Emmanuel Chavez moved to Houston at nine, cooked his way through Seattle, and came home obsessed with nixtamal, the ancient method of cooking corn in an alkaline bath before grinding it into masa. During the pandemic he sold tortillas over Instagram and at farmers markets, then opened this 13-seat room in a strip center off Dacoma Street in 2022. The nine-course tasting menu treats heirloom corn from across Mexico as the star rather than the wrapper. Past courses have included a tuna tostada crowned with caviar and a mole negro served with a tortilla made from nixtamalized plantain. There is no liquor license, so bring your own bottle. Michelin gave it a star in 2024 and kept it in 2025, after Esquire, Food & Wine and the James Beard Foundation had already taken notice.
What to expect
- Seats open the first week of each month for the next month; no walk-ins.
- Parties top out at four, and no one under 13 is admitted.
- Corkage is $20 for the first bottle and $40 for each bottle after.
- Prepaid tickets are nonrefundable, but you can pass your seats to another guest.
- Flag dietary needs 72 hours ahead; vegan and celiac diets cannot be served.
What to order
- The nine-course tasting menu
- Tuna tostada with caviar (when on the menu)
- Mole negro with plantain tortilla (when on the menu)
- 2022Since
- Emmanuel ChavezChef
- 13Seats
- BYOB, no liquor licenseWine