For nearly eight years, chef Drake Leonards has been the face of Eunice, the popular Cajun-Creole restaurant in Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood. Now, the restaurant is officially his.
Leonards has acquired full ownership of Eunice from longtime partner BRG Hospitality, marking a major milestone for the Louisiana native and a new chapter for the restaurant he helped open in 2018. The move makes Eunice independently owned for the first time, though regulars who have come to know Leonards as the restaurant’s ever-present chef and host might be surprised to learn he wasn’t already the owner.
Founded in 2005 by chef John Besh and restaurateur Octavio Mantilla, BRG Hospitality is a New Orleans-based restaurant group behind some of the city’s best-known dining destinations, including Restaurant August, Luke, Domenica, Shaya, and Willa Jean. Eunice, which opened in 2018, marked the group’s first expansion outside Louisiana, with Leonards leading the Houston restaurant from the beginning.
“If people assumed Eunice was already mine, I take that as a compliment,” Leonards said. “I’ve poured my heart into this restaurant since the beginning. Now I have the opportunity to continue building on what we’ve created while evolving the experience for the next generation of guests.”
Named after Leonards’ hometown of Eunice, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana, the restaurant has carved out a loyal following among Houstonians looking for a taste of Louisiana with a more contemporary approach.
Its appeal goes well beyond the dinner crowd. Eunice has become a go-to for weekday power lunches, leisurely dinners and one of Upper Kirby’s livelier happy hours, where oysters, cocktails and the occasional afternoon martini are practically part of the routine.
Of course, the food has played just as big a role in its staying power. Leonards’ menu draws heavily on his Louisiana roots, with dishes like smoked chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp and grits with roasted jalapeños, crawfish étouffée over house-made pasta and Gulf fish finished with brown butter and pecans. More globally influenced plates, including roasted duck with red curry and sesame, reflect a culinary career that has taken him far beyond the Gulf Coast.
And then there’s the bread service, which has earned a following of its own. Cast-iron cornbread and house-made buttermilk biscuits served with burrata and sweet pepper jelly have become something of a signature, giving diners plenty of reason to linger before the main event.
Leonards’ journey to owning Eunice began long before he arrived in Houston. A graduate of Nicholls State University, he started his career with BRG Hospitality while still in culinary school before heading to New York to work under Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud. After two years working in Germany and traveling throughout Europe, he returned to New Orleans in 2012, taking on leadership roles at La Provence, Restaurant August and Luke.
When the opportunity came to bring a Louisiana-inspired restaurant to Houston, Leonards helped shape Eunice from the ground up. Nearly a decade later, the city he once moved to for work has become home.
“Louisiana will always be home. You never lose that,” Leonards said. “But Houston is where my family lives now, and owning Eunice lets me keep that Louisiana spirit alive in the city that took us in.”
For Houston diners, the ownership change doesn’t signal an overhaul of the restaurant they know. Leonards plans to preserve Eunice’s signature hospitality and Louisiana identity while continuing to evolve its menu and overall experience.
“I believe in what we built here and I want to grow the business and the brand,” he said. “A lot has changed since we opened. Houston has evolved, the food scene has evolved, and so has the dining palate. We want to evolve along with it while maintaining the standards and hospitality that guests expect from us.”
That evolution comes at a time when Houston diners have no shortage of options, particularly when it comes to Gulf Coast seafood and Louisiana-inspired cooking. But Eunice has a few advantages that have helped it stand out, including a spacious, light-filled dining room overlooking towering oak trees and a separate glass-enclosed dining pavilion with an adjoining outdoor lounge that feels removed from the bustle of Buffalo Speedway.
With full ownership now in his hands, Leonards has an opportunity to build on those strengths while giving the restaurant a future that’s entirely his to shape. For the chef who has spent nearly eight years making Eunice feel like his own, the biggest change may simply be that it finally is.
Eunice, 3737 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, eunicerestaurant.com
