PO’ BOYS PRICED OUT OF THE VILLAGE 
The Antone’s Import Co. on the corner of Dunstan and Kelvin in the Rice Village shut down last week, says the Houston Press: “Sources indicate that rent in the space — next door to Kelvin Arms and benjy’s — had increased to the point where Antone’s finally had to close down and reconcentrate on its Stella Link location.” [Eating Our Words] Photo: West University Examiner
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It broke my heart when they closed down the location near my high school on Hilcroft many years ago. I was a great place for “off campus” dining. Don’t even get me started about the closure of the original Taft location without warning. Don’t they know it takes decades to achieve that wonderful aroma from all those imported cheeses, olives, etc.? This is a smell my children (and I) will never experience again.
… no doubt to make room for another exciting ” BerryPop !” YEA ! ! (eye roll)
Wow! I stopped by there to get a fix today, saw the state of things and assumed they were remodeling or something. So sad to hear they are gone completely.
Wow. Stella Link Antone’s and Kojak’s on West 19th are the last two places to get old-school H-Town po’ boys. I’ve got it on good authority that the Antone’s knock-off on Westheimer in Walnut Bend is really good, but I can’t say first-hand whether or not it’s the goods. The fake Antone’s on Ella at the North Loop is reasonably good, but not close to an authentic Antone’s. Man, I miss Bissonnet Butera’s po’ boys.
Benji’s is taking over…
Try one of the last, if not THE last, locations that still does it “right” by a longtime employee/owner. Only one in town that still uses the original recipes and the famous Chow Chow dressing. Ask for Tony and tell him I sent ya!
wow y’all have brought great memories of Antones..I remember Taft only…wow yes the aroma if they could only bottle that…..
The Antones on Main/OST is pretty good too. I ate there the other day, and was surprised at how much better the sandwich tasted than the one on T C Jester and 610.
The decor is much the same as the old one on Taft.
The Rice Village used to be nearly 100% unique. Now, it’s anywhere ville USA. Another sad icon disappears.
Turkey and swiss ftw.
The one off 610@TC Jester isn’t bad, but the one in Rice Village going away is surely a loss.
The Rice Village I remember was from when I was 5 to 7 or so years old.
It was like a buttoned-up Pasadena with no stink. This was 1974 or so.
Now it’s like an open air suburban mall with aliens from the north.
610 and TC jester is a corporate shill location and thusly SUCKS. The last real location is Stella Link and Bellaire.. No smoked turkey or proscuitto sandwiches, and you’re at one of their lousy corporate owened locations, NO THANKS.. This place was amazing, and I’m heartbroken to see it go.
It’s weird to think that Rice Village had, at various times, a porn theater, a reggae bar, and a former gas station converted into a barbeque place called the Poor Man’s Country Club. A lot of the funkiness has gone, but that’s what the residents in the vicinity want. It’s an upscale neighborhood–and that tends to push out some of the more marginal businesses.
But new funky neighborhoods are always coming into existence, so while I mourn the disappearance of great, unique neighborhood businesses, I welcome new ones elsewhere. Who knows–20 years from now, Radical Eats might be a beloved neighborhood institution in a gentrifying neighborhood.
Losing Taft and the LOOOONG gone Antone’s at the SE corner of Voss and San Felipe bring great sadness to me. SF / Voss was AMAZING…ground floor deli and dining, BASEMENT, yes basement dining and wine cellar. 10,000 business cards and amazing travel posters adorned the walls. Deep space requiring customers to pass by all the stellar goods to reach the po-boy pick-up zone. Sandwiches usually in the final stages of prep right in front of you. Custom orders immediately prepared.
Long gone, never forgotten.
You can still get original Antone’s sandwiches (made with chow chow) at Anthonie’s on FM 1960. This was a location in the original chain that has been there since the 70’s and had to change its name due to family legal issues.
And the one Antone’s in Dallas is still there on Harry Hines Blvd. near the medical center… it’s been there since the 60’s.
Anthony’s is NOT the same, this from a Klein kid.. Sorry similar but not the same! Antones was next to Office Depot and the army surplus store, the other place is across the street (Stuebner) where hollywood video was before building a new location..
I miss Poor Man’s Country Club. On the menu board under specials, it always had: TUESDAY LENA AT BEAUTY PARLOR
PMCC was next door to Zeplin Garage. Both were similar structures: Zeplin Garage was a true mechanic’s garage painted gray, PMCC was an ice house painted yellow. Zeplin had huge tall potted plants or trees thriving in the light of those glass garage doors.
I miss poor man’s country club.you could get a cold beer and conversation.use to there every Fri.in 73 to76. Was little college hangout kinda.the old lady always wore longhorns on her hat.also liked Kathy’s in university.definitely a college hangout