Neighborhoods change fast in Houston. The former UB Preserv space at 1609 Westheimer now has a new tenant: a CBD coffee shop and cocktail bar.
Wild, a concept from the team behind Grinders Coffee Bar and The CBD Apothecary, opened its first location in the Heights in February. It serves coffee, cocktails and other drinks, both infused with CBD and not. The dispensary side sells hemp products from Texas brands as well as their own, such as gummies and oils.
Wild in the Heights is dedicated to hemp-infused coffee, cocktails and baked goods.
WildUB Preserv was Chris Shepherd’s acclaimed Montrose restaurant, helmed by chef Nick Wong. It closed this year, along with all of Shepherd’s other concepts on Westheimer.
When the closure was announced, Shepherd said he intended to turn it into a Foo Fighters-themed bar called Everlong Bar & Hideaway. But a few months later, the idea was shelved and Underbelly Hospitality partners began to look for someone to take over the lease.
UB Preserv opened in 2018, meant to be a continuation of Underbelly, the restaurant that launched Shepherd to fame, but also ended up closing that year.
UB Preserv had its last service on Dec. 23, 2021. It was dormant for a while, then a hot-pink sign announcing the arrival of Wild popped up. An opening date for the second location of Wild, and details about how it will be different and what will be done to the space, were not available at press time.
If it’s anything like the original outpost, you’ll be able to find cocktails such as the Flower Power, made with Fords gin, Italicus bergamot liqueur, butterfly pea flower and lemon; and a food menu featuring small plates like empanadas, Thai meatballs, sliders, a banh mi and charcuterie.
Wild brews its own line of coffee beans and can infuse drinks with CBD or Delta-8. The dispensary also carries non-edible hemp products like bath bombs and lotions.
