Bun Kabab, We Hardly Knew Ye

Bun Kabab

This little fast food-style restaurant was, probably, doomed from the beginning. Bun Kabab, a halal Pakistani eatery now permanently closed, had a bad location working against it. 

Situated at 6965 Harwin Drive, Houston in Accessory Plaza II (see map), it was virtually invisible from the street. The store opened in early 2021, located just over a quarter mile west of the famous Gandhi District along Hillcroft Avenue. 

Inside Bun Kabab

It was not able to draw people who go to that area seeking the south Asian cuisines the area is known for. Had they been located on or much nearer to Hillcroft, Bun Kabab might still be open.

Although Harwin is a busy street, Bun Kabab had poor signage. It was in Accessory Plaza II, with merchants selling jewels, watches, computers, wholesale of other household goods, retail clothing, footwear and leather articles in specialized stores, and clothing accessories. 

A Last Look At James Coney Island

It was a good run, really. James Coney Island became a Houston institution after humble beginnings as a hot dog stand in 1923 in the city's downtown. "It wasn't until forty years later that a second location opened and by 1988, it was a multi-million dollar brand," Lorretta Ruggiero reported for Houston Press in October 2022. 

But the little local hot dog empire closed its last outpost during the first weekend of last October, and now the empty building near the Galleria awaits the proverbial wrecking ball.

James Coney Island, 5745 Westheimer Road
(more photos below)

The company renamed itself JCI Grill in 2014, Ruggiero wrote. The closing of their hot dog palaces, however, is by no means the end of the company. They have big plans to revamp and rebuild. 

Updated: Crime-Ridden McDonald’s in Downtown Houston Demolished

One of the worst McDonald's I've ever been in is closing – finally.

Photo: Reddit Houston u/lolunix, via
houstonarchitecture.com

I've been in a lot of creepy, downright frightening Mickey Dees in my life, but none compared in my experience with this one. It was the worst in Houston, and just might have been the worst McDonald's in the nation.

The building was finally demolished on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Nobody will miss it:

“We’ve seen a lot of crazy things go down here," [a local man] said. "Daily drug deals, we’ve seen guys getting beat up, guys getting their money stolen. It’s a really difficult place. This whole area downtown is not the place you want to be." KHOU-11, 2023/02/08 

Yes, I've been there. Once, in June 2013. It's located at 2017 Main Street, Houston, right across from a Greyhound Bus station that's almost as scary. I took three steps in and immediately realized I'd just passed into a post-apocalyptic dystopian nightmare. The huge, armed security guard just inside the front door, a large black man, gave me a look that told me, a 57-year-old white dude, to leave now while you still can. I nodded a thank you and took his advice.