranda, both classified under restaurant and bar services.
While details about these potential ventures remain sparse, the trademark for Zaranda, filed in July 2024, is still listed as pending, hinting at the possible direction of the new downtown concept.
Legacy and Expansion
Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, along with their daughter and co-owner Sophia Ortega, are at the helm of H Town Restaurant Group, which has been instrumental in shaping Houston’s culinary scene. Their other projects include the much-loved Backstreet Cafe, which is undergoing a relocation near its original River Oaks home of 41 years.
Sophia’s involvement signifies a generational expansion of the family’s culinary legacy, now infused with fresh vision and innovation through Sin Fronteras Hospitality.
The Norton Rose Fulbright Tower: A New Culinary Hub
Developed by Skanska USA, the Norton Rose Fulbright Tower is rapidly becoming a hotspot for fine dining and lifestyle experiences in downtown Houston. With its prime location overlooking Discovery Green and a sleek, modern design, the tower provides an ideal setting for Ortega’s next culinary chapter.
As anticipation builds, Houstonians and food enthusiasts alike are eager to see what Hugo Ortega and his team will bring to this exciting new space, further cementing their influence in Texas’ ever-evolving dining scene.
