Houston’s breakfast staple has new owners, but the giant pancakes will stay

A historic Houston restaurant will soon serve its last meal. Damian’s Italian Cuisine will close on August 17, the restaurant announcement on social networks.

The brief statement from owners Bubba and Nancy Butera, Judy Mandola and general manager Johnny B. Mandola reads:

After 41 years of service, at Damian’s Cucina Italiana, we unfortunately announce our closure as of August 17, 2024. We would also like to thank our loyal customers for your outpouring of support and camaraderie. We would like to thank our incredible staff, who are also our family, for all their hard work and dedication.

It’s been a great adventure. We will all miss you very much.

Founded by chef and restaurateur Damian Mandola, Damian’s has been a Houston staple since 1983. At a time when most Italian restaurants served Italian-American cuisine, Damian’s offered a more upscale menu of northern dishes. Italian dishes such as risotto, osso bucco and seafood dishes like Linguine alla Gamberoni – Gulf shrimp with black garlic, basil, cherry tomatoes and olive oil.

It quickly built a reputation as both a powerhouse lunch destination and a pre-theatre dinner spot, with a shuttle to transport diners from Midtown to downtown. Additionally, the restaurant offers a chef’s table in the kitchen which has hosted countless special occasions.

Mandola sold the restaurant to his cousins ​​Frankie B. Mandola and Bubba Butera in 1992. Frankie’s son, Johnny B. Mandola, remains the restaurant’s general manager.

Mandola tells CultureMap that Damian never fully recovered from the Covid-era lockdowns and corresponding changes in people’s eating habits. At a time when most restaurants close abruptly, he and Butera wanted to make sure it closed with dignity by paying their employees their full salaries and hosting scheduled events in the restaurant’s private dining room. He notes some other motivations for the notice.

“Once we unfortunately decided we had to close, Bubba and I wanted to make sure our incredible staff would have time to make the necessary arrangements and we wanted to spend more time with the people who worked so hard and took care of this restaurant family in the past 41 years,” he wrote in an email. “We also wanted to make sure we could visit as many loyal customers at least one last time and share some memories.”

Long before he was a James Beard Award finalist and Food & Wine Best New Chef winner, Houston chef Bryan Caswell worked at Damian’s as a bartender and captain. “This place instilled in me a love and respect for service that I still draw from today,” he told CultureMap.

Even if trends and tastes change, Saved CultureMap on the restaurant for its 30th anniversary in 2013 and found that it was still popular, with a full dining room on Wednesday evenings.

“Undiminished by age, the authentic Italian restaurant has not only survived, but thrived,” wrote Marcy De Luna. “And not by pandering to trends, but by always offering good service and delicious, high-quality food. Reservations never fail and devotees never give up. Damian’s is a Houston institution.

Although social media posts have only been online a short time since this article was published, Houstonians are already expressing their sadness at the news. People who grew up in Houston in the 80s and 90s will remember Damian’s as a place where they dined with their parents and grandparents for special occasions or before performances in the theater district.

Damian’s is just the latest sustainable restaurant in Houston to close in 2024. Prégoa Rice Village staple for more than 40 years, served its final meals in May.