Houston’s East End Is Adding Another New Restaurant Favorite — Jonathan’s The Rub Arrives With Extra Special Pizza Power

Fans of the Memorial area restaurant Jonathan’s The Rub will have a new outpost in the East End to try in the spring. Brooklyn-born chef and owner Jonathan Levine has signed a lease at 2929 Navigation Boulevard in the 5,500 square-foot-space that was formerly home Gatsby’s Grill, a spot situated just across the street from the iconic Mexican haunt The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation.

“We are excited to open our next location in the culturally diverse East End community, an area that has a rich history and an exciting future of economic growth,” Levine says. “We love our locations in the Memorial area, and the community has been incredibly welcoming to our family over the last 20 years.”

Levine has hired LUCID founder Lisa Pope Westerman to fashion the interiors of his third restaurant situated on a five-mile thoroughfare connecting downtown to the Port of Houston — one that has become the heart of the neighborhood with a wider esplanade and walkable shaded sidewalks.

“We can’t wait to incorporate our heritage even more into the menu at this new location and offer authentic New York-style pizza like the kind I grew up with,” Levine says. “We’re having a lot of fun working on that part of the menu now to get it just right.”

Look for Jonathan’s The Rub East End to feature Levine’s signature expansive menu with favorites from his current Memorial area restaurants. This will include a focus on burgers, Italian food, seafood, steaks and New York-style pizza. The pizza will actually be made in a glass pizza room specially built on premises to allow diners to peer inside and see their pizza pie being made.

Meanwhile, the beverage program will include a custom tap system pouring wine, beer and cold brew coffee. The expansive bar area will also feature a craft cocktail program and bottle list along with rotating selections of frozen drinks.

Levine started his career behind a desk as a commodities trader in New York City. But that didn’t career path didn’t hold his attention for long. Pursuing his passion for cooking, Levine jumped from the proverbial frying pan into the fire owning and operating three restaurants in Cape Cod, while working behind the line in each of them. After a move in 2000 took him to Houston, Levine put down roots in the Bayou City, opening a catering company in the Memorial area, which eventually would transition to become his first Houston restauant, which he dubbed, Jonathan’s The Rub.

Today that original location is but a distant memory as Levine has gone on to move to an even larger space and opened a second Jonathan’s The Rub in the Memorial area too. Keeping things all in the family, Levine has taken his progeny under his wing and brought his kids Sam and Jessica into the fold.

Jonathan’s The Rub currently has locations at 9090 Katy Freeway and 12505 Memorial Drive, operated by Sam and Jessica Levine, respectively, while Jonathan Levine’s grandson Jay, a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, brings the third generation into his ever-expanding restaurant group and coupled with his mother will oversee operations at the new East End restaurant.