Justin Yu Opens House of Louie in Houston

Houston chef Justin Yu has opened House of Louie, a new restaurant in the city’s Montrose neighborhood that brings together French and Italian cooking with modern American influences. The restaurant is a collaboration with hospitality entrepreneur Bobby Heugel and is part of their Thorough Fare group.

House of Louie carries a personal history for Yu. The name pays tribute to a Chinese restaurant in Southern California operated by his aunts, Betty Louie and Josephine Yeung, where Yu had his first restaurant job. Rather than recreate that original menu, the Houston restaurant draws from its spirit of warmth, hospitality and consistency.

The menu combines familiar formats with more inventive preparations. Dishes include yellowtail crudo with pickled vegetables, fried lasagna with ragu bianco and Comté cheese fondue, and roast duck finished with an Italian colatura glaze. Chinese influences also appear subtly across the cooking, despite the restaurant's predominantly French-Italian direction.

Kirk Thompson leads the kitchen as executive chef, while the beverage programme incorporates seasonal Gulf Coast ingredients into its cocktails alongside a wine selection spanning classic and natural styles.

For Yu, House of Louie represents a return to the kind of neighbourhood restaurant where diners can come regularly while still finding something distinctive on the plate.