Levi Goode is well-known for Goode Company Restaurants, the restaurant group founded by his late dad, Jim Goode. However, in summer 2024, he’ll also be known for two unique restaurants that are part of his own brand. Goode, a three-time semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, plans to open a restaurant called Credence located at 9757 Katy Freeway on the ground floor of high-rise apartment complex The McKinley at Memorial City. The second project is a speakeasy called Sidebar. 

“The development of this new brand and its subsequent concepts adds a new dimension to our company that allows for more sustainability and creativity with the goal of bringing Texas together — communally, culturally and culinarily. I’ll remain president of Goode Company Restaurants and will now have an additional focus on the Levi Goode Brand,” said Goode via a press release. 

Credence, a Forthcoming Restaurant in Memorial

Credence is planned as a South Texas ranch-influenced fine dining restaurant. According to a representative, it will serve dishes “inspired by Levi’s family recipes, cooking with his grandmother and father, hunting and live-fire cooking, his travels, his education and his twenty-plus years at the helm of the popular Goode Company Restaurants.” While the menu is still in development, conceptual photos depict a perfectly carved, bone-in ribeye, fresh snapper and a deep-red cocktail in a moody setting. 

As one might assume based on the restauranteur’s well-established affinity for Texas, local ingredients, such as Gulf fish and dry-aged Prime beef, will take center stage. Dishes made with the aforementioned live-fire cooking — made possible thanks to a custom-made hearth — will include a Fire Roasted Seafood Tower, Dry Aged Duck for Two and Hearth Roasted Swordfish on the Bone. Some of the dishes on the menu will be intended for sharing. Others include West Texas Parisa, Hearth Roasted Bone Marrow and Spring Mushrooms & Cornbread Gnocchi. There are also plans for salads prepared tableside. Dishes can be enjoyed in the Gensler-designed dining room or the patio. 

The cocktail program will present tweaked versions of classics, such as a seasonal Paloma, custom Negroni and “a fun take” on vermouth and soda. 

Sidebar, Levi Goode’s New Speakeasy & Restaurant

New speakeasy Sidebar will be next door to Credence, and themed after the Texas oil boom of the early 1900s. Many of the cocktail elements will be handmade, including house-infused spirits and artful garnishes. Some of the planned drinks are a classic gin Martini served with a sidecar and garnishes, a Texas riff on a Pink Lady, and custom old fashioneds and Manhattans. As will be the case at Credence, Sidebar will have a patio. 

Sidebar will also have a wine program featuring “classic producers, regions and styles and a wider selection of old-world selections” as well as hard-to-find Champagne brands.  

Unlike many speakeasies, this one will also have a fully fledged food menu, with luxuries such as dry-aged steaks and caviar-topped oysters. 

Entrance to Sidebar will be via reservation only. 

 “My hope is that both Credence and Sidebar serve as local havens where people can come together and enjoy a good meal, a handmade cocktail and a good time,” Goode said. “We’re excited to continue to serve the Memorial area of Houston, which has been so good to us, in a brand new way.” 

To keep up with new developments, you can follow Credence and Sidebar on Instagram. 

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.