106 Westheimer Road
Strip center. From east to west as of 1/20--iPC Repair (ste. A), Vincent Hair Salon (B), N&T Nails (C), Jus' Mac (D). It appears that as of May 2025 iPC Repair is now "The Kitty Bodega" (pet supply, they carry dog food as well), and Vincent Hair Salon has been replaced as well.
212 Westheimer Road
As of 2007 this was Fabio's Italian Bar & Grill, until the early 2010s. It was replaced by Njoy Thai Restaurant & Bar by 2013. A short-lived restaurant, Tropical's (Columbian restaurant) came and went in 2019. 3 Tres closed in February 2024 after opening in 2021.
Scott-Day Paint & Supply / 216 Westheimer Road
Scott-Day Paint & Supply has been here since at least 1966.
SALA Thai Eatery / 223 Westheimer Road
This was the site of a residential house until the mid-2010s, then finally demolished for new commercial around 2020-2021. Current home of SALA Thai Eatery after failure of original restaurant Pling (dumpling) restaurant).
Soto / 224 Westheimer Road
According to an early 1980s directory this was Jade Dragon Restaurant (also a business called Ultra Pure with a a different phone numbers, the latter likely upstairs) which was around to at least 1993, by 1996 it was Bistro 224, which eventually became "At the Bistro" before a fire in 2001 took out the entire building. Although the original plan was a restaurant with lofts above by 2007 it was The Plant House (indoor garden center). In the mid-2010s the building was renovated again to house Bistecca (upscale Italian steakhouse, opened after extensive remodel of building) but that closed in 2020. In 2024 the current restaurant opened (Japanese).
Koi / 240 Westheimer Road
The first mention of this building was convenience store chain UtoteM in 1964. Diners News (adult bookstore) as early as 1976 to the late 2000s. L'Olivier opened in 2011 and rebooted as Avondale Food & Wine in 2018. This closed sometime around 2021, became then became Kamalan Bakery & Cafe, and as of 2024 is Koi (Japanese). 238, another tenant here (when it was a UtoteM) is recorded as being a laundromat in 1972 to complement the convenience store.
Numbers / 300 Westheimer Road
Long-time nightclub operating since the late 1970s (1978). Prior to this, it was "Million Dollar City Dump", "Houston's Only Las Vegas Supper Club", 1977. It may have been in a different building in this time.
El Tiempo Cantina / 322 Westheimer Road
La Strada opened here in 1986 and burned down in 2002. It reopened in 2004 with a new building but closed in 2009. It was Caffe Bello in 2011, La Casa del Caballo in 2013 ("Fine Mexican Steakhouse") and by 2016 was El Tiempo Cantina. It was "Godfather Restaurant" according to an early 1980s directory.
AvantGarden / 411 Westheimer Road
The first recorded non-residential use of this converted house was Woods Gallery in 1973. It became a bar/club by the mid-1990s (Mausoleum), then Heliotrope in 2002 (before becoming just Helios later that year), it changed hands to its current name sometime between mid-2006 and mid-2007.
The LaCroix Law Firm, PC / 416 Westheimer Road
This converted house was "The Spud-U-Like" 1979-1985 (baked potatoes). It later served as Pepino's Pizza (not to be confused with a similarly-named fictional restaurant), which closed in 1988. This is currently The LaCroix Law Firm, PC as of May 2025 and has been law offices since at least the mid-2000s.
Osaka / 500 Westheimer Road
Home to Dolce Vita Pizzeria Enoteca from 2005 until May 2020. Osaka, a Japanese restaurant, opened here in 2022.
Crave / 516 Westheimer Road
Nouveau fusion Indian cuisine Indika was built here in 2006, relocating from a Memorial Drive to a newly-built building on Montrose. Indika was highly rated by Fearless Critics, which I've mentioned on this site before (they liked the goat brain masala). For well over a decade, Indika entertained diners in Montrose, but all good things come to an end.
The last few years of Indika were quite turbulent (including a cancelled plan to revamp the restaurant with a new name and menu) but COVID-19 put an end to Indika for good. In late 2022, Crave opened, a lounge/hookah bar/restaurant. (There's a good thread on HAIF regarding the building).
The Cat Doctor / 534 Westheimer Road
Already by 1970, this was a nightclub and the first location of My-O-My Club ("Live On Stage Totally Nude Girls"), Club International in 1974, and by 1976 it had opened as discotheque The Second Sun. Houston LGBT History (link slightly NSFW) describes it, better known as the name it took on soon after, Midnite Sun, which had a bad reputation as a "hustler bar". It appears that the building was actually a two-building lot that featured apartments in the back with a commercial structure in front of it. By 1990 it was a bar called Momma's Money, then Traxx/Depot Station (1991), Q.T.'s Nite Club (1994), Vera's Closet (1997), but by 2007 the building was partially demolished (parking lot built in front and refurbished to its current tenant--veterinary services specializing in cats).
535 Westheimer Road
This converted house started its commercial use in 1966 as Montiques ("Montrose antiques") with Bacchanal, a Greek restaurant/supper club (live entertainment, dancing) opening in 1971 (and, by the mid-1970s had a belly dancing studio). In 1979 this closed and became Cesar's Palace (and briefly, "Fame Disco") before changing addresses to 525, the Chicken Coop in 1979. The Chicken Coop got in a lot of problems with the law with underage prostitution and whatnot, and what was referred to as a "once respectable supper club" was closed in January 1986 and demolished later in the year. At some point (likely Bacchanal) it had gained a "storefront addition" similar to these but I don't think it was ever licensed by the city as an official build. Houston LGBT History (mildly NSFW) covers Cesar's Palace and Chicken Coop in greater detail.
Uchi / 904 Westheimer Road
Uchi, which has been here since 2012 and an offshoot of an Austin restaurant of the same name is located at the former Felix Mexican Restaurant, which operated from 1948 to 2008 it featured "Tex-Mex" cuisine. The Wikipedia article mentions that Fearless Critic gave Uchi good reviews but as Felix, they savaged it.
Smoothie King / 913 Westheimer Road
Historically, first mention of this address is "Texas Service Station" in 1941, "H.C. Parrish Service Station" (1951 and stated to be a Texaco), last mention in 1979, but there is a mention of woman at a festival "at the service station" in 1981 (implying it was closed by that time). In 1989 this was "Two Pesos Chiquita Cafe" (special version of Two Pesos). It converted to Taco Cabana in 1993. Around late 2008/early 2009 it closed and reopened as Smoothie King in December 2009.
Valero / 926 Westheimer Road
Stop N Go built a modern store in 1986 to functionally replace two other older Stop N Go stores in the Montrose area. By the late 1990s it had a Diamond Shamrock gas brand and in 2007 became Valero/Corner Store. Around 2019 the convenience store portion was rebranded again as Circle K.
Montrose Live! / 1001 Westheimer Road
This farmers market/food truck park is set up in a former parking lot and site of a strip mall as it awaits redevelopment. One of the biggest tenants of the strip center was 1011 Westheimer. The strip of stores between Montrose Boulevard and Yoakum Boulevard had been here since the 1930s as in-line stores (a barbershop had this address circa 1936, for instance) but reconstructed into a BizMart in 1990. In 1994, BizMart was acquired and rebranded by OfficeMax, which relocated out to River Oaks later that year. H-E-B Pantry opened here in 1998 and had the briefest of stays before departing about a year later. Half Price Books opened here in 2003. It shared space with Spec's Liquor Clearance Center (later became a full Spec's). In 2021 the entire strip center was torn down.
Shake Shack / 1002 Westheimer Road
From 1998 to January 2018 this was Burger King, closing due a lease expiration. The Burger King was demolished in July 2018 with Shake Shack opening in December. The Burger King had an awkward drive-through lane that emptied directly onto Westheimer Road rather than its own parking lot like most drive-throughs. Like with Burger King, Shake Shack was only accessible with the parking lot behind the store and no direct access from Westheimer Road. It closed in summer 2024, with a renovation to PNC Bank coming soon.
Drake's Hollywood / 1100 Westheimer Road
This building has been continually expanded over the years. The nucleus dates back to 1937 as "Watkins Service Station" and by 1943 Westheimer Tire & Service Station, then Tower Auto Service by 1950, Tower Tire & Auto Center remained in business for years until the very early 1970s. Dirt Cheap Plants opened in 1973 and by the mid-1970s Cobweb Corner was added as a store-within-a-store, but by the end of 1975 Dirt Cheap Plants/Cobweb Corner liquidated and was reopened as The Boobie Rock, a strip club with nude dancers. The Chron reported in May 1976 that the club featured "non-stop topless dancing from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week". The Boobie Rock closed around the mid-1980s and was replaced by restaurants, first with Arriba Cantina in the late 1980s (this is probably where the building had its last major renovation before Underbelly, as later tenant Chances still looked vaguely Mexican restaurant-ish) but by 1990, was a 24-hour restaurant called Charlie's. When exactly it became Chances seemed to be later, operating as a bar-within-a-restaurant by 1994 with Charlie's exiting in the late 1990s.
Chances closed in November 2010. Underbelly Hospitality took over the building and opened what would be two side-by-side restaurants, Underbelly and The Hay Merchant. In 2018, Underbelly closed and reopened as Georgia James, a steakhouse concept owned by the same company, but in December 2021 Underbelly Hospitality exited the building, closing both the Hay Merchant and Georgia James, with the latter moving to a new location elsewhere. Drake's Hollywood moved in around late 2024.
Slick Willie's / 1200 Westheimer Road
This pool hall (has another location further down Westheimer to the west) has been here since early 1994.
McDonald's / 1302 Westheimer Road
This McDonald's was renovated in the 2010s. It was originally built in 1985.
Sweetgreen / 1303 Westheimer Road
Stylized as "sweetgreen", this restaurant was originally constructed as a Wendy's, which operated from 1984 to 2012. After closure was gutted down to a shell, and that shell rebuilt and reopened as Austin-based Doc's Motorworks Bar & Grill by November 2014, a year after it was supposed to. However, in December 2017 it closed. Sweetgreen opened in September 2019. Before Wendy's, 1303 Westheimer was home to a Wienerschnitzel (as its old name "Der Wienerschnitzel") from 1969 to approx. 1982.
1403 Westheimer Road
This was Spy Emporium in 2007 through 2013 (it later relocated before closing for good), Dripped moved in 2015, appears to have closed 2020. Bent, a vintage store, moved in a few years later but was reported closed as of May 2025.
Bambolino's / 1525 Westheimer Road
Bambolino's pizza has been here since 2004 (moved from 4310 Montrose, a remnant of a local pizza chain).
Hugo's / 1600 Westheimer Road
This was built in 1926 and originally appeared to serve as St. Matthews Lutheran Church and later home to residential efficiency apartments, even operating as the "Delphin Hotel" in 1951. In 1974 it was Hirsch Bros. (clothes and jewelry), Imperial Plumbing Supply in the mid-1970s to around 1990, Reggae Cafe in 1993 (Jamaican restaurant), then Palm Restaurant (1994), and Hugo's (Mexican) since 2001. The history of the building does seem spotty.
Fallen Angel / 1637 Westheimer Road
The current tenant here is Fallen Angel (used clothing) as of May 2025. Previous Google Street View shows many others even in its limited years. Emerson Rose (2018, it was still there as of 8/24), Merchant And Market (2016, it was vacant in 2015), Blackbird Trading Company (2011), and Leopard Lounge (2007). There may be others that were missed, and of course, many others before that. Those may come in future updates.
Flatland / 1709 Westheimer Road
From 2005 to 2013 this was the home of quirky independent bookstore Domy Books but has been art galleries since (in 2015 it was "She Works Flexible", Flatland has been here since at least 2019 as still current as of May 2025).
Empire Cafe / 1732 Westheimer Road
Empire Cafe has been here since 1994.
RMS Auto Care / 1759 Westheimer Road
This auto shop has been operational since 1980 and was previously a Texaco station prior. As I've repeatedly stated before, these pages are sort-of meant as a replacement for Wikimapia (specifically, my edits) but according to Wikimapia from someone who is not me: "Despite popular belief, this place is not owned by Linux guru Richard Matthew Stallman. However, 'rms' did stop by this place for a photo back in 1993. But, it was just a quick snapshot because he has a low opinion of Texas, and he was eager to get back to Civilization (i.e. Cambridge, Massachusetts)". I cannot find any other verification of this.
Southland Hardware / 1822 Westheimer Road
Long-running local hardware store, now a Do It Best franchisee. It has been in this address since at least 1943 (maybe even 1935, as the website suggests).
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers / 1902 Westheimer Road
This restaurant was opened summer 2014 on a vacant lot.
The Westheimer / 2001 Westheimer Road
Opened as the Bill-Bo Apartments in 1962 with 110 units and renamed as "Alabama-Shepherd" c. 1967 and eventually known as Westheimer Square Apartments. In 2006 it was demolished; the replacement Alexan Westheimer, had 244 units on six stories before eventually being renamed to its current name.
Public Storage / 2006 Westheimer Road
This self-storage facility was originally an Oak Farms dairy plant.
Goodwill Connect / 2030 Westheimer Road
This was built in 1980 as Academy #19 (it moved to 2404 Southwest Freeway in 1996). In 1998 it was River Oaks Antique Center and closed in 2001. 99 Cents Only Stores opened in 2004, but closed in 2009. Goodwill has been here since. Pre-1980 listings include H.D. Howland & Company in 1931 and Howland Inc. by 1961. It was still Howland Lawn & Turf Equipment Co. in 1969, but Accurate Bookkeeping & Tax Service in 1970. The "Goodwill Connect" name was in the early 2020s (replacing the older "Goodwill Select Store" branding).
Target / 2075 Westheimer Road
The main anchor of the Shepherd Square Shopping Center, this Target (T-3375) is one of the smaller Target stores in Houston (about 60k square feet), opening in October 2020 and replacing a Randalls Flagship. Randalls (when it was here) closed in late 2018 with two others.
Randalls opened here January 12, 1990 (store #48, later #3048) as a Flagship store, featuring the usual supermarket departments plus a coffee shop, both a salad bar and a fresh fruit bar, video rental, a bank branch, photo shop, and the "Flagship Café", Randalls' in-store restaurant for in-store eating or taking home.
There's some other stuff in the shopping center (b. 1989) too, including an upper level. You can see the PDF here, archived from here.
Chevron / 2103 Westheimer Road
The "Quik Mart" at this Chevron is a carry-over from when it was a Citgo. It the late 2010s it was converted over to a Chevron. It was a Texaco in the 1980s, possibly up until 2005.
French Gourmet Bakery / 2250 Westheimer Road
French Gourmet Bakery claims to have been here since 1973. In reality it has been here since 1981; it was previously at 1989 W. Gray.
a'Bouzy / 2300 Westheimer Road
This was built as Wendy's in 1975 but only operated until 1990. Torcello's Trattoria, the replacement after renovation and opened December 1992 but closed in 1994. It became Armando's in 1995. Armando's closed (or moved) in 1999, and it became Dish in 2000. ("With chef Aaron Guest at the kitchen's helm, the restaurant will serve such dishes as macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, crab cakes with remoulade and pepper-crusted salmon.") Dish closed in 2001 after Tropical Storm Allison damage. In early 2002 it became Two Chefs Bistro (moved from FM 1960) but closed within a year and a half. In fall 2003 it became Beso, which closed in December 2006 for remodeling. By 2007 it became Palazzo's Trattoria, then extensively remodeled around 2013 as 60 Degrees Mastercrafted (stylized as "60°") and in 2015 that closed for Harwood Grill but that closed by year-end. a'Bouzy opened in 2018 (and has remained since).
Avalon Square / 2400 Westheimer Road
Avalon Square, a 220-unit apartment building, has been kept up relatively well and was built in 1973 as one of the first apartment complexes in Houston to have three levels of apartments plus covered parking, situated half a level below ground, and linked with elevators. The apartment complex was billed a luxury apartment complex upon opening.
Regency House / 2701 Westheimer Road
The twelve-story luxury apartment Regency House opened in 1962 with 107 units (but likely reconfigured and remodeled since).
Chuy's / 2702 Westheimer Road
This opened as a restaurant called Smokehouse in 1953 with an expansion in 1955. It was sold in 1958 and reopened as "Will Howard's Restaurant", but six months later the Lambs reassumed ownership as "Lamb's Smokehouse", though was still alternately known as "Smokehouse". It was sold a few times—becoming Crow's Restaurant in 1961 (same ownership of a Galveston restaurant), then in 1965 to Peggy and Vernon Bordman to become Bordman's Restaurant and Fireside Club (though the Fireside Club dated back to the Smokehouse days--this was a "private club" required for drinking liquor in those days).
In 1985 Bordman's closed after twenty years and reopened as Capers by chef Mary Nell Reck (she had previously opened Truffles! at Katy Freeway, see this page, 8943 Katy Freeway), though that closed and it became Square Meal Cafe in 1987. Finally, it opened as Chuy's (first expansion outside of their Austin original) in April 1990, and has been such since.
Lamar High School / 3325 Westheimer Road
This HISD school was seen in the film Rushmore as "Grover Cleveland High School" but was extensively remodeled in the late 2010s demolishing all of the additions over the years and replacing them with a new structure and layout. (See Wikipedia).
St. Luke's United Methodist Church / 3471 Westheimer Road
This church has received many updates and additions over the years since being established around the 1950s.
Whataburger / 3639 Westheimer Road
A Whataburger has been on this site since the mid-1970s (it was not built as a Whataburger, but rather Herfy's). The restaurant was rebuilt in 1995.
Public Storage / 3703 Westheimer Road
This Public Storage was rebuilt around 2022-2023 for a new larger modern facility (similar to a unit about a block away)
3743-3745 Westheimer Road
From left to right, there's currently (as of late 2022) Haven Dentistry (3745-A), Walgreens (3745), Baylor Medicine Family Medicine (3743), and a vacancy (3743-A).
Going back to the start, this was Safeway when it opened in 1970 and converted to AppleTree in 1989. In 1994, the store was bought by Rice Epicurean Market, and in 1995 they expanded the store from 28,500 square feet to 35,000 square feet. In 2013, Rice Epicurean sold all but one of its stores to The Fresh Market, which closed and downsized their space. While The Fresh Market would pull out of Houston a few years later, this one closed first (in 2014) and the space became Walgreens in 2015.
Two of the spaces that were carved out of the former Rice Epicurean (that The Fresh Market did not use) became Texas Emergency Care Center (3743) and Mattress Firm (3743-A). By 2018, Texas Emergency Care Center w as closed and a third space was carved out of the former Rice Epicurean (it appears that Walgreens contracted the space further from The Fresh Market), 3745-A at the east end of the building. By March 2020, Mattress Firm was gone (closed between November 2019 and March), the emergency room had been retenanted by Baylor Medicine Family Medicine, and finally Haven Dentistry came in-line between 2021 and 2022.
Exxon / 3802 Westheimer Road
Also known as "Robert's Exxon Car Care Center", this gas station was a Mobil in the early 2010s. Despite converting to an Exxon, it features Mobil fonts on the gas price board and the store's "Snack Shop".
Central Market / 3815 Westheimer Road
Houston's first and only Central Market supermarket opened on May 30, 2001 with a major remodel done in 2016. It features a massive parking lot (always full) as Central Market, despite being owned by H-E-B, is something seen to be believed, with exotic produce, rare items, and great (if expensive) fresh departments...plus, it's the only Central Market in Houston.
Before Central Market, there were a few other buildings on the site, such as Dot's Coffee Shop (formerly a Kip's Big Boy prior to 1988) at 3839 Westheimer. A picture of this restaurant can be seen at Houston Historic Retail.
Apple / 4012 Westheimer Road
I visited this store once regarding my iPhone's battery replacement (which I was entitled to a free one, turns out the battery had gone bad which explained some odd behavior recently). Gotta say, I'm torn on the experience. On one hand, it's much easier to get in and out of then the Galleria but you still have to wait, and there's no air-conditioned mall to wander around in. (I recommend Central Market.)
The glassy, see-through store opened in March 2012 and was briefly closed in late summer 2019 for a renovation. The building was built new and mostly replaced Harold Powell (known as Harold's outside of Dallas, declared bankruptcy in 2008) at 4010 Westheimer Road.
4310 Westheimer Road
The first reference I can find for this address is "Dunk'n Donut" from 1956 (no relation to Dunkin' Donuts, it appears), sold and operating as "Vieon Donuts" in the mid-1960s with Church's Fried Chicken (through a franchise deal with Jim Dandy Fried Chicken) taking up residence in 1970. It appears to have been rebuilt under Church's.
In the early 1980s it became a Kentucky Fried Chicken, which seemed to be the fate of several other Church's Fried Chicken outlets around this time but closed around 1987. Schlotzsky's Deli operated here from 1993 to 2000. Quizno's operated from 2001 to 2007. The abandoned Quizno's remained until around 2014 when it was torn down for construction of the "River Oaks District".
The current address is shared by other tenants. Tenenbaum Jewelers opened in November 2016 and the only tenant to have a brick facade. Going down West Lane and along the north side includes ketamine clinic Field Trip (opened May 2021), Bosscat Kitchen & Libations (opened February 2017), Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Gracie Barra River Oaks Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense, and Eric Perez Salon.
Extended Stay America / 4701 Westheimer Road
This modest hotel sits on the edge of the "Uptown" area in the area that separates Uptown and Highland Village. In late 1963, Rudy Hanke Motors built a new building on the site as part of a dealership and within a few years it became DeMontrond Buick (used cars). In spring 1966, the building was converted into a restaurant--Tokyo Gardens, an authentic Japanese restaurant featuring all sorts of imported décor and both Japanese and Western-style seating (though later postcards just show the common table setting). For over thirty years, Tokyo Gardens entertained customers but in 1998 the restaurant was finally closed for a hotel, with the fixtures liquidated and eventually demolished.
Owner Glen Gondo (son of the original owner Eugene Gondo) did plan to create a new Japanese restaurant with a different concept and name, but this fell through. The current Extended StayAmerica Houston - Galleria - Westheimer opened in the spring of 1999. The hotel has been listed as "temporarily closed" for several months now, but signage and the website remains up.
CVS/pharmacy / 4755 Westheimer Road
This CVS pharmacy is 24 hours. It was opened in 2002, before they bought the Eckerd stores.