MAVEN at Sawyer Yards

"Known for its coffee and cocktails, this Sawyer Yards restaurant has also impressed diners with its all-day menu. Diners can always start with its signature coffees and pastries, but its weekend brunch is something special. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Maven offers standout dishes like chilaquiles, shrimp and crab campechano with poblano and avocado, and the Maven Muffin, an English muffin stuffed with egg, Canadian bacon, and a secret sauce. The pain perdu, made with sourdough French toast and served with caramel ice cream, offers the perfect sweet ending." - Brittany Britto Garley

"Astros pitcher Lance Cullers Jr. and the team at Rex Hospitality have branched out beyond local stadiums and its Thompson Hotel digs with their first standalone coffee shop, cocktail lounge, and full-service restaurant in Sawyer Yards. Diners can start the day with delightful pastries, breakfast tacos, sandwiches, and coffee drinks before introducing nighttime cocktails, like an epic carajillo or a cold shakerato, available with or without alcohol, or a pick from the curated wine list. The food menu also captivates with family-style dishes like tender octopus with roasted fingerling potatoes, a stellar steak au poivre, Caesar salad cups that can be eaten with your hands, and produce like maitake mushrooms and artichoke that are cooked with the most delicate care. Dessert is essential. Chocolate lovers will delight in its s’mores cup and the gooey chocolate lava cake." - Brittany Britto Garley

"At Maven’s standalone new coffee shop and cocktail lounge, diners can take the experience from morning to night. Expect the coffee classics by day, like espressos, lattes, cortados, teas, and its potent signature cold brew, which can be sweetened with homemade syrups. Its morning menu, available daily until 3 p.m., includes a housemade chia pudding and an assortment of Common Bond croissants. When Maven turns into a lounge with signature cocktails, order the crowd-pleasing carajillo. Find its other locations at the base of the Thompson Hotel on Allen Parkway." - Brianna Griff, Brittany Britto Garley

"The fourth location of Maven Coffee & Cocktails, co-founded by Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and Rex Hospitality, brings a unique all-day experience to Sawyer Yards. By day, the space operates as a coffee shop, serving expertly crafted caffeinated drinks made from its blend of 100 percent Arabica beans, alongside dishes like truffle grilled cheese, Cuban sandwiches, breakfast tacos, and avocado toast. At 3 p.m., the focus shifts to pastries, before fully transitioning into a dinner service at 5 p.m. Evening diners can enjoy finger foods like house-smoked grouper fish dip and pork rillettes, and transition into heartier options like spicy rigatoni with manchego cheese, pan-seared rib-eye au poivre, and classic roasted chicken. The drink menu highlights signature carajillos and espresso martinis, along with creative takes on classics, such as a coffee and fernet-infused Old Fashioned and the Shakerato, a chilled blend of amaro and coffee." - Marcy de Luna, Brittany Britto Garley

"This recently debuted coffee and cocktail lounge offers a full menu of family-style dishes and weekly specials, but if you’re looking for a meal to keep all to yourself, consider Maven’s Station Steak Night on Wednesdays. Hosted from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., diners will receive a beer, a flat iron steak, which is grilled outside on the patio, and a loaded baked potato for $26. Consider Maven’s iconic carajillo or its warm and decadent molten lava cake, served with vanilla gelato, for dessert." - Brittany Britto Garley