NewQuest Scores International Retail Tenants in Houston

NewQuest Properties signed six tenants to its international retail hub West on West.

The 90,000-square-foot development at 12220 Westheimer Road will add Tsujita Artisan Noodle, Paris Baguette, the Alley, SomiSomi, Lady M and Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera, with some shops set to open doors as soon as this fall.

With these deals, the development is about 90 percent leased, according to NewQuest.

Located in Westheimer, midway between South Dairy Ashford and South Kirkwood roads, West on West is the redevelopment of the Pavillion Center bazaar.

Details of the leases, including price, weren’t disclosed. The Harris County Appraisal District estimates the property had a taxable value of $15 million as of January 2023, nearly double its appraisal the year prior. Renovations to transform the 16-acre parcel into a “globally inspired” hub began in April.

The Onodera Group, a Tokyo-based restaurant operator, will bring its conveyor-belt sushi concept Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera to West on West in Spring 2024, according to a news release. Its high-end conveyor-belt sushi restaurant is currently only available in Tokyo’s Omotesando district. This Houston spot will be Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera’s first location outside of Japan and the Onodera Group’s fourth U.S. location.

“We actually flew out to Japan and met with the owners in Tokyo to visit this concept, and we were just really amazed,” said Heather Nguyen of NewQuest. “We just said, ‘How do we bring this to Texas?’ We think this will do really well, and over the past several months, we worked with them developing and designing the concept so that it would be something that is more approachable in Texas and something that we can help them expand throughout the rest of the U.S.”

Another Japanese tenant is Tsujita Artisan Noodle, a Tokyo-based restaurant taking more than 3,000 square feet. It will be the noodle hotspot’s first southern U.S. location.

Also joining the culinary lineup is Paris Baguette, a bakery café with roots dating back to South Korea in the 1940s. The wildly popular bakery serves an array of East Asian baked goods, sandwiches and salads.

Fellow Korean-style establishment, SomiSomi, will break ground this fall, with an estimated buildout set for the first quarter of 2024, according to public filing records. Local architectural firm Osborn & Vane Architects will spearhead renovations for the location.

Boba tea shop the Alley and French-Japanese fusion restaurant Lady M are expected to span a combined 6,000 square feet. The Alley will open this fall, while Lady M will come next spring.

“We acquired the property to make it one of our Asian-focused centers; I’m trying to create a stage for all these different cultures to share their food and cuisine,” Nguyen said. “That’s really our focus in building this stage for Asian concepts. So, I’m trying to bring a few more that will hopefully also be first to Texas.” NewQuest also signed Teso Life, a Japanese-style casual department shop, to the lineup at West on West, opening next spring. America’s largest Asian supermarket chain, 99 Ranch Market, began a $4 million construction project at the former Pavillion Center site last fall. It is expected to open as soon as September.