The Heights Waterworks will be home to one less restaurant come August 1—at least for now. Stephanie Hoban’s vegan destination, Verdine, will close its doors at the end of July.
In a note posted to Instagram, Hoban wrote that she and her partners accepted an opportunity to exit their lease early, but said that another vegan concept will take over the space soon. She added that the decision was made “after a lot of consideration” and was “based on a variety of factors.”
Known as one of the pioneers of making vegan dining more mainstream in Houston, Hoban opened Verdine, her first brick and mortar restaurant, at the Heights Waterworks in April 2019. The full-service restaurant offers a 100 percent plant-based menu with organic and vegan-friendly wines.
Many of Hoban’s offerings are fan favorites from her Ripe Cuisine food truck (playfully nicknamed “Wanda”), a longtime fixture at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market. The young chef incorporated vegetables such as jackfruit and cauliflower to mimic meat proteins like carnitas and chorizo, creating hearty dishes that more than measured up against the real thing. At Verdine, she was able to build on the menu, adding pastas and plated desserts, and giving people a hip, comfortable setting in which to eat—plus the option to wine while they dine.
Loyal visitors may miss Verdine’s signature dishes like the bistro burger or the greens and grains enchiladas, but they won’t be without access to plant-based food at that location for long. Hospitality veterans Robert White and Victor Litwinenko, partners in popular Sugar Land Town Square restaurants Japaneiro’s, Guru Burgers & Enlightened Bowls (formerly Guru Burgers & Crepes), and Jupiter Pizza and Waffles, will open another fully vegan restaurant in the space.
According to Hoban’s post, White and Litwinenko’s restaurant group is even extending opportunities to her staff to interview for positions in the new venture. “Who I handed the baton to next was important to me, and I feel confident in passing this space along to them,” she said.
Houstonians have one week left to get their fill of Hoban’s plant-based eats. The restaurant will operate as usual for lunch and dinner until Sunday, when it will conclude its run with one final brunch service.
Find it: 449 W 19th St Suite C-200, Houston, TX 77008; (713) 876-4768
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.