FOOD
Best alumni-owned restaurants in Houston
The University of Houston has roots all over the city. Nowhere is it more prominent than the restaurant business. Here are only a few of the alumni owned restaurants around the city. WRITING AND PHOTOS BY MCKENZIE MISIASZEK
I
’m not going to lie, I hate the term “foodie.” Sadly, if we broke down the definition of one, I might fall into that category of person. I love good food, and I’m pretentious about it sometimes. That’s why I’m always in someone’s ear, trying to influence the next place they should eat. Now, dear readers, I’m going to do that for y’all, but with a bit of a University of Houston twist. Here are some of my favorite restaurants (and one brewery) that are owned by UH alumni. Mandola’s Deli Often referred to as “The Deli”, Mandola’s Deli originally opened in 1975, and then branched to their current location off Cullen and Leeland in 1977. In 2008, the owner’s son joined his dad after graduating from UH’s Hotel and Restaurant Management program. Now, the store is decked out in UH gear and even offers a 10 percent discount to UH students who bring in their 14
COOGLIFE // August 2021 COOGLIFE // August 2021
Cougar Card. If you’re craving Italian food without all the drama of an expensive, fancy restaurant I’m begging you to try Mandola’s Deli. When I eat there it’s what I imagine I would’ve eaten growing up if I were Italian. All of the meals I’ve eaten there feel like a warm hug. Pasta and pizza are my obvious favorites, along with their wide variety of po’boys, but if you’re a stronger person than I, they also have an array of different salads.
100% Taquito You can never go wrong with Mexican food. 100% Taquito actually started as a school project by Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship students. In the summer of 1996, Marko Garcia started selling tacos out of a trailer, and in 1998 the restaurant moved to its current storefront where it remains wildly successful. 100% Taquito aims to replicate the authentic Mexican food of Mexico
