The second location of Eight Row Flint, originally announced by Agricole Hospitality in August of last year, is now open as of Monday, February 20. It’s located at 3501 Harrisburg in Houston’s East End — conveniently next to the METRORail Green line — in the space formerly occupied by Night Shift. The original Eight Row Flint is in the Heights.

In a press release, Agricole Hospitality owners Ryan Pera, Vincent Huynh and Morgan Weber said, “It’s been fun to look closely at Eight Row Flint with fresh eyes and see how we can take it to another level in the East End, where we see a lot of excitement and growth. There are plenty of through-lines between the two locations and guests will definitely see some Eight Row Flint favorites on the menu, but we approached this spot with a more mature eye and are excited about the new life we’ve breathed into the concept.”

Three key Agricole Hospitality employees are in charge of day-to-day operations: executive chef Marcelo Garcia, Christina Ramey, who has been with Eight Row Flint since it opened and promoted from general manager to concept manager, and Christian Garza, who’s been promoted to the new location’s general manager position after formerly being assistant general manager at the original location.

The new place has a similar list of offerings, including cocktails, whiskey and tacos featuring housemade tortillas. However, expect the cocktail list to be “tightly focused” on whiskey and agave spirits, and featuring drinks unique to the East Side location. One of Eight Row Flint’s claims to fame is it was among the first to serve the ranch water cocktail, so of course that will be on the drink list, as well as a selection of seasonal margaritas.

Also unique to this location: a full kitchen, which allows for expanded food offerings compared to the Heights original, which is limited to what can be accomplished in its onsite food truck. In addition to the popular tacos with upscale fillings, such as pork belly with octopus and crispy Brussels sprouts, the new Eight Row Flint has seafood campechana, buttermilk-brined fried chicken, and carnes asada with all the trimmings in both beef and chicken varieties. The full menu is available online. 

Agricole Hospitality remodeled the former Night Shift space with touches such as salvaged wood and duck canvas to bring it more in line with the rustic look of the Heights location. The dining room is anchored by a rickhouse commissioned for the space, and artworks lining the stairway that leads to the rooftop bar were painted by Garza and his young daughter. Speaking of the rooftop bar: it accommodates 80 people with a mix of seating and standing space, while the downstairs offers bar and table seating for nearly 200.

Eight Row Flint is open daily from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Phaedra Cook

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.