Culinary Market Set to Open Later This Year

HOUSTON—A lease at Understory marks SeaSide Poké’s second Houston location, following the opening of its first outpost at 2118 Lamar St. in east downtown. Understory is the 35,000-square-foot community hub and culinary market at Skanska’s Capitol Tower office development. Upon its opening later this year, Understory will be the first space in the tunnel network to be active seven days a week, from morning to night.

“This addition compliments the vibrant and engaging community space we are creating at Capitol Tower in downtown Houston,” said Matt Damborsky, executive vice president for Skanska USA Commercial Development in Houston.

The restaurant concept will occupy 498 square feet of the 9,000-square-foot culinary market, which is now 80% leased with one of seven restaurant slots and the cocktail bar remaining. SeaSide Poké joins East Hampton Sandwich Co., Boomtown Coffee, Mama Ninfa’s Tacos y Tortas, MONA Fresh Italian Food and Flip ‘n Patties as the first six tenants at Understory.

“With Understory at Capitol Tower, we are creating so much more than just a new place to eat. This vibrant open-air community space will showcase the diversity of Houston’s globally acclaimed food scene and allow Houstonians from all walks of life to experience new, exciting flavors in a space that fosters a strong sense of community,” Damborsky tells GlobeSt.com. “This, paired with the merging of the street and tunnel levels for the first time ever, will create a destination unlike any other in the city of Houston.”

Established in 2017, SeaSide Poké’s menu uses locally sourced produce from Texas farms and sustainably caught fish to create traditional Hawaiian fare along with local appeal.

“Our involvement at Understory will be a great way to showcase Houston’s diversity, culture and fortitude that we hold near and dear to our hearts,” said Kristy Nguyen, co-founder of SeaSide Poké. “It is an honor to be a part of the effort to give back to our community and to show off our pride in delivering high-quality, delicious and nutritious food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.”

Nick Hernandez, Crystal Allen and Lacee Wilke from Transwestern represented Skanska and SeaSide Poké in the transaction.

With a design by the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, Understory kitchens will have artist murals, copper clad kitchen hoods, butcher block countertops and white marble. In addition to an abundance of community space and a full-service restaurant, Understory features a culinary market with seven chef-driven concepts and a cocktail bar.

A design hallmark of Understory is the open-air blending of the street and tunnel levels, facilitated by the “Great Steps,” a 30-foot-wide monumental staircase and gathering place that will create the first true street level gateway to the tunnel network. This gateway will be highlighted by a large hanging art installation that will be visible from Capitol, Rusk and Milam streets.

Situated at 800 Capitol St. on a block in Houston’s Central Business District, Understory’s location is near cultural landmarks such as Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, the Alley Theatre, Revention Music Center, Market Square Park and Wortham.

When Capitol Tower lights up Houston’s skyline later this year, it will be the most sustainable office tower in Houston, using 25% less energy than typical baseline facilities. Pre-certified under LEED v4 Platinum, one of only four core-and-shell projects nationwide, the 754,000-square-foot sustainable office development will feature a number of green amenities, including SkyPark, the first and largest green roof in downtown Houston to be open to all building tenants.

Skanska’s other developments in Houston include the first LEED Platinum campus in the Energy Corridor, a two-building West Memorial Place project which offers direct access to the Terry Hershey Park hike and bike trails. Skanska also developed 3009 Post Oak, a 302,000- square-foot office building in the Uptown Houston location at Post Oak Blvd and Hidalgo.

When food halls began, they were largely divided into two basic camps: larger projects often in historic, transit-oriented locales or smaller, mostly chef-driven concepts. But, almost all of which were located in Manhattan and just a handful of other American cities.

What was largely relegated to just a few markets has since exploded. Just as consumer behavior, e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail are evolving at a breakneck pace, so too is the food hall movement, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s report, Food Halls 3.0: The Evolution Continues.