DINING FEATURE Hando Creative menu elevates intimate Heights venue D espite beginning his time in the restaurant business at the age of 16, Hando have a restaurant that kind of had small footprints.” When it comes to the food menu,
BY SOFIA GONZALEZ
FAN FAVORITES Sweet Gin Music ($12):
Roku Gin is served with genepy, shishito, lime and habanero.
co-owner Jason Andaya said sticking in the industry was not always in his future plans. In 2014, Andaya was a part of a startup company in Los Angeles when he was asked by a friend to take over a restaurant. Although he swore he would never go back to the service industry after graduate school, he agreed to the endeavor. It was during Andaya’s time in California—where hand roll bars are popular—that he became inspired to open a similar concept in Houston. In December 2019, Andaya, along- side longtime friend Raymond Chan, opened Hando, a sushi hand roll bar, in the Heights. “Once I got back love for the indus- try,” Andaya said. “I think our dream for a long time has always been to do something together and not work for someone forever for the rest of their lives.” Upon walking into Hando, guests into it, I kind of rediscovered my are greeted by an intimate space with a 22-seat dining area. Andaya said the “cramped” space was inspired by the congested businesses in L.A. that he always enjoyed eating in. “When we rst built [Hando], it was really just built for e ciency,” Andaya said. “We always wanted to
Andaya said it is a team e ort among him; Chan; and Hando’s chef, Man Nguyen. When creating the menu, Andaya said the team takes a lot into consideration, such as what items are in season, what the product mix looks like and research they are always doing into new ingredients. With an average dining length of about 40 minutes for patrons, Andaya said he, Chan and his bar manager, Jason Spence, work together to design a drink menu that has cocktails that are “packed with a lot of avor” for guests to enjoy, yet drink quickly. Similar to the food menu, Andaya said Spence is always looking for di erent cocktail ideas. The drinks also extend to the bar owned by Chan and Andaya next door, Kanpai Club, a nine- foot-wide space next to Hando. Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, the space allows customers to grab a drink while they wait for a seat at Hando. As for the future, Andaya said he hopes to continue to expand Hando in Houston and beyond his existing concepts. “We have a lot of good stu in store for [our customers] in the near future,” Andaya said. “As long as they keep coming, we’ll keep on pumping out fun experiences.”
Welcome to Yam Rock ($13): Aged rum is served with ube, lime, guava and spices.
The Audacity ($13): Bruxo Mezcal is served with
cherry, passion fruit, pineapple, lime and ve- spice orgeat.
Hando co-owner Jason Andaya rediscovered his love for restaurants after taking over for a friend’s eatery in Los Angeles. (Photos by So a Gonzalez/Community Impact Newspaper)
“AS LONG AS OUR CUSTOMERS KEEP COMING, WE’LL KEEP ON PUMPING OUT FUN EXPERIENCES. ” JASON ANDAYA, HANDO CO OWNER
Skewers include Japanese sea scallops and pork belly with pineapple.
Served with pickled wasabi, the salmon is one of the most popular menu items.
Hando 518 W. 11th St., Ste. 500, Houston 713-393-7425 www.handohtx.com Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
W. 11THST.
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HEIGHTS RIVER OAKS MONTROSE EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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