Killen’s Heights to close July 19, original menu returns June 30

Killen’s Heights will close its doors July 19, but the Houston Heights barbecue spot brought back its original menu June 30 for one last stretch of service. The farewell also includes a final brunch Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving diners a short window to revisit the restaurant before it shuts down.

At 101 Heights Boulevard, the restaurant is leaning into nostalgia rather than a standard closing sale. Its website says Killen’s is bringing back the original menu that started it all, and Ronnie’s 24-Hour Fried Chicken is among the dishes returning to the lineup. Owner Ronnie Killen and chef-culinary director Ryan Hildebrand are handling the menu revival as a sendoff to longtime customers.

The Heights outpost has long been more than a barbecue stop. Michelin lists Killen’s as a Bib Gourmand restaurant in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide, and the menu in the Heights drew on Ronnie Killen’s comfort-food signatures, including meatloaf, chicken and dumplings and fried dishes. That mix helped the restaurant stand out in a neighborhood where diners treat destination openings and closings as part of the area’s food identity.

Killen’s opened in August 2020 in the former Hickory Hollow space, giving the location a run of nearly six years before this summer’s shutdown. General manager Dan Russell said the property deal was an offer Killen could not turn down, and the building was sold for $3.5 million with plans to convert it into a gas station. For regulars, the final weeks mean one less familiar stop for brunch, barbecue and special-occasion meals in the Heights, and another sign of how quickly Houston’s restaurant map keeps changing.