Two New Post Oak Dining Rooms, One for the Weekday and One for the Weekend

At 10 a.m. on a Sunday, The Audrey on Post Oak Boulevard is already open and serving brunch. When Mack Allen's opened on Post Oak Parkway in September, Sunday was not on its schedule at all.

The two restaurants opened six weeks apart, just east of Tanglewood, and both serve raw bars and prime steaks. The Audrey was set up for long weekends and drop-in lunches. Mack Allen's was set up for the business lunch on a weekday and the dinner for forty.

The Audrey Keeps the Weekend Open

The Audrey Restaurant & Bar – Post Oak opened Aug. 5 on the first floor of Aspire Post Oak, a residential high-rise at 1616 Post Oak Blvd. The Houston-based group Culinary Khancepts, led by Omar Khan, owns it. This is the group's second Audrey. The first opened in The Woodlands in July 2023, according to the Houston Press.

Its posted hours run seven days a week:

• Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Brunch on Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On weekdays the Houston Press reports a happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., which covers the hours between a late lunch and an early dinner.

The room is themed on Audrey Hepburn, and the menu carries the theme. Community Impact lists the three-tier Hepburn Grand Plateau seafood tower, handmade pastas, Beef Wellington, tuna mignon and truffle mushroom ravioli. Desserts come from Luis Robledo Richards of Mayahuel. At the bar there's a Rose Water Lemon Drop and a WhistlePig Old Fashioned finished with hickory smoke. There's also a mezcal drink called Two for the Road, named for Hepburn's film with Albert Finney.

The Audrey seats up to 163 guests across its dining room, bar, semi-private lounge, outdoor patio and one private dining room, the Secret Garden.

Mack Allen's Was Built Around the Big Table

Mack Allen's celebrated its grand opening Sept. 14 at 4400 Post Oak Parkway, Community Impact reported. It belongs to Mack McDonald, who spent more than 15 years building the Rouxpour brand before opening this one. According to PaperCity, the restaurant covers 16,000 square feet and takes up the entire ground floor of the 5POP office tower. PaperCity put the opening-night crowd at 500.

Before opening, the Houston Chronicle published this schedule:

• Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m., dinner only
• Brunch to follow

That schedule is five weekday lunches and one Saturday dinner. A 5POP office tower address and a lunch menu with a pork belly bowl, a steak salad and a classic Cobb all fit the same pattern. In the release Community Impact quoted, McDonald described the restaurant as a place where you can "celebrate a milestone, close a deal, enjoy an incredible meal with friends or simply have a great night out." The restaurant's website now mentions weekend brunch in its reservation copy, so check OpenTable for the current days before you plan a Sunday there.

Executive chef Carlos Andrade and regional chef Manuel Viveros run a chophouse menu anchored by prime steaks and Australian wagyu. The Chronicle reports that the starters include smoked duck confit gumbo and butter-poached lobster bisque. Matthew Mui, a Kata Robata veteran, oversees the sushi program. Pastry chef Karen Romero, who has worked at Brennan's, Underbelly and Cafe Annie, makes the desserts, including a five-layer chocolate cake. Wine director Anthony Salazar manages a 1,000-bottle collection. He has worked at March and Eleven Madison Park in New York.

Side by Side

Where Each Size of Gathering Fits

The private rooms show the gap most clearly, and with holiday dinners about a month away, that's where the two restaurants differ most for anyone hosting. Mack Allen's has three, each with its own character, according to the Chronicle:

1. The Board Room seats 14 and is styled like a private club. The Houston Press reports that it has its own wet bar, fireplace and private entrance.
2. The Champagne Room seats up to 40, has its own bar and is done in blush tones.
3. The Estate Room seats 60 and has a wine wall.

There is also a 2,000-square-foot lobby lounge that the Houston Press says can be booked for separate functions. Outside, PaperCity describes a garden courtyard of nearly a quarter acre, planted with Japanese maple, magnolia, star jasmine, gardenias and holly. At the September opening, its 10-foot fire and water feature was still under construction.

The Audrey has one private room, the Secret Garden, named for Hepburn's love of gardening, plus a semi-private lounge. That makes it the better fit for a birthday brunch or a weekend lunch with houseguests. A company dinner for fifty fits Mack Allen's floor plan better.

Two Details to Know Before You Go

The first is the dress code. Mack Allen's publishes one and enforces it. Men must wear a collared shirt or blazer. Athletic wear, sleeveless shirts, team jerseys, baseball caps, visors and slides are on the list of things to avoid, and management may deny entry to guests who do not comply.

The second is parking. Community Impact reports that Mack Allen's offers curbside valet and on-site self-parking, and reservations go through OpenTable. The Audrey's menus and hours are on its Post Oak location page.

Mack Allen's menus on its website do not list prices yet.

At Wheless Realty, we pay attention to where people in Tanglewood can host a dinner for 14 or 60 without crossing town. If you'd like to talk about the restaurants, streets and rooms that shape day-to-day life near your home, Wheless Realty would be glad to hear from you. Let's start a conversation.