Nicole’s Italian Restaurant celebrates 20 years of cuisine in Porter
On May 20, Nicole’s Italian Restaurant marked the 20th anniversary since its opening in Porter, a spokesperson for the business confirmed via email Sept. 19. The business originally opened in 2005.
Craving Italian cuisine? The restaurant offers Italian dishes such as:
Soups
Salads
Pasta such as tortellini, spaghetti and lasagna
Entrees such as chicken parmigiana and veal
Learn more: Online ordering and catering services are also available.
Walmart Supercenter in Porter to undergo $1.9M renovation project
Coming soon: A roughly $1.9 million renovation project is planned to begin at the Walmart Supercenter in Porter in May 2026, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing.
The details: According to the filing, the renovation project will consist of:
Relocating the store’s dressing rooms
Relocating the electronics department’s check-out desk to add space for a new digital display
What's next: Inquiries from Community Impact regarding how construction might affect store hours have not been returned as of press time. According to the filing, construction on the project is projected to wrap up in September 2026.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Houston area.
Aki Sushi and Asian Fusion opened its doors in Manvel in September. Nestled in Manvel Town Center, the family-owned restaurant serves steak and sushi that is made fresh daily, as previously reported by Community Impact. At the restaurant, customers can choose from a variety of sushi, including popular items such as spicy tuna rolls, shaggy dog rolls and California rolls. Additionally, Aki Sushi and Asain Fusion offers bento boxes, rice and noodle dishes, hibachi, nigiri and sashimi.
🥩 New Brazilian steakhouse coming to Webster in 2026 (Read more)
🍔 Smalls Sliders opens fourth Texas location near Hwy. 249, Grand Parkway (Read more)
😋 Newly opened boba cafe serves authentic Japanese food, fresh boba (Read more)
🆕 New Mediterranean restaurant opens in Pearland (Read more)
Owner Letty Martinez said she has plans to open The Taco Shop in Humble this fall.
Martinez said The Taco Shop will offer authentic Mexican breakfast options and will be located two doors away from her other restaurant, Letty’s Authentic Mexican Cocina.
“Letty’s usually opens at 11 a.m. so I wanted to open a restaurant to offer breakfast,” Martinez said.
Thousands of Texas businesses barred from selling THC to customers under 21
Many Texas retailers can no longer sell consumable THC products to customers under 21 years old after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved two emergency rules Sept. 23.
The overview: The new rules, which were drafted after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a Sept. 10 executive order requesting tighter THC regulations, apply only to retailers that sell alcohol. The rules state that businesses may not sell, serve or deliver consumable hemp products to minors and must check all customers' IDs before selling them THC products.
Zooming in: About 60,000 Texas businesses hold TABC licenses and will be prohibited from selling THC products to minors. Those businesses include bars, restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores and some convenience stores.
However, the rule does not apply to THC retailers that do not sell alcohol or have a TABC license, such as smoke shops, gas stations or online sellers. The TABC and the Texas Department of State Health Services are working to determine how to best enforce age restrictions for THC retailers that do not sell alcohol, agency spokespeople said.
