The Lymbar

"For excellent drinks and unforgettable bites, head to the Ion for an unforgettable experience. This Latin restaurant offers a mix of small dishes, like its churrasco bites — sample-size portions of its signature steak, empanadas (be sure to get the trio), and fresh salads and vegetable combinations. The corn-smoked lamb chops glazed in a guajillo chili sauce and served with cous cous tabbouleh, the chicken shwarma tacos, and tres leches might have you coming back on other days of the week." - Minh Truong, Brittany Britto Garley

"Travel just a few miles away to Midtown’s mixed-use development, the Ion, to chef David Cordua’s Latin and Mediterranean-inspired restaurant. An ideal spot for a fancier pre- or post-sport game event, diners can revel in bites like chicken chicharrones and shareable plates like beef empanadas, plus craft cocktails." - Minh Truong, Brittany Britto Garley

"The Lymbar feels like quicksand. At this Midtown restaurant, the harder you fight, the longer you’re there. It’s underwhelming, more confusing, and somehow more expensive than you could ever anticipate. The dining room of The Lymbar feels like a chain hotel lobby that was "inspired by the French Quarter of New Orleans," with slouchy couches that make it impossible to both recline and eat your food—you’re either sacrificing your back or your shirt. And neither sacrifice is worth it, because most of the menu is riddled with pretentious dishes, like truffle twinkies filled with a custard that mostly tastes like runny egg yolk. Or, the smoked lamb chops—with the primary flavor of burnt oil—that come out well done, regardless of how you ask for them to be cooked. With everything slowly getting worse the more you experience it, the only time you should go to The Lymbar is if you're in the Ion building and literally all of the other food options are closed." - Gianni Greene

"The Lymbar, by longtime Houston chef David Cordúa, will be a neighborhood restaurant and craft cocktail bar focusing on Latin and Mediterranean flavors. When it opens in the fall, Lymbar will join the previously announced Late August, a partnership between current Top Chef competitor Dawn Burrell and Lucille’s owner Chris Williams, along with a Common Bond On The Go location and the first brick-and-mortar location for popular food truck Stuff’d Wings. The Lymbar marks the first project for Cordúa and his father, Michael Cordúa, since the duo left their eponymous company, Cordúa Restaurants, in 2018. At the street-level restaurant, at 4201 Main Street, diners can expect barrel-aged spirits, a menu of small plates, and meals cooked on a vertical spit in an open kitchen. The restaurant is named after Lymbar Drive, the tightknit, ethnically diverse community where Cordúa grew up in Southwest Houston, and dishes will pay homage to that community with influences from Latin, South American and Mediterranean cuisine. Among the Cordúas’ neighbors on Lymbar Drive was Gin Braverman, founder of gin design group, who has designed the interior of the restaurant, complete with 4,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dining space and floor-to-ceiling bay windows that highlight the restaurant’s corner-suite space. Other neighbors included the Droubi family, owners of Droubi’s Bakery & Delicatessen; and the Garcia-Prats family, owners of Finca Tres Robles urban farm. The Cordúas plan to source recipes and ingredients from both businesses, according to a press release. When it opens, The Lymbar will serve lunch, dinner, and drinks seven days a week, with brunch and happy hour will be added in the future." - Brittanie Shey