The accolades continue to pour in for ChòpnBlọk. Following the opening of its brick-and-mortar in October 2024, the West African restaurant has continued to rack up praise. On the heels of the New York Times calling the restaurant among the best restaurants in the U.S. this year, another publication has echoed the sentiment.
Released this past Monday, Esquire published a list of the best new restaurants in the United States. The list included 33 restaurants across the country. There was just one Texas representative on Esquire‘s list, Houston’s ChòpnBlọk. Here’s what Esquire said about the restaurant in its write-up:
“Recent years are littered with the carcasses of failed fast-casual concepts. But Ope Amosu’s ChòpnBlọk seems destined for success, borne on the tide of sevn tremendous rice bowls. The rices range from the Ghanaian fried rice known as waakye – pronounced “watchee”– to diaspora-bridging jollof jambalaya.Along with the rices come ikoyi shrimp or yaji vegetables finished with yassa curry or red stew and plantains. Always plantains”
ChòpnBlọk made its original debut as a food stall inside POST Market. Following initial success, the restaurant opened a brick-and-mortar in 2024 in Montrose at 507 Westheimer Rd.
As far as the criteria goes for Esquire’s list of the best new restaurants of the year, the publication sought restaurants with “spectacular food coupled with a damn good time“. Fair enough.
Among its many awards and honors, ChòpnBlọk is also a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recipient. As for MICHELIN, the guide praised the restaurant’s coconut curry, Jollof rice, and rice bowls. More on MICHELIN’s take:
“Jollof rice, coconut curry, and rice bowls steal the spotlight, and whether it’srice with peanut stew, jollof jambalya or rice with stewed plantains, West African flavors are at the forefront. The golden bowl is a delicious blend of smoky jollof jambalaya, motherland curry, yaji vegetables and stewed plantains with chicken or shrimp. Polo club suya, or grilled beef skewers dusted with yaji peanut pepper spice, are tender, nutty and spicy. Don’t sleep on the plantain bread in creme anglaise”.
ChòpnBlọk is open from 11 am – 9 pm Sunday through Wednesday; and from 11 am – 10 pm Thursday through Saturday.