Commercial real estate shifts northwest with residential growth

Betsy Ellison
Neighborhood Dining | Guayaba Latin Grill
Guayaba Latin Grill owner Emmanuel Gonzalez enjoys sharing his Latin culture with the community through his restaurant.
By Betsy Ellison
When Guayaba Latin Grill owner
Emmaunel Gonzalez opened his first
restaurant in Katy six years ago, his main
goal was to give customers an experience
authentic to the food being served.
“I strive really hard to give customers
a Latin feel from the moment they walk
in the front door,” Gonzalez said. “People
can obviously look out the window and
see where they are, but we hope the music,
ambience and food bring the whole experience
together.”
In September 2008, Gonzalez expanded
Guayaba to the Northwest Houston community
and opened a second location on
Hwy. 249 at Gessner Road. This is now
the only location of Guayaba after the first
restaurant in Katy closed earlier this year.
With a menu busting at the seams, the
restaurant has three fan-favorite dishes:
Ropa Vieja ($10.95), Cuban hand-pulled
beef; Pollo Con Crema de Jalapeño
($10.95), chicken breast marinated in
chimichurri, topped with a jalapeño; and
Pollo Guayaba ($15.95), a large chicken
breast stuffed with shrimp and spinach,
topped with a sweet guayaba.
On Sundays, Guayaba has a brunch
buffet ($11.95 for adults and $8.95 for children
over 3) with more than 30 options
that rotate weekly. Along with bottomless
mimosas ($6), the buffet might include
an omelet station, Gallo Pinto—white
rice and black beans, tossed with onion,
tomatoes and cilantro—and Chorizo
Asado—Argentine chorizo sautéed with
peppers and onions.
Guayaba also has a large selection of
wines, an award-winning mojito bar and
a happy hour running Monday through
Friday from 3 to 7 p.m.
Upon entering Guayaba, the atmosphere
from the busy Houston highways
changes to a Latin-flavored ambience
filled with vibrant greens and reds with
low lighting to keep the mood intimate.
“My wife actually threw out the name
Guayaba,” Gonzalez said. “I told her no at
first, but then, as I started to research the
word a little more I found out it actually
Betsy Ellison
means a lot to people of Latin decent.”
Guayaba is a tropical fruit indigenous
to South and Central America, the Caribbean
and Southeast Asia.
“The word is beautiful,” Gonzalez said.
“The way all of the A’s stand out and how
it comes together when you look at it.
After about six or seven months of business
I told my wife the name was genius.”
Ceviche, a marinated seafood cocktail, is a classic South
American dish.
Build-your-own ceviche
An interesting and unique aspect of Guayaba is its
ceviche bar ($9.95), where diners can custom order
this authentic Latin dish to their liking, served with
homemade plantains.
• Choose a meat: shrimp, calamari, scallops or
chicken
• Pick a fresco marinade or cocktail sauce:
Mexican, South American or Central American
• Pick ingredients: red onion, white onion,
tomato, cilantro, mint, jalapeño, red cabbage,
bell pepper, avocado
1960
Mills Rd.
Guayaba Latin Grill
17505 Hwy. 249, Houston
281-477-8555
www.guayabagrill.com
Mon.–Thur. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Sun. 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m.
Gessner Rd.
249
N
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