Candente, one of Houston’s favorite neighborhood restaurants and the only Tex-Mex in the city to earn Michelin Guide recognition, will open its much-anticipated second location in Bellaire today.
Sambrooks Hospitality Group, which announced plans for a second outpost in September (taking over the former Mandito’s Tex-Mex spot at 5101 Bellaire Blvd.), is now ready to begin serving its beloved style of handmade, border-inspired comida. The Bellaire restaurant, serving an entirely new family-friendly neighborhood, expands Candente’s footprint beyond the original Montrose location, which Sambrooks opened in 2019 next to its own barbecue joint, The Pit Room. Both The Pit Room and Candente earned inclusion in the Texas Michelin Guide’s 2024 and 2025 editions.
For owner Michael Sambrooks, the new location represents a commitment to the expansion of two brands at the top of the culinary game on the Houston restaurant scene. Last year, The Pit Room opened a second location in the Memorial District, and now Candente will take its place within the affluent, family-oriented community of Bellaire.
“It’s a privilege to open in Bellaire and get to know and serve a new clientele,” Sambrooks said in a statement. “We’re excited to introduce our style of authentic, handcrafted Tex-Mex that has made us a Houston dining staple.”
Sambrooks Hospitality took care to replicate the casual, welcoming look and feel of the original Montrose store with its colorful interior (pops of orange, yellow and maroon), copper-top tables, and a festive mural of Mexican iconography by Houston artist Franky Cardona. At 3,800 square feet, the Bellaire location features indoor seating for 125, a patio that accommodates 24, and a 10-seat bar area.
Serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, the Bellaire menu is identical to Montrose: the famous house nachos, chile con queso, tortilla soup, Frito pie, ceviche and campechana, birria tacos, chile gravy enchiladas, and carne guisada. Large entrees include combo dinners, burritos, enchilada plates, tacos al carbon, and wood-grilled fajitas (Prime skirt steak and ribeye, chicken, shrimp, pork carnitas, and portabella mushrooms and peppers). Live-fire cooking, which made Candente’s grilled meats such a standout, will also be featured in many dishes in Bellaire. And Candente’s beverage menu of cantina classics shows up in full force with a powerhouse selection of premium margaritas (shaken and frozen) made with tequila or mezcal, palomas, mojitos, ranch waters, aguas frescas, and sangrias.
Open in time for the busy December holiday season, Candente Bellaire is ready to enhance your party table with bulk to-go options and a full catering menu. Candente will be open daily, Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., with brunch starting every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. each weekend. Both Candente locations will close early at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day. The restaurants will reopen on Friday, Dec. 26, with regular hours.
