The Woodlands Waterway is about to pick up some serious Houston flavor. Chef Aaron Bludorn is bringing his neighborhood tavern concept north, with Bar Bludorn set to take over the former Baker Street Pub space at 25 Waterway Avenue. Crews are slated to start work next Wednesday, and the team is planning a roughly $2.5 million interior and exterior overhaul they expect to wrap by July 31.
A permit filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation outlines a full rework of the space, including a dining room, private dining area, an expanded bar, patio seating, upgraded restrooms and a reconfigured kitchen. According to the Houston Chronicle, the permit lists a construction window beginning next Wednesday and running through July 31, with the renovation estimated at about $2.5 million.
Howard Hughes Partnership
Howard Hughes, the developer behind much of The Woodlands Waterway, has confirmed that Bar Bludorn is landing at 25 Waterway and is framing the project as a strategic culinary partnership aimed at strengthening the area’s chef-driven dining scene. As outlined by The Woodlands, the Waterway outpost is slated to open in summer 2026, and Bludorn said the team “feel really confident partnering with Howard Hughes” on the project.
What The Woodlands Location Will Offer
The Woodlands Bar Bludorn is expected to mirror the Memorial neighborhood tavern’s menu and design while adding more seats and boosted private-dining options. CultureMap reports that the Woodlands restaurant will keep Bar Bludorn staples like country ham beignets, the short-rib Reuben and fried chicken with peanut butter gravy, while giving the local team room to rotate in seasonal dishes.
Bludorn’s Houston Footprint
Aaron Bludorn’s hospitality group already runs Bludorn, Navy Blue and Perseid in Houston, and Bar Bludorn joined the lineup in the Memorial area in 2024. Per the restaurant’s own website and a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project record, the original Bar Bludorn was built out through a multi-million-dollar renovation, and the team is now repeating that neighborhood-tavern blueprint outside central Houston. Bar Bludorn’s site lists the original location, and the TDLR record details that earlier project’s scope and estimated cost.
Why The Woodlands Matters
The Woodlands has been steadily pulling in chef-driven concepts as part of a broader push to upgrade dining along the Waterway, and local coverage has framed the latest additions as part of that trend. Community Impact noted that these arrivals follow other notable moves and that the Waterway’s mix of hotels and entertainment venues makes it an appealing setting for destination restaurants…