Local salad chain Leaf & Grain expands into the Briargrove-Tanglewood area

National salad chains — think Sweetgreen or Salad and Go — are popping up across town, but Houston’s own Leaf & Grain is keeping pace with its fourth location now open in the Briargrove-Tanglewood area.

For Leaf & Grain founder Deets Hoffman, the opening is driven by nostalgia. He grew up playing Little League baseball across the street from the restaurant, which replaces a former Zoës Kitchen, 5779 San Felipe. As a child, Hoffman also spent time at his grandparents’ home a block away.

“This is a special restaurant for us, and we cannot wait to serve the Briargrove-Tanglewood community,” Hoffman said in a statement.

This new outpost, a nearly 3,000-square-foot space designed by Gin Design Group, will also feature two new sandwiches on the menu: the Homestyle Chicken, featuring chicken breast with a remouladestyle sauce served on ciabatta bread, and the Fairway, a turkey sandwich with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, breadand-butter pickles, mayo and mustard between slices of sourdough.

In the past year, Leaf & Grain has worked with local chefs to offer special sandwiches on its menu. The team collaborated with a number of chefs, including recent James Beard Awards seminfinalists Victoria Elizondo and Ope Amosu.

Leaf & Grain debuted in downtown in 2017 at the Houston Center, 1200 McKinney, and later at the Allen Center, 500 Dallas. After weathering the challenges of the pandemic in 2020, a location opened in West University Place, 5525 Weslayan.

The new spot is open 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Sunday.

Photos by Michael Ma Leaf & Grain, with four locations in the Houston area, offers salads, sandwiches and drinks.

Leaf & Grain’s newest restaurant is located at 5525 Weslayan, in the Briargrove-Tanglewood area.

Leaf & Grain founder Deets Hoffman says the new location is nostalgic for him, since he grew up playing baseball nearby.