Narwhal Jousting Club is relaunching on Tuesday, April 1 as a familiar-yet-new concept. Located at 4901 Rose near Washington Avenue, the burger and sandwich takeaway shop from Ninja Ramen and Toy Gun Pew Pew Saloon owner Christopher Huang and chef David Ramos, the restaurant will be shifting focus entirely to affordable burgers, rotating specials and weekend pop-ups. At a time when both customers and operators are feeling the financial squeeze of inflation and other economic factors, Huang promises “a burger, fries and a drink coming in at just $10.” “We’re beating even the fast food operations, and we’re confident it will be the best $6 burger you can get,” he said.

Even though Narwhal is headed by “just two guys with a crazy idea,” it’s a far cry from the pretentious “Millennial Burger Joints” hilariously drawing the ire of thousands on TikTok for overpriced “mid” burgers amid Edison light fixtures, exposed brick, uncomfortable stools and truffle fries. Fast food eateries like Five Guys aren’t safe from public criticism either, having gone viral for charging $24 for a burger, fries and a drink.

Huang is betting on the community’s fervor for a return to normalcy with filling, no frills options that won’t break the bank. He plans to keep the menu simple with just two regularly available items: seasoned fries and a classic cheeseburger. Narwhal’s paradigmatic burgers have been, by far, the most popular menu item and the new menu will capitalize on that with a homestyle burger that’s “made really well, and the only things we put on there are caramelized onions, pickles and a fantastic burger sauce.” Guests can order their burger with one or two patties.

There are plans for special offerings once the dust settles from the relaunch. “As soon as we get the burger operation going smoothly, we’ll be looking to add on a rotating feature so we can still scratch that itch to make fun and creative food” Huang said. He added that “[s]ometimes it will be a fun revisit of our old menu, like our Phở Dip Steak Sandwich, but we may also go off-road with a noodle dish or even our pop-up-popular Viet-Cajun Garlic Butter Fried Chicken.”

Narwhal will also continue its popular burger pop-ups at local establishments as well. Pop-up announcements will be made on social media.

Fans of Comatl, the traditional Mexican cuisine concept from chef Jose Gil which had shared a space inside Narwhal, will be happy to know that the gang is getting back together. Gil is bringing Crawdaddy Issues, his collaborative seafood boil pop-up with Huang, to Narwhal for weekend crawfish boils beginning on Saturday, April 5. (Crawdaddy Issues has also been busy hosting boils at local bars such as Hugh O’Connors and Christian’s Tailgate in the Heights.)

Ninja Ramen, Huang’s nearby Japanese whisky and Asahikawa-style ramen bar, has also introduced new menu items (for the first time in a very long time) including birria dumplings made with classic beef birria consomé from Gil, cold soba noodle salad and seaweed salad.

Beginning April 1, Narwhal Jousting Club will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Delivery will be available through DoorDash and UberEats.

Mario-Sebastian Berry

Mario-Sebastian Berry is a wine and spirits vendor who has been in the hospitality industry since 2002. Currently, he represents Blanco, Texas-based Andalusia Whiskey Co. He holds numerous wine, beer and spirits certifications including Certified Sommelier. Somehow, he also finds time to be Houston Food Finder’s associate editor and social media manager.