Home Care In Katy, TX

This exciting expansion and development is part of the IKEA commitment to become more accessible, convenient and affordable for the many. The Plan & order point with Pick-up is a new type of meeting point for Houston customers. It will offer home furnishing inspiration and personalized interior design planning, plus include an IKEA pick-up point, allowing customers to pick up their purchases made online or ordered at the Plan & order point. Purchases made at IKEA Katy can also be arranged to be transported to a customer’s home or to another convenient location.

“Our commitment to expanding the IKEA experience is unwavering and Katy is a strategic next step in our journey. We believe in bringing the magic of IKEA closer to our customers to better meet their needs, both in-store and digitally, with newer, more accessible store formats," said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA U.S.

“By bringing IKEA closer to home, we're making it easier than ever for everyone in Katy and the wider Houston area to access the brand they know and love—without the long drive. We’re so excited to open the IKEA Katy Plan & order point with Pick-up as a testament to our pursuit of accessibility, convenience and quality,” said Fredrik Rabe, Market Manager, IKEA U.S.

IKEA Katy Plan & order point with Pick-up is the second location in the metro area, joining the large-format IKEA store in Houston, TX. IKEA Katy will be located in the LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch shopping center at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Suite G130, in 5,500 square feet of leased space.

“We are thrilled to welcome the IKEA Katy Plan & order point with Pick-up to LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch expanding our wonderful tenant mix with this first-to-market location,” said Norma Garza, General Manager at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch. “IKEA has been a Houston-favorite for many years and this location will be a great addition to the Katy community for their home décor and design needs.”

In addition to opening new Plan & order points and Pick-up locations in city centers, IKEA U.S. has made significant investments to enhance its e-commerce experience and service offerings, including new IKEA Family benefits, IKEA Business Network loyalty program, lower priced shipping and delivery, Click & collect and TaskRabbit assembly services.

Primark, which calls itself a value retailer and is one of the major players in the international fast-fashion industry, is planting its flag in Texas.

The Dublin-based clothing, home goods and beauty products store known for its remarkably low prices, on Wednesday announced that it has signed a lease at Katy Mills, west of Houston. It will be one of the chain's first stores in the state, along with locations at La Plaza Mall in McAllen and Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso. All three stores will have about 35,000 square feet of retail space.

Primark didn't say when the Katy store would open.

In addition, Primark said, it has signed leases in Woodbridge, Va.; Hyattsville, Md.; and Franklin, Tenn., and opened a distribution center in Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday.

The company began the year with more than 20 stores in the United States, after opening its first U.S. location in Boston in 2015, and has plans to expand to 60 by 2026, it said.

Kevin Tulip, president of Primark US, said that the company sees growth opportunities in the southern states, including Texas, and has already expanded the store it opened at Sawgrass Mills in Sunshine, Fla., in 2020.

"Because of the value we offer, there’s a common misconception that Primark is an off-price retailer, but we are not," he said. "At Primark, you aren’t going to find last season’s product, you are going to find this season’s trends and your everyday essentials, all at the best price possible."

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The company was founded in Dublin in 1969 as Penneys, a shop devoted to bringing affordable clothing to normal people. It's since expanded to 15 countries under the Primark moniker. Outside of Ireland, the U.S. retailer J.C. Penney's has staked a legal claim on the Penneys name.

While Primark predates the world of "fast fashion," it has since incorporated the concept, offering capsule collections from designers and collaborations with various brands to offer what it describes as "signature combination of the latest fashion trends and essentials."

The fast-fashion industry, which features trend- and runway-inspired designs at rock-bottom prices, has come under critical scrutiny from sustainability-minded consumers. In 2021, Primark launched its "Primark Cares" initiative, which aims to reduce fashion waste and halve the company's carbon emissions.

Feb 8, 2024

Erica Grieder is a business reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

She joined the Houston Chronicle, as a metro columnist, in 2017. Prior to that she spent ten years based in Austin, reporting on politics and economics, as the southwest correspondent for The Economist, from 2007-2012, then as a senior editor at Texas Monthly, from 2012-2016. In 2013, she published her first book, "Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas." An Air Force brat, Erica thinks of San Antonio as home. She is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas's Emerging Leaders Council, and holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and Columbia University, where she majored in philosophy.

Katy – Just West of Houston, you can find a little blue building serving up some big Greek American flavors called Pappa Gyros. Known for gyros and souvlaki, Pappa Gyros has all sorts of dishes including Italian beef sandwiches and some serious hot dogs!

“We pride ourselves in doing it right,” said owner Christos Batsios, who comes from a Greek family but grew up in Michigan. Despite the fact he moved to Texas at the age of 22, he still hasn’t found his twang yet. “Been down here in Texas about, actually 12 years now,” said Christos. “Even up north, they give me a hard time. I learned to speak English from Greeks in Michigan. So even up there, where are you from, Chris? I don’t know. It’s tough.”

Since 1967, his family has been in the restaurant business, but they all left for the Lone Star State before Christos did. “My parents had come down here first,” said Christos. “I’d visit during the holidays and I’d see what was going on down here, how great the economy was, number one, how friendly the people were, and then I’d look at the weather. I said ‘man, I’m leaving the tundra. I’m coming down here in December.’ It’s a nice 60-degree weather some days. I said, ‘man, why am I up there alone? I need to get down here.’”

Eventually he did, and not long after in 2015 he opened Pappa Gyros in a gas station with a menu that included Greek food as well as some offerings that folks from up North are more accustomed to. “It’s an eclectic menu,” said Christos. “We’ve got Greek dishes that you’d expect to see in any Greek restaurant, all family recipe, things like moussaka, pastitsio the Greek lasagna, gyros of course, which are a staple. But also, we have those popular foods from the Midwest. We serve the different style hot dogs. We’ve got the Italian beef and other great items, Philly cheese steaks, Greek salads. We’ve got something for everybody here.”

Christos friendly face is always around in one way or another to greet the patrons of Pappa Gyros, but the face on the sign outside doesn’t quite represent Christos appearance these days. Christos has been on a weight loss journey for about a year, and his progress has been enough to make himself unrecognizable to some of the long time customers at his shop. When asked who it was on the logo, Christos said “That’s me. I’ve lost some weight. I started a journey last year. I’m down so far 175 pounds, And I had gotten up to 400 plus. It was tough.” This change combined with a new clean shaved look means it might be time to redo the logo. “Well, I tell you, we may get up there with some white paint, kind of fix it up,” joked Christos. “No, just kidding.”

We’ve established that Christos is a great guy, who’s doing great things for himself and the community, but at the end of the day the only real mark of a great restaurant is the food, and customers seem to give Pappa Gyros an A-plus. “It speaks for itself,” said Ptack. “He doesn’t ever strike out,” said Steven “Hub” Randle, another Pappa customer. “He always hits a home run.”

Pappa Gyros menu offerings include a Chicago Italian beef sandwich, a gyro style Philly cheesesteak, and a Greek pork souvlaki. The Italian beef sandwich consists of slow roasted top sirloin piled onto a 7-inch roll and topped with an Italian pepper relish called giardiniera, which invites some sweet heat to the party. The real magic happens when you dip the sandwich in the beef drippings, says Christos, and Italians have created a scientific method for consuming such a messy sandwich. “That’s the drippings from the roast,” said Christos. “As you see, we load them up. You dip that whole sandwich. There’s actually a special way to eat this sandwich. They call it the Italian stance, and what that is, elbows on the table, legs out 45 degree angle so as not to get anything on the shirt or the shoes.”

If you manage to conquer the Chicago Italian beef sandwich, you can swing back around to try out the crossover between a lamb gyro and a cheesesteak known as “Philly the Greek.” Lamb gyro is grilled on the flattop with mozzarella cheese and chopped up before it’s added to a pita bread and topped with grilled onions and peppers before Christos adds the final touches. “Now that that’s nice and melted and loaded onto our pita and then we hit it with our special chipotle remoulade,” said Christos. “That’s got fresh chipotle peppers, and then we blend it together with a little lemon juice, a little bit of mayonnaise, like an aioli. And so, it’s got a little bit of smokiness, a little bit of zestiness, but it really adds to the flavor of the sandwich.”

Finally, Christos really taps into Greek tradition for the Greek pork souvlaki. “This is pork tenderloin that’s been marinated in Greek herbs and spices, and we marinate our meat for a minimum of two days,” said Christos. The skewers are grilled and combined with a Greek salad, rice pilaf, and topped with olive oil dressing, tomatoes and onions. Altogether the plate represents what makes Greek food so spectacular, and it manages to stand out as a classic amongst a menu full of culinary creativity.

Christos’ love of food, service and community really shines both through his dishes and his role in his community. “It’s an awesome feeling to know that they love our food and we’re able to feed them and give them great service,” said Christos. “The Greek hospitality, it’s awesome.”

Multiple new restaurants will be opening in Katy in 2024. From hot dogs to South African cuisine, here’s a look at some of the exciting new eateries coming to the area.

Nando’s Peri-Peri

Fast-casual South African restaurant Nando’s Peri Peri will be opening its Katy location in LaCenterra.

Nando’s is known for its signature chicken dishes made with peri-peri peppers. The peri-peri chicken options include chicken legs, thighs, bone-in and boneless breast, thigh skewers, wings and chicken livers.

The eatery also offers items like chicken wraps and sandwiches, chicken platters, bowls and salads.

Nando’s is expected to open in January of 2024, according to LaCenterra’s website.

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Portillo’s Hot Dogs

Chicago icon Portillo’s Hot Dogs specializes in Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, burgers, salads, cheese fries and desserts.

The fast-casual diner plans to finish work on a new location in the fall of 2024, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Founded in 1963, Portillo’s has more than 70 locations across the U.S. The Katy location will be the sixth in Texas. The nearest location to the Houston area is in Arlington.

Mandito’s Tex Mex

Popular Round Top-based Mandito’s Tex-Mex may wrap up work on a new Katy location in early 2024, according to the TDLR.

The 4,629-square-foot cantina-style restaurant will be located at 9910 Gaston Road in the Stableside at Falcon Landing retail and dining center.

Mandito’s is known for its scratch-made menu with items like tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, carne asada, grilled seafood and plant-based entrees.

Mandito’s also has an extensive custom cocktail menu, heavy with agave-based spirits with fresh juice and house-made syrups.

Texas Craft Wings

Casual chicken wing spot Texas Craft Wings will be opening a Katy location at 3325 West Grand Parkway North. The location is under construction, a representative for Texas Craft Wings said, but there is no set completion date.

Texas Craft Wings specializes in American fare like chicken wings and burgers paired with craft beer selections.

Wienerschnitzel

The world’s largest hotdog chain is coming to Katy with a location at 3325 West Grand Parkway North. Hotdogs take center stage at Wienerschnitzel, and the menu features a lineup of 11 signature hotdogs.

The restaurant is expected to be completed in April of 2024, according to the TDLR.

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Little Sakana

All-you-can-eat sushi spot Little Sakana is expanding to Texas with a new location in Katy. The California-based restaurant will open at 23015 Colonial Parkway with a planned completion date in May of 2024, according to the TDLR.

Bao Bao Bahn Mi

Vietnamese eatery Bao Bao Banh Mi will be expanding its Houston-area footprint with a new location in Katy. Bao Bao Banh Mi, founded in 2016, offers traditional Vietnamese dishes with a focus on sandwiches and to-go offerings

The new location is currently under construction, a representative from Bao Bao Banh Mi said, and the restaurant is expected to open in the spring of 2024.

Love Letter Pizza and Chicken

California-based Love Letter Pizza and Chicken offers fast-casual pizza and chicken dishes. Menu items are creative and playful dishes made from fresh, local ingredients, according to the company’s website.

The Katy location at 23227 Mercantile Parkway will be the restaurant’s first foray outside of its home state. The restaurant plans to open in the spring of 2024.

Dinosaurs have returned to Texas, after a 65-million-year hiatus, in a larger-than-life production that is expected to bring thunderous receipts to the Houston area.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition opens a six-month run at Katy Mills Mall today. While it employs about 200 area residents, the exhibit is expected to sell more than half a million tickets, which start at $24 for visitors ages 3 to 15 and $31.99 for those 16 and older.

As the name suggests, the exhibition, which had its world premiere in 2016 in Australia, is inspired by the film franchise and designed to give visitors a taste of the fictional theme park experience, minus the disasters that have transpired in the movies as a result of those classic human weaknesses, greed and hubris. Dinosaurs on display include brachiosaurus, velociraptors and a Tyrannosaurus rex as well as Bumpy, a baby ankylosaurus who stars in a spinoff animated series, “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.”

“It truly is immersive,” said Kurt Baker, senior vice president of global marketing and PR for Neon, an events company that partnered with Universal Studios and NBC to create the exhibition. “You are entering Isla Nublar. You are up close with the dinosaurs to the point that you can touch some of them. It hits on all the emotions.”

The exhibition is family-friendly, he added, although children should keep their wits about them.

“The T. Rex is always lurking,” Baker said.

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Jurassic World: The Exhibition has, like the movie franchise, proved to have global appeal since it first launched in Australia in 2016 with one set, Baker said. Since then, Neon has built five complete sets, which are visited by several million people each year at locations around the world.

The set being used at Katy Mills debuted in Dallas in 2021, Baker said, and went to Denver, San Diego and Atlanta before coming to Houston. Transporting the set requires six containers, or 21 trucks, and building the robotic animatronic dinosaurs is a significant investment in the first place.

“We spend millions of dollars on each of the sets, so in order to recoup that, we need to have long-term staying power,” Baker said.

Shows are currently scheduled through October, and producers are expecting at least 500,000 visitors, although the show’s run could be extended if the demand persists.

“I would love it if it’s a million (visitors),” Baker said. “And we will come back with more exhibitions if it’s a million.”

The Jurassic World exhibition opens as “immersive experiences” have surged in popularity, to the point where some shows are not living up to the hype. A “Willy Wonka Experience” that recently opened in Glasgow, for example, drew the derision of the internet after pictures circulating on social media showed a ramshackle warehouse staffed by bleak-looking characters, like something from one of Roald Dahl’s more frightening short stories.

But post-COVID, thousands of Houstonians have flocked to shows such as “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” which ran for several months in 2021. Currently, art enthusiasts are awaiting the opening of Meow Wolf Houston, an art installation that originated in Santa Fe 15 years ago and is expected to open its Fifth Ward location sometime this year.

“Jurassic World: The Exhibition” is expected to be a hit here, having been well-reviewed and well-attended in previous cities. Since 2016, Neon says, more than 8 million people have attended around the world, and the company is building three additional sets to bring the show to more cities.

Like other immersive experiences, Baker noted, Jurassic World: The Exhibition has been boosted in recent years by the post-COVID demand for getting out of the house. But this exhibition is also helped by the enduring appeal of its stars, he added.

“Everyone just has a connection to dinosaurs,” Baker said.

March 8, 2024

Erica Grieder is a business reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

She joined the Houston Chronicle, as a metro columnist, in 2017. Prior to that she spent ten years based in Austin, reporting on politics and economics, as the southwest correspondent for The Economist, from 2007-2012, then as a senior editor at Texas Monthly, from 2012-2016. In 2013, she published her first book, "Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas." An Air Force brat, Erica thinks of San Antonio as home. She is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas's Emerging Leaders Council, and holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and Columbia University, where she majored in philosophy.