The Branch opens on The Forme's 12th floor in Houston

The Branch Houston, chef Chris Williams's new all-day restaurant, opened on 1 October on the 12th floor of The Forme, a luxury high-rise at 5501 La Branch Street in Houston's Museum District. The 20,000-square-foot space holds an indoor dining room, a lounge and a rooftop patio with a pool deck, all behind floor-to-ceiling windows facing downtown.

Williams, a two-time James Beard Award finalist, runs the restaurant through his Lucille's Hospitality Group, which also operates Lucille's across the street and the nonprofit farm Lucille's 1913. The Branch sits within sight of both.

Breakfast centres on a $20 Harvest Table, a continental-style spread of pastries, fruit, charcuterie, cheese and a yogurt and honey bar. The à la carte breakfast menu adds avocado and tuna conserva toast, a chorizo press and the Branch Benny, a green-masa take on eggs Benedict with a lump crab cake, poached egg and chipotle hollandaise.

We're excited to partner with The Forme, another opportunity to create equity in one of the country's most dynamic culinary cities.

Lunch and dinner, served Thursday to Sunday, lean on a rotating raw bar: oysters with bourbon mignonette, daily crudo, tuna tostada and paninis. The drinks list favours low-ABV cocktails with spirit-free versions of each, alongside beer and wine by the glass.

A wellness-minded concept

Williams built the menu around seasonal, globally influenced dishes and lighter proteins rather than the smoked and braised meats that built Lucille's reputation. "We're excited to partner with The Forme," Williams said of the opening, calling it another chance to build equity in Houston's hospitality scene.

Breakfast runs 7 to 10:30 a.m. on weekdays and 9 to 11:30 a.m. on weekends; the all-day menu runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Reservations go through OpenTable, and operators expect to extend hours once the kitchen settles in.

Houston's dining map keeps shifting

The Branch opens as Houston's Michelin Guide questions remain unresolved, after Michelin Guide Texas dropped its ceremony for a press release and the state's contract with the guide lapsed. The city's restaurant scene has kept expanding regardless, with the Museum District drawing new hotel and residential towers that bring restaurant space with them.

Williams's bet on an all-day, wellness-leaning format is a departure from the barbecue and Southern cooking that defined his earlier restaurants, and an early test of whether that format travels in a city still associated with the century-old pits.