Is there an Onion Creek magnet effect? Reader Mary Ellen Arbuckle notes a second location of stylized Midtown Mexican-food joint Tacos A Go-Go will be shimmying into this strip-center spot at 2912 White Oak, just a few doors down from the Onion Creek Coffee House. The location is the former home of the International Ballet of Houston; there’s a TABC application notice up in one of the windows. Also scheduled to move in nearby, closer to the Onion Creek vortex: Christian’s Tailgate.
Meanwhile, half a mile west of the Heights’ western border, owner Ricky Craig has leased the former home of Mi Cocina Victor’s Cafe at 1133 W. 19th St., where he plans to open a second non-mobile location of tiny Downtown burger joint Hubcap Grill:
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Craig plans to convert the drive up stand — just around the corner from Onion Creek owner Gary Mosley’s Cedar Creek restaurant — to a diet of beef patties and “classic Texas rock” bands on weekends in a backyard beer garden. On Twitter, Craig’s been eliciting sympathy from a few Hubcap fans by complaining that “some peeps in the heights” have been trying to prevent his new location from opening. “I’m not Walmart,” he writes. “Geez.” If Swamplot hears any reports of objections to the Hubcap Grill burger invasion from the location’s actual neighbors in Shady Acres, we’ll will be sure to let you know.
Photos: Mary Ellen Arbuckle (tacos) and Candace Garcia (burgers)
19 Comments
As far as I could tell, there was one guy who lives close to the location giving Ricky a hard time on Twitter. I think the rest of the area is pretty excited about becoming the burger epicenter of Houston ;)
I’m glad the Midtown location isn’t closing.
What, no 380 agreement?
Yeah, I haven’t heard any gripes about this either Viula. I’m looking forward to it actually, and really hope this is the beginning of a revitalization of the Shepherd/Durham corridor. Seems to me this stretch of real estate is due for a new injection of ideas.
Good for Tacos a Go Go. The owner is so nice. I just went there today for some food (and yesterday, and the day before…)
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I still miss the Mexican food from San Diego but T.A.G.G fills the void pretty well.
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The fact that it’s walking distance is also a bonus.
I had wondered what was up with Tacos A-go-go…. They had a TABC application posted at the Indian Summer Lodge on Columbia, next to bike trail, over a year ago. Seeing that the Summer Lodge is for sale, I guess they needed a new venue.
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Can’t wait to walk over and get my barbacoa taco fix.
Love Tacos A Go Go, glad it will be a little closer to home. But, as an Oak Forest resident, especially happy about Hubcap Grill going in to the location in the the northwest Heights area around Cedar Creek. That area could use some continued revitalization.
Not sure if it’s a Creek magnet effect, but both locations ARE within a few blocks of the dry part of the Heights.
Mmmmm… taco meat of unknown providence… tasty.
Coming soon on the other side of Onion Creek will be Write Now! greeting card, gifts, journals etc. shop. After we eat our various White Oak burgers and drink our various White Oak beverages, we can wipe our White Oak hands and waddle down to Write Now to find that perfect card, sit down and send to that right person.
I’ve wondered if sending cards and thank you notes by US mail has gone by the wayside.
The last two invitations we’ve gotten to friends’ houses were evites.
Birthday greetings are online cards. How much longer will snail mail be around? PO wants to increase rates again and they are laying off people. More money for less service. I hate to go to the PO anymore because the lines are so long.
I guess wedding invitations will continue to be sent via US mail……..for a while longer.
I hope this new Write Now shop makes it.
Now we just need a walmart, or three, and we’ll be all set. Eye roll. Sarcasm. Etc.
Shepherd and Durham are 4-5 lane one way streets used both as local and suburban thoroughfares i.e. they will never become neighborhood or revitalized … Look across America and find me a non-central downtown area that are one way streets and have a neighborhood feel to them. These types of oneway streets are only good for big strip malls. Shady Acres will forever be separated from the Greater Heights area as long as these roads serve their current function.
My friend lost (and recovered) his gold chain in this lot from a little thieving vato.
Those were good stomping times – my how things have changed.
Cool, I didn’t realise that the Heights had now annexed all those locations as well as the West End. Does this mean we have a Heights IKEA?
I guess he yuppies are in heaven now!
When Gary Mosely was first trying to open Onion Creek, he ran into huge resistance from the Heights people, who apparently do think that they own everything, even outside of the Heights. Every time I have sat over at Onion Creek on a summer evening sipping a glass of wine and enjoying the hugely diverse crowd of people, I think about how terribly wrong they were.
Semantics.
Write Now! has been open for months! And Christians tailgate is actually a little further from the Onion Creek vortex than this strip center.
As far as being in the Heights, I’m pretty sure that that strip on White Oak is pretty solidly in the Heights. The original post also states pretty clearly that the TAGG location is half a mile west of the Heights. All seems pretty correct to me.