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The closing of the first Georgia James location and The Hay Merchant marks the end of an era for the historic corner of Westheimer and Waugh. And yes, the infamous Baller Boards, originally developed at One Fifth, will still be available. Guests can expect to still find favorites from the original location, such as 100-Day Hangar Steak seared on cast iron and Charred Corn with queso fresco and spiced crema. It will seat 220 downstairs with additional seating for 120 inside and 50 on an outside terrace at the Lounge at Georgia James, which is planned for the second floor. The new location, which general manager Raul Lorenzana and executive chef Greg Peters will continue running, will be larger than the Westheimer spot. We were provided the opportunity to build Georgia James nearly from the ground up by the folks at Regent Square, and it was too great an opportunity to pass up.” A rendering Phase 2 of the Regent Square development, future home of Chris Shepherd’s Georgia James. Plus, the City of Houston is starting street improvements of Waugh and Waughcrest, which will definitely impact business. Our lease is up, and the cost to renovate the building into what we need doesn’t make economic sense. “This move is bittersweet, for sure,” said Shepherd in a press release, “A lot of factors went into this decision. Executive chef and Underbelly Hospitality co-owner Chris Shepherd. The second will likely be inspired by one of the iterations of rotating menu concept One Fifth, which is also closing at the end of 2021. He’ll still have two restaurants there, though. The new Georgia James location will be where Shepherd originally thought he’d open a live-fire restaurant concept at the mixed-use Regent Square development.
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At this time, no relocation spot has been identified.
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Unfortunately for beer enthusiasts, The Hay Merchant, one of Houston’s first and largest establishments to focus on craft beers, will close. At the end of this year, steakhouse Georgia James is closing to relocate to the new Regent Square development just off Allen Parkway at 1203 Dunlavy. After a decade at 1100 Westheimer, Chris Shepherd and his restaurant group Underbelly Hospitality are leaving the Montrose building where he opened his first restaurant and beer bar.