A Houston restaurant group that earned recognition in this year’s James Beard Awards is heading to Austin. Sof Hospitality will open a new steakhouse this fall that will be similar to Doris Metropolitan, its Israeli-inspired steakhouse that pairs dry-aged beef with Mediterranean-inspired appetizers, sides, and desserts.
Located in the former AISD building at 1111 W 6th St., the still-unnamed restaurant is expected to open in October. During an interview on CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, Sof Hospitality co-founder Itai Ben Eli discussed the company’s decision to add an Austin outpost to its existing restaurants in Houston and New Orleans.
“Austin is a market that we looked for for a long time. We were actively looking for a few years. With the real estate market there, it’s really hard to get what we wanted — the location, the size, all of that. But patience paid off, and we finally found a space we liked. We knew it was it at the moment it was presented to us,” he says.
Initially, Ben Eli thought the company would open a new location of Doris Metropolitan that would join its siblings in New Orleans and Houston. Ultimately, the group opted to go in a slightly different direction that will distinguish itself from Doris Metropolitan in some key ways.
“It will have that elevated beef program but a lot of the the things around that beef program are going to change. Appetizers, sides, desserts will be different. Also, the vibe, the design is going to be different,” he says.
Open in Houston since 2017, Doris Metropolitan has earned wide acclaim for its lighter, fresher take on the classic American steakhouse. Instead of serving dishes such as shrimp cocktail, wedge salad, and creamed spinach, Doris draws upon its owners’ Israeli heritage to pair its dry-aged steaks with items such as a beetroot stuffed with cheese, a Jerusalem salad made with roasted cauliflower, and grilled octopus with smoked tomato salad and tzatziki. Ben Eli is confident that Austinites will embrace what the restaurant has to offer.
“Austin is a city that loves beef. Barbecue is absolutely huge,” he says. “But the steakhouse game is a bit more traditional. We’re going to bring something that’s a bit different, that represents more of our Mediterranean DNA, a bit more vibrant than your traditional steakhouse.”
The success of Doris Metropolitan paved the way for Sof to open Hamsa, an Israeli-inspired restaurant that neared a No. 3 ranking on Texas Monthly’sBest New Restaurants list for 2023. Later this summer, the group will open Októ, a more sophisticated Mediterranean-inspired eatery that draws upon flavors from Greece, Italy, and Spain. Earlier this year, Ben Eli and his business partner Itamar Levy earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Restaurateur for their work at Sof Hospitality. They don’t plan to slow down anytime soon.
“It’s a busy year for us, and we’re excited. We feel fortunate to do what we love, to do it with passion, and to have the opportunity to grow,” Ben Eli says. “Coming into Houston, we didn’t know how this was going to be. We knew we wanted to do Doris. We came in here, and we got a big hug from the community. It all came together. We love being here. We’ll do more things in Houston.”
