End of an Era: Beloved Houston Restaurant Picos Shuts Its Doors After 40 Years

After 40+ Years, Houston's Picos Prepares to Close Its Doors on Upper Kirby A Houston culinary landmark is nearing the end of an era. Picos, the beloved Mexican restaurant that has served the city for more than four decades, will shut its Upper Kirby location on August 30. Owner Arnaldo Richards is careful to frame the closure not as a goodbye, but as a pause — the restaurant is searching for a new home, and this location's story is simply wrapping up while that search continues. Four Decades of Regional Mexican Cooking Picos opened its doors in 1984 and quickly earned a loyal following for bringing authentic dishes from Mexico's seven culinary regions to Houston diners. The restaurant built its reputation on standouts like deeply flavored mole sauces, handmade tamales, and enchiladas, along with its now-famous shaker margaritas — a signature that set Picos apart years before craft cocktails became a national trend. The restaurant moved to its spacious Kirby Drive space in 2014, where it continued to draw crowds with vibrant décor, private dining rooms, and a menu built around regional Mexican flavors. A Redevelopment Deal Forces the Move According to Richards, the property has been sold for future redevelopment, leaving the restaurant with no choice but to vacate. The family had hoped to transition smoothly into a new space without any downtime, but a suitable location hasn't been secured yet. Richards continues to describe this as a transitional moment rather than a true ending, with the family committed to carrying the Picos name and legacy forward somewhere else in Houston. A Final Chance to Say Goodbye The closure was originally slated for 2025, but an outpouring of community support convinced the family to keep the doors open longer. Now, with August 30 set as the definite last day, Houstonians have just a few weeks left to visit this Kirby Drive institution before it closes this chapter — hopefully to reopen another one soon.