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East End pizzeria Eastwood Station gets Texas beer and wine license

East End pizzeria Eastwood Station gets Texas beer and wine license

Rule Changes Houston, TX local

Roman-style pizzeria at 4109 McKinney St adds alcohol service, 13 months after opening

August 20th, 2026: Texas ABC issues beer and wine license

Overview

Updated 42 minutes ago

Eastwood Station, a Roman-style pizzeria in Houston's East End, can now serve beer and wine. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) issued the restaurant's license on August 20, roughly 13 months after it opened.

The permit lets co-owners Chris Zettlemoyer and Amanda Mendez add alcohol service to a menu built around pizza al taglio, pasta, and sandwiches. Wine with Italian food is a natural pairing, and alcohol typically fattens restaurant margins.

Why it matters

Houston diners can now pair beer or wine with Roman-style pizza at this East End spot, deepening the neighborhood's casual dining options.

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Key Indicators

BG
TABC license type
Permits beer and wine sales for on-premise dining at the restaurant
394
Days from opening to license
Restaurant opened July 22, 2025; license issued August 20, 2026

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

July 2025 August 2026

3 events Latest: August 20th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
  1. Texas ABC issues beer and wine license

    Latest Regulatory

    TABC issues a BG license to Eastwood Station, allowing on-premise beer and wine sales.

  2. Eastwood Station opens for lunch and dinner

    Opening

    Roman-style pizza and pasta spot opens in Houston's East End, set up mostly for to-go.

  3. Friends-and-family preview at Eastwood Station

    Preview

    Invite-only tasting before the public opening, per CultureMap Houston.

Scenarios

1

Eastwood Station pours its first beer and wine

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: CultureMap Houston, local dining press; the co-owners' stated plans

The restaurant uses its new BG license to start selling beer and wine with meals. Zettlemoyer and Mendez have talked about building out service hours and menu options; alcohol is the natural next step for a spot set up for dinner. Wine with pizza and pasta fits the Roman-style menu.

2

Eastwood Station pursues full liquor license

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Industry observers; no public statement from owners

The restaurant could later apply for a mixed-beverage permit, which would allow cocktails and spirits. That requires a separate TABC application and approval. Nothing suggests the owners are pursuing this now; it is a plausible expansion if alcohol sales go well.

3

TABC enforcement action against Eastwood Station

Unlikely Resolves by Aug 20, 2027

Discussed by: Standard regulatory risk; no indication of a violation

The license could be suspended or revoked if the restaurant violates Texas alcohol rules, such as selling to minors or operating outside its permit scope. There is no evidence of any violation; this scenario tracks the baseline risk any licensee carries.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 1933

Prohibition's repeal and the 21st Amendment (1933)

The 21st Amendment ended 13 years of national alcohol prohibition and gave states the power to regulate alcohol themselves. That is why alcohol licensing happens at the state level rather than federally.

Then

States created their own alcohol regulatory bodies, including Texas's Liquor Control Board in 1935.

Now

The three-tier system separating producers, distributors, and retailers still governs how alcohol moves from brewery to glass.

Why this matters now

It is the reason Eastwood Station needs a TABC license at all, and why that license comes from Austin, not Washington.

2021

Texas legalizes to-go cocktails (2021)

During the pandemic, Texas and many states let restaurants sell cocktails to go with food orders. The state made the rule permanent in 2021, expanding how restaurants could monetize alcohol.

Then

Restaurants added to-go drink options, boosting revenue during a tough period.

Now

It normalized alcohol service at casual and to-go-oriented eateries, which fits Eastwood Station's model.

Why this matters now

Eastwood Station is set up mainly for takeout, so expanded alcohol rules matter to how it structures service.

20th century

Texas's slow shift from dry to wet (1900s-2010s)

Texas allowed local-option votes that left many counties dry well into the late 20th century. Urban counties like Harris voted wet early, but rural counties held out for decades.

Then

Cities like Houston developed dense, competitive dining scenes, partly because alcohol was legal there.

Now

Texas alcohol law still carries local-option features, with some dry and partially dry counties today.

Why this matters now

It explains why a Houston restaurant's alcohol license is location-specific and why the East End now supports spots pouring wine with dinner.

Sources

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