Laura Gillespie | Houston Business Journal
May 6, 2021
As the M-K-T’s first tenants open, the massive mixed-use development brings in a wide range of new eateries, retail, fitness and even dentistry to the Heights community.
Among the retailers already open are apparel boutiques June & Co., Common Assembly, Chloe Dao, Tre’Sorelle, DYI and Anjouil’s.
The development's first restaurant, Rakkan Ramen, opened May 3. This is the company’s first location in Texas; it has others elsewhere in the U.S. and three in Tokyo. Rakkan Ramen's menu features ramen with plant-based broth, rice bowls, gluten-free noodles, sushi rolls, soups and salads.
The Heights restaurant's hours will be Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
SMYL Dentistry and Union Studio Yoga round out the retail tenants already open.
Tenants coming soon in the next several months include restaurant Da Gama Canteen, an Anglo-Indian eatery that serves as a café by day and a wine and cocktail bar by night. Houston-based parent company Rishi Hospitality took inspiration for the restaurant from the spice route created by Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Rishi Hospitality, helmed by husband-and-wife team Rick and Shiva Di Virgilio, also owns Oporto Fooding House and Wine at 125 W. Gray St. in Midtown. Previously, they owned The Queen Vic Pub & Kitchen and Oporto Café, which closed in 2018 and mid-2019, respectively.
Also coming soon, is Honeychild’s Sweet Creams, a local frozen custard operator. Honeychild’s retail space will be a typical ice cream shop, with added baked goods such as cookies and cakes that will be made of simple ingredients, like owner Kathleen Morgan’s ice cream. The wholesale product will be made in the store's kitchen, and customers will be able to view the ice cream being made. There will also be healthier grab-and-go offerings, such as juices and granola.
M-K-T contains about 100,000 square feet of retail and 100,000 square feet of creative office space, plus an abundance of green space and a boardwalk-inspired gathering space around the Heights bike trails at 600 N. Shepherd Drive.
M-K-T is a joint venture of Triten and Houston-based Radom Capital LLC along with Boston-based Long Wharf Capital, which financed the project. It was designed by Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. CBRE’s Russell Hodges, Bubba Harkins and Jenny Mueller are handling leasing for M-K-T’s office space, while Lindsey McKean, Brittney Austin and Linda Rubiola with Shop Cos. are handling the retail leasing.
Houston-based Triten Real Estate Partners and Radom teamed up in 2018 for the project to redevelop 200,000 square feet of industrial buildings at North Shepherd between 6th and 7th streets.