In 1955, Owen Brennan purchased the 1795 Rillieux structure located at 417 Royal to open Brennan’s of New Orleans, and in 1969 the family purchased the 1929 Staub building to open Brennan’s of Houston. As the Brennan family success expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, two factions in the family emerged, and legal struggles yielded a divided Brennan’s family. In 1974, Owen Brennan’s five siblings–Adelaide, John, Ella, Richard and Dorothy—secured full ownership of all Brennan’s investments outside of Brennan’s New Orleans, and Owen Brennan’s widowed wife Maud, and their three children Pip, Jimmy and Ted secured full control of the original New Orleans location. In the midst of years of legal rambling however, the Brennan’s family continued their dedication to making the highest quality New Orleans-Texas Creole food on the Gulf Coast, using local ingredients to both support Gulf Coast fishing industries and to provide the freshest ingredients to guests. Brennan’s of Houston therefore, is a story of the essence of Texas Creole, a story of historic architecture, a story of fresh Gulf Coast catch, and a story of a family dedicated to bringing Houston over sixty years of true French-Louisiana-Texas Creole fare. Brennan’s of Houston emulates the essence of Creole, of excellence, of family and of imagination.

On December 8, 1784 a great fire destroyed more than 200 houses and stores in the New Orleans French Quarter. The following year, architect Vincent Rillieux (Great grandfather of the artist Edgar Degas) purchased the site located at 417 Royal Street where he designed and built the Spanish Creole Rillieux House. In 1807 the Absinth House was built at 240 Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and New Orleans local history holds that General Andrew Jackson and French Patriot Pirate Jean Lafitte met on the second floor just prior to the Battle of New Orleans to discuss strategy. In 1929 architect John Staub was hired to design the Junior League Building at 3300 Smith in Houston Texas. Staub designed the Houston building in the Latin Colonial style, basing it on the 1795 Rilleaux House in the New Orleans French Quarter. In 1943 Owen Edward Brennan purchased the restaurant business at the Old Absinth House. The business was such a success that the landlord demanded fifty percent of the business in order to continue the lease. Brennan did not accept the landlord’s offer, and in 1954 he purchased the old Spanish Creole Rillieux House then called the Vieux Carre. He named the restaurant Owen Brennan’s French & Creole, but it became known to the locals as Brennan’s Vieux Carre. Owen made his father a minority stockholder and hired two of his sisters and one brother to help run the restaurant.

Owen Brennan died in his sleep on November 1955. He was survived by his wife Maud and his three sons Pip, Jimmy and Ted. While his wife and sons, who were not yet old enough to help run the business, they nonetheless had financial interest in Brennan’s New Orleans Thus emerged the two Brennan family factions–Owen Brennan’s five siblings, and Owen Brennan’s wife and children. In 1963, under Owen’s sister Ella’s management and leadership, Brennan’s restaurant purchased the Friendship House in Biloxi, Mississippi. The family also opened Brennan’s of Houston in 1967, and in 1969 Brennan’s opened a Dallas location and purchased the Commanders Palace in New Orleans. Ella’s future plans included opening a Brennan’s in Atlanta, and also a chain of steak houses called The Inner Circle. The expansion of the Brennan’s restaurant led to legal wrangling from both sides of the Brennan family factions that continued until November 1974. The final agreement between the factions included Maud and Owen’s three sons taking control of the original Brennan’s New Orleans, and Owens five siblings taking control of all of the other expansion restaurants. Since the agreement, four of the six expansion restaurants have closed with the Commanders Palace in New Orleans and Brennan’s of Houston still thriving.

On March 6, 1967 the Houston Post ran an article titled “Brennan’s A Tradition in Dining.” The article anticipated the opening of the Brennan’s Houston location and it noted “The famous New Orleans restaurant family, Brennan’s, is opening its Houston house.” The author discussed the waxed brick floors, the shining mahogany bar and the emerald carpeting that covered the staircase and the upstairs hallway. The author of this 1967 commentary ended by noting, “We Houstonians, with our penchant for dining out, will keep this lovely spot so busy that the hours will have to be extended.” Throughout the 1970s, Brennan’s popularity and property values adjacent the restaurant increased dramatically. In fact, the City of Houston purchased a section of lot 26 which is adjacent to and northeast of Brennan’s. This section was used to build the Brazos/Bagby exchange to downtown via exiting from U.S. 59. This purchase left a 4,280 square foot triangular shaped lot tucked between Brennan’s and the Bagby overpass. This lot was owned by Mrs. Helene Sprong. Throughout the 1970s, Mrs. Sprong’s attorneys had some offers on the property, but it never sold. By 1981, Mrs. Sprong filed several complaints about Brennan’s restaurant equipment and customers blocking access to her property. In response to her complaints, on February 23, 1981, Houston attorneys Vinson and Elkins recommended that Mrs. Sprong approach Brennan’s to purchase the 4280 square foot adjacent lot. This local dispute reflected Brennan’s magnetism and rapid growth of customers within 14 years of opening in Houston.

By the 1980s, Brennan’s of Houston had become iconic and even crowded. In an article in the Houston Chronicle titled “You Can find a Good Brunch in Houston,” published on June 19, 1980, the author wrote “The popularity of Brennan’s brunch, though may be working against the restaurant. Sunday usually brings in from 700 to 800 people and a holiday even more. Reservations are necessary, and even if you have them there’s no guarantee that you won’t be waiting for a table.” Brennan’s of Houston was a success and remained a busy Houston institution throughout the 1980s. In 1982 Ella Brennan’s son Alex Martin-Brennan took over management of Brennan’s Houston.

In May 15, 1986 in another article in the Houston Chronicle article titled “Readers reveal their favorite area eateries in restaurant poll,” author Louis Parks noted, “It’s been almost two decades since Brennan’s brought its New Orleans-style Creole cuisine to wow Houston. Apparently the wowing continues – Brennan’s remains one of Houston’s best dining experiences, according to our readers’ poll.” Again in December of 1987, Brennan’s was featured in the Houston Chronicle. This article was aptly titled “Best Cellars: Houston’s top ten wine lists.” The author wrote, “Another longtime restaurant tradition is Brennan’s under the guidance of Alex Brennan-Martin and Dick Brennan. To go with a menu featuring many Louisiana-style dishes is a wine list that leans toward California wines at fair prices, plus 10 Texas wines.”

On November 16, 1993 a Tornado touched down near downtown Houston injuring 26 people. The tornado was so powerful it busted out over fifty windows of the Enron building. It ripped off part of Brennan’s roof, and the heavy rain soaked the Garden Room, but the restaurant was fully repaired and operational for a December 14 Christmas party. On September 13, 2008, during Hurricane Ike, Brennan’s of Houston’s caught fire. According to the Houston Chronicle, “Firefighters struggled in vain for hours to contain the fire, which was whipped by ever gusting winds that blew from all directions. With no hope for the restaurant, fire officials concentrated on keeping the fire from reaching nearby buildings.” Three people, including a Brennan’s employee, James Koonce and his four year old daughter, were severely injured during the fire. According to the Chronicle, “they had taken refuge from the storm inside the building.” After seventeen months of renovation, and with two new oak trees to replace the one lost in the fire, Brennan’s of Houston reopened on Fat Tuesday, February 16, 2010. Danny Trace, veteran chef of Commanders Palace in New Orleans, became the new Executive Chef of Brennan’s Houston.

Brennan’s of Houston therefore, is a story of family and community, of Texas Creole, of historic architecture, of fresh Gulf Coast catch, and of rebuilding even when times are tough. The historic Brennan’s of Houston continues to bring French Louisiana Cuisine and Southwest Creole together for the people of Houston, Texas. Brennan’s of Houston defines the essence of Texas Creole, excellence in customer service, and the imagination. The Brennan’s family, staff and employees take pride in always offering their customers lagniappe-a little something extra and unexpected such as offering every customer homemade pralines to take to their friends and family.