Once again, Houston is facing the aftermath of another powerful tropical storm. Hurricane Beryl barreled through the Houston area, leaving millions without power and several neighborhoods flooded and strewn in debris.
Local officials urged residents to stay home, and many local restaurants remained closed as they braced themselves for Beryl’s effects. Some, though, like Houston cocktail lounge Poison Girl, are biding their time in very Houston style. “As soon as it is dry enough outside we’ll start pouring inside,” lounge owners announced on their Instagram.
By 11 a.m. Monday, Fox’s meteorologists declared that conditions were improving and that Beryl, which then decreased to a tropical storm, could be behind the city by later in the afternoon. Still, Houston Mayor John Whitmire held a press conference at around 11:10 a.m. urging and “pleading” with Houstonians to shelter in place and stay off the roads so as not to put first responders in danger. There had been more than 30 rescues in the city and more than 400 911 calls in an hour, according to officials. “All we need to worry about right now is protecting lives,” Whitmire said, adding that many of Houston’s traffic lights were damaged and not working properly. Officials said that the city would likely be in recovery mode hours — if not, days — after Beryl passes.
Houston officials and police warned people of impending storm Beryl on Sunday night, encouraging residents to stay off the road. Many restaurants immediately began preparing for the storm, with establishments like Daily Gather and Dish Society closing early at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and announcing that they would “wait and see” if they would open by 1 p.m. on Monday.
By 4 a.m. Monday, Beryl slammed into the Texas coast as a category 1 hurricane, with peak winds of 90 miles per hour, according to Fox 26, Houston’s local Fox station. More than 2 million homes and businesses were left without power, according to PowerOutage.us, and various neighborhoods and highways experienced flash flooding. At least two people in the Houston area, including a 53-year-old man in Humble and a 74-year-old woman in Houston, died after being hit by fallen trees.
Beryl, which caused at least 11 deaths on its path through the Caribbean to Texas, comes just a few months after severe thunderstorms swept through southeastern Texas and Louisiana in May with winds as high as 78 mph. The storm, which battered the Houston area, left at least four people dead and more than 800,000 residents without power and electricity for days.
As locals wait to regain power and for the shelter-in-place to be lifted, Eater Houston will track which restaurants are closed and open this week, and which restaurants have suffered extensive damage from the storm. We’ll also update this story with information on any food service and donation efforts to support those in need of hot food and services. Check back to this space for more information as it becomes available.
Who’s Closed
The following restaurants have announced closures due to the local storms and associated power outages
- The Blind Goat is closed on Monday.
- Brasserie 19 is closed on Monday.
- Caracol is closed on Monday.
- Daily Gather and all Dish Society locations closed early on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and are waiting to see if they will reopen at 1 p.m. on Monday.
- Duck N Bao closed on Monday.
- Guard and Grace is closed on Monday.
- Hongdae 33 closed on Monday.
- Jun is closed on Monday.
- Kolache Shoppe is waiting to see if it will open on Monday.
- La Lucha is closed on Monday.
- Lyric Market is closed on Monday.
- All locations of Molina’s Cantina are closed on Monday.
- Phat Eatery’s Katy and the Woodlands locations are closed on Monday.
- Street to Kitchen is closed on Monday.
- Theodore Rex is closed on Monday.
- Xochi is closed on Monday.
