I had a foodie mission during Essence Festival this year. Try all of the great black owned restaurants in New Orleans and I clearly was not the only one because they all had lines wrapped around the block! Several locals told me Neyow’s was a must stop. Welp their line was around the block too. I vowed to swing by on my next visit to New Orleans. So imagine my excitement when I learned Neyow’s planned to open a location right here in Houston! I tagged along with some foodie friends for the soft opening this weekend and got a taste of what Neyow’s Houston will offer!
The Location
Neyow’s makes its Houston home on Richmond near the Richmond strip. This space will be familiar to many of you as it was once Beaucoup and later Sweetie Pies. Neither of those restaurants lasted long though. The space is large and I do not think the previous tenants used the space well. Neyow’s however did a full remodel and the space is MUCH better. There is a large dining area plus two spaces that I imagine could be reserved for a private party. They also opened up the kitchen so you can watch them grill their famous oysters. On top of all of that, there is also a large bar in the middle of the restaurant. With plenty of televisions around, I imagine folks will be posted up to watch sporting events.
The Drinks
The BOW WOW
Literally every Neyow’s fan tells me, you MUST try the Bow Wow drink and you only need one. There are not too many drinks with that kind of fan following so I had to see what all of the hype was about! For $13, our server brought us over large cups of a non-assuming fruit punch topped with fruit. I started guzzling how you would do koolaid as a kid and quickly saw this was NOT koolaid. The Bow Wow packs a punch so strong that I couldn’t finish it! One is all you need which is steal when you consider the price. Just be sure to uber! Besides the famous Bow Wow, Neyow’s has a full bar for guests that want to stick with what they know.
The Food
Again, this was just a soft opening so we were treated to several samples of their popular items. I will have to circle back to view the whole menu, but I must say I was impressed by what I tried. First up, those charbroiled oysters! The buttery sauce they slather on top was so good. I was prepared to sop that up with bread.
Next we tried the fried chicken. I did enjoy the chicken, but I will not gas it up and say its something you have not tried before. It is simply good fried chicken. I appreciate it though because a lot of folks mess up chicken. We also had a small cup of the gumbo. While the roux was thinner than I am accustomed to the flavors were great and I would come back for that.
We ended the soft opening with a delicious bread pudding! It was served warm with tons of icing similar to a cinnamon roll. Every visit to Neyow’s should end with that dessert!
Bread pudding
The Takeaway
Listen, I am all about black owned New Orleans restaurants making their second home here in Houston. Neyow’s has great food and drinks, so I really think they will be here for the long haul!
Neyow’s opens to the public this Friday(December 7, 2018)! Based on the party they had for the soft opening, I expect the grand opening to be a lot of fun!
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