Loro Houston

Loro Houston is an Asian smokehouse and bar in The Heights, a collaboration between James Beard Award winners Tyson Cole (chef and founder of Uchi) and pitmaster Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), operated under Hai Hospitality. This Heights location — Loro's third overall after Austin and Dallas — officially opened February 23, 2022, inside the converted former W 11th Church of God, a 1940s brick sanctuary reimagined as a soaring dining room with an umbrella-dotted patio.

The renovation, led by Hai's director of design Ellen Saathoff, added skylights and an east-facing glass wall in place of the old church entrance, plus acoustic ceiling panels and white-oak finishes to tame the sanctuary's echo. Saathoff called it "a really special project to all of us because we got to use this amazing existing building." The kitchen runs on two large rotisserie-style smokers from J&R Manufacturing, sized up from the Austin and Dallas locations to handle a to-go business that now makes up roughly 20-30% of sales.

The food pairs Southeast Asian flavors with post-oak-smoked meats and fish, from brisket sandwiches topped with Thai papaya salad to oak-smoked salmon in cucumber-yuzu broth.

For non-drinkers, Loro maintains a dedicated Zero Proof menu section rather than a token offering. House mocktails include the Strawberry Thai Basil Margarita (Ritual tequila alternative, lime, Thai basil), Spicy Cucumber (lime, yuzu, spicy agave), Ginger Cooler (yuzu, ginger beer), Frozen Pink Lemonade (lemon, strawberry), K-Tonic Kombucha Singapore Sling (cherry, baking spice, black tea), Grapefruit Fizz (grapefruit, yuzu honey), Jasmine Honey (jasmine tea, yuzu) and Cherry Spritz (cherry, lemon, basil) — the latter four singled out in Houston Press's January 2026 Dry January mocktail guide. Packaged non-alcoholic options add Best Day Brewing Kölsch, Sapporo Zero and St. Agrestis Phony Negroni, alongside a deep soft-drink list: a K-Tonic x Loro collaboration kombucha on draft, handmade yuzu soda, coconut matcha limeade, Vietnamese coffee, Thai tea, and soda-fountain floats like the Lonestar Float (Dr. Pepper, vanilla cream, passionfruit).