Another Houston-area restaurant is closing down. Wednesday, Hiram Clarke BBQ announced it would be shutting down operations after nearly 6 years in business at 2944 S Sam Houston Pkwy. Owners Paul and Martha Jacob said in a statement that rising food and operating expenses had made it “impossible to continue.”
The restaurant’s history stretches back to a different name at a different location. Paul opened Jacob’s BBQ at 14151 Hiram Clarke Rd. in Southwest Houston in 2019. The Texas Southern University alumni had previously done restaurant management for Shoney’s and was the co-founder of a Louisiana music festival before diving into barbecue, Houston Chronicle barbecue columnist J.C. Reid wrote in 2025.
Paul rebranded Jacob’s BBQ to Hiram Clarke when the pandemic hit the same year. The restaurant built a glowing reputation on its “Tex-Lou” sides, a blend of Texas and Louisiana culinary traditions. Signature sides included collard greens and Cajun stew…