Mendocino Farms to Open Second Houston Outpost at Uptown Park

Farm-to-table eatery Mendocino Farms, hailing from sunny Southern California, is set to open the doors of its second Houston location in Uptown Park on Thurs., Oct. 3. 

The new restaurant sits at 1111-05 Uptown Park Blvd., in the redeveloped retail and dining district that also houses Flower Child and Songkran Thai Kitchen. Offering a range of sandwiches and salads, Mendocino Farms was cofounded by husband-wife duo Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen. This new outpost is the second of three locations opening in Houston this year. The first opened in Rice Village in July and a third location is opening downtown this winter.  

“Ellen and I are both thrilled and humbled by the overwhelming community response we’ve received in Rice Village,” Mario said in a statement. “We are eager to continue building relationships in Rice Village while seeing how we can expand our impact and serve our new neighbors in Uptown Park in new and dynamic ways,” Ellen added. 

The restaurant’s fall menu includes this “Nam’s Schoolhouse Charity Banh Mi.” A portion of the proceeds from this sandwich will go towards a philanthropic project in Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of Public Content)

Mendocino Farms hosted a pre-opening "Pay What You Want" night on Tuesday, with the proceeds going to three area schools: TH Rogers, Hunters Creek Elementary and Briargrove Elementary. More than 300 people attended on Tuesday, and a total of $2,571 were raised for the three schools. 

In addition to their main menu, Mendocino Farms recently unveiled its fall menu, available at all locations. The menu includes the “Nam’s Schoolhouse Charity Banh Mi,” with grilled chicken thigh, lemongrass relish, spicy ginger pineapple slaw, cilantro and chili aioli on a panini-press roll. A portion of the proceeds from this sandwich go towards a philanthropic project in Vietnam, led by a classmate of the co-founders’ daughter.

Mendocino Farms Uptown Park serves lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.