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Michelin-Recommended Tex-Mex Favorite, Candente Expands to Bellaire with Second Houston Location

The acclaimed Montrose restaurant, known for brisket nachos and wood-fired fajitas, is growing
Written By: author avatar Megha McSwain
author avatar Megha McSwain
Megha McSwain is the Texas Editor for DiningOut Magazine, managing editorial content for Houston and Dallas. Megha was born in Mumbai, India, and currently resides in Houston. She has a passion for reporting on food, restaurants, chefs, and travel, and has contributed to outlets like Food Network, Eater, InsideHook, Resy, Texas Monthly, and Texas Highways throughout her career. As a trusted member of the local media, Megha also appears as a regular guest on local lifestyle television shows, Great Day Houston on KHOU11, and Texas Today on NBC5.
String lights decorate the patio green at Candente in Montrose. | Photo by Alex Montoya
String lights decorate the patio green at Candente in Montrose. | Photo by Alex Montoya

A year after opening an outpost of the Pit Room in Memorial, Sambrooks Hospitality is expanding its Houston footprint even more with a second location of its Michelin-recommended Tex-Mex restaurant, Candente, in Bellaire. 

After taking over the lease of the space that formerly housed Mandito’s Tex-Mex, on the street level of Bellaire Town Center at 5101 Bellaire Boulevard, Sambrooks Hospitality owner and Bellaire-area resident, Michael Sambrooks said he will open the restaurant before the end of the year. 

Michael Sambrooks, owner of Sambrooks Hospitality. | Photo by Alex Montoya
Michael Sambrooks, owner of Sambrooks Hospitality. | Photo by Alex Montoya

“We’re excited to bring Candente’s energy and authentic, handcrafted Tex-Mex menu to the Bellaire community,” Sambrooks said in a press release. “Just as we’ve forged strong ties with Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, we’re eager to build a lasting friendship with Bellaire residents which is actually in my backyard! We can’t wait to bond over nachos and margaritas.”

The Montrose mainstay, which was the only Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston to appear in the Michelin Guide’s 2024 selection, swiftly rose to the top after opening in 2019, drawing in the masses with its margaritas and menu of fajitas, carne asada, Gulf shrimp and seafood, all cooked over a wood-fired grill. 

Beef and chicken fajitas at Candente. | Photo by Duc Hoang
Beef and chicken fajitas at Candente. | Photo by Duc Hoang

The expansive restaurant, which features indoor dining, a private room, and ample patio space with the lush greenery of Montrose’s natural landscape as a backdrop, had quickly become a fixture of the neighborhood. In just a few short months, Bellaire-area residents will be able to enjoy that same menu and festive atmosphere.

author avatar
Megha McSwain Texas Managing Editor
Megha McSwain is the Texas Editor for DiningOut Magazine, managing editorial content for Houston and Dallas. Megha was born in Mumbai, India, and currently resides in Houston. She has a passion for reporting on food, restaurants, chefs, and travel, and has contributed to outlets like Food Network, Eater, InsideHook, Resy, Texas Monthly, and Texas Highways throughout her career. As a trusted member of the local media, Megha also appears as a regular guest on local lifestyle television shows, Great Day Houston on KHOU11, and Texas Today on NBC5.
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