A Dallas restaurant serving classic American dishes will soon make its Houston debut. Drake’s Hollywood will open Thursday, August 29, in the former Underbelly/Georgia James space at 1100 Westheimer.
Part of Vandelay Hospitality, the restaurant group behind East Coast-inspired restaurant River Oaks Hudson HouseDrake’s is inspired by the retro glamour of Hollywood. The interior features red leather seats and a colorful mural depicting movie stars from past and present.
“I always like to say that Drake’s is the best place for a third date in America,” says Vandelay founder Hunter Pond with a laugh. “Our restaurants suit certain moods. When you’re in the mood to go to Drake’s, it’s a unique mood. You’re ready to go out, have fun, drink one more martini than usual and enjoy good American food made with classic recipes.”
Although this “good American food” includes a selection of dry-aged and Wagyu steaks, Pond doesn’t consider Drake’s a steakhouse. After all, the restaurant also serves pizza, sushi and entrees like the specialty Pasta Za Za, baked rigatoni in a spicy tomato sauce. Pond notes that nearly every table opts for a plate of Vin Scully Fries – curly fries topped with smoked cheddar, bacon, jalapenos, chives and ranch dressing.
“It’s a rich dish, but it tastes great,” he says.
Of course, the same “World’s Coldest Martinis” that were so popular at Hudson House are also available at Drake’s.
The decision to bring Drake’s to Houston came after Pond and his business partners purchased the property at 1100 Westheimer. They remodeled the space, using most of the former Underbelly and Hay Merchant locations for the new restaurant, but left about 2,000 square feet for a piano lounge that’s set to open later this fall, Pond reveals.
“When my real estate partners presented this opportunity to me, they said, ‘This is an iconic piece of land, should we buy it?’ I said, ‘Sure, we should buy it.’ I love the location,” he says. “We appeal to such a wide range of guests that I thought the central location would fit well with this concept.”
Vandelay first brought his East Hampton Sandwich Company to Houston in 2017. While these efforts didn’t workHudson House has been a huge success and the company has already signed a lease to open a second location in Rice Village in the coming months.
“It exploded. We were so lucky that it was received that way,” says Pond. “It confirmed my initial suspicion that Vandelay could succeed in Houston.”
