A historic restaurant and meat market that was the predecessor of Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille is now closed after 40 years. According to a representative, the company has opted to not renew the lease of Perry & Sons Market & Grille at 12830 Scarsdale. A second location at 614 South Friendswood Drive continues to operate.

“We are grateful to our loyal patrons, and will cherish the memories made here over the past four decades and the foundation created for our company. We invite our valued customers to visit Perry & Sons Market & Grille at 614 South Friendswood Drive, located only seven miles away. Over twice the size of the Scarsdale location, this larger site provides greater market selection and more dining space, and will undertake an extensive remodel in 2021 to better serve our community!” read a statement from the company.

Founder Bob Perry originally started the business in 1979 as a meat market. In 1986, his son Chris Perry expanded it to include a restaurant and started Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille a few years later. In a statement to Community Impact in 2019, Chris Perry wrote, “My father has always been my mentor and I am very thankful that I was able to work alongside him, learn from him and then take the dream to the next level, with him watching every step of the way.”

The first Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille was in Clear Lake, not too far from the original Perry & Sons. After growing the steakhouse to multiple locations, mostly in Houston’s suburban areas, in 2013 the company opened its first restaurant outside of Texas in Chicago. In 2015, the original Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille was relocated to Baybrook Mall. With the addition of a forthcoming location in Tennessee, the restaurant will have a presence in seven states. Still, more than half of Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille’s restaurants — 14 of 21 — are in Texas.

The existence of two different Perry’s — Perry & Sons and Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille — occasionally fuels speculation on which serves the best rendition of the famous four-bone pork chop. (The three-bone version at a reduced lunchtime price is one of Houston’s best-known bargains.) Robb Walsh, who served as the Houston Press restaurant critic for about a decade, very specifically chose the pork chop at the Scarsdale original as one of his favorite Houston dishes. Five years later, another Houston Press restaurant critic agreed with the specificity of the location choice.

All that said, it turns out that both Perry & Sons and Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille use the exact same meat. Really, it comes down to what environment you prefer and which location is closest to you.

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.