ChopnBlok

Ope Amosu

Houston restaurateur celebrates West African culture through cuisine By Sherman Desselle Published  February 17, 2025 Houston restaurant owner showcasing West African cuisine FOX 26 Reporter Sherman Desselle checks out "ChopNBlok" restaurant in the Montrose area. The Brief:  Ope Amosu's ChopnBlok restaurant in Houston showcases his Nigerian heritage and aims to make West African culture more accessible to the community. ChopnBlok's menu and design reflect the fusion of West African… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

6 outstanding Black-owned restaurants in Houston The best Black-owned restaurants in Houston include an acclaimed chef’s innovative Mexican-meets-Southern spot and a traditional West African favorite. Taryn White February 13, 2025 Expect Southern staples with a progressive twist at Lucille’s. Credit: Lucille’s The Houston restaurant scene features flavors ranging from barbecue and Tex-Mex to West African and Southeast Asian. These outstanding Black-owned restaurants in Houston are r… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

Meet the 11 rising star chefs mixing up Houston's dynamic restaurant scene By Eric Sandler, Feb 18, 2025 The time has come to begin celebrating the nominees in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. As always, we begin with Rising Star Chef of the Year. Our nominees cover a diverse set of backgrounds, professional experiences, and roles in the Houston culinary scene. Some are leading restaurants included in the Michelin Guide. Others are working alongside some of Houston’s top ch… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

With ChòpnBlok, Ope Amosu centers flavor and community February 25, 2025 By Arman Saxena and Juliana Lightsey     Ope Amosu used to host small dinner parties out of his friend’s apartment by the Galleria, serving a menu of his own West African fusion recipes. His intention was to have a completely new guest list at each dinner, in order to get a diverse variety of feedback on his food – but people kept asking to come back. These days, Amosu serves a far bigger audience. His Nigerian… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

The 8 Best Meals I Ate This Year by Kayla Stewart read the full article here From clam toast in New York to rabbit stew in France, here’s what Eater senior editor Kayla Stewart enjoyed eating most in 2024 Buka stew at ChòpnBlọk in Houston ChòpnBlọk is about as nontraditional as it gets. The chef, Ope Amosu, didn’t go to culinary school; he cooked on the line at Chipotle at night while working in the corporate world by day. Jollof and jambalaya, related one-pot dishes in the Black di… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

Houston’s Best New Dishes Of 2024 Meet our favorite dishes from this year. By GIANNI GREENE, CHELSEA THOMAS & JULIE TAKAHASHI NOVEMBER 19, 2024 We visit new restaurants at an alarming rate every year. And after hundreds of meals and a dozen tableside experiences, these dishes have been etched into our memory. If you haven’t tried them all yet, consider adding them to your resolution for next year. Deviled Scotch Egg ChòpnBlọk 507 WESTHEIMER RD HOUSTON, TEXAS 77006 $$$$ WEST AFRICAN… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

Where to Eat in 2025 by Eater Staff View the Article on Eater Here Let’s get out of here. Let’s go somewhere we don’t know yet. Let’s eat something new to us. Let’s trade our familiar concerns for unfamiliar flavors and experiences. These are the basic desires that compel travelers to restaurants around the world and bring together people for meals across cultures. They’re also the demands that power the global tourism industry, which has ironically frustrated customers’ needs for n… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

More Than a Chef, Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk is a Houston Food Ambassador By Phaedra Cook View the Article on Houston Food Finder Here Chef and owner Ope Amosu is proud to offer West African cuisine at ChòpnBlọk alongside his wife, Janelle. While he’s honored to satisfy the cravings of a taste of home to those who hail from the region, he’s got a bigger goal. He wants the guests in his dining room to reflect the whole cultural melting pot of Houston.  “This is more than a restaurant — i… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

The 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalists Reflect the Evolving Definition of “Texan Food” By Paula Forbes View the Article on Texas Monthly Here With 41 nominations on the list, this is one of the most fruitful years for our state, with Houston and San Antonio leading the way. The James Beard Foundation has announced its 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists, which include an impressive 41 from Texas. The state is guaranteed to have 20 semifinalists each year, for the Best Che… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

As the city has welcomed more immigrants from Nigeria and neighboring countries, the local restaurant landscape has flourished. By Hannah Goldfield View the Article on The New Yorker Here The other day, at a Nigerian restaurant called Safari, in Houston, Texas, I peeled back the plastic wrap on a ball of fufu, a staple across West Africa. Made from a steamed root vegetable or grain—in this case, yam—that’s been pounded and hydrated until it’s soft and slightly stretchy, reminiscent… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

ChòpnBlọk Is Culinary Heritage Reimagined By Shelby Stewart View the Article on Essence Here The fast-casual West African restaurant in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, brings West African flavors to the forefront. It’s no coincidence that Houston’s beloved West African fast-casual eatery, ChòpnBlọk, is opening just in time for Nigerian Independence Day—an intentional move by owner Ope Amosu. The new standalone restaurant is the realization of a collection of ideas that have come to… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

Houston's ChòpnBlọk Redefines Fast-Casual Fare With West African Flavors By Ximena Larkin View the Article on Thrillist Here In the summer of 2016, Ope Amosu worked at Chipotle as a prep cook. He wanted to learn how to operate a quick service restaurant from an industry leader, with the idea of one day opening his own concept. Amosu’s co-workers at GE, where he was employed full-time as a corporate sales executive, had no idea he was working another job.  “Scrubbing toilets and clea… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

MEET THE OWNER OF HOUSTON’S ONLY WEST AFRICAN POP-UP DINNER SERIES By Dana Givens View the Article on Black Enterprise Here The city of Houston has gifted the world with many things: cajun food, the Space Center, Beyoncé — the list goes on and on. It is also one of America’s most diverse cities that has defined many of the local neighborhoods from Syrian, Chinese, and other immigrants. This diversity can be seen in its thriving food scene: a variety of restaurants reflect the many e… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

Watch CHÒPNBLỌK on PBS’ “No Passport Required” Watch the Full Episode Here Host Marcus Samuelsson visits Houston to learn more about food and community in the Nigerian and greater West African diaspora. Centered around the large Nigerian population but also focused on Senegalese, Ghanaian, and other West African cultures, the episode explores how West African immigrants preserve recipes and food traditions and re-contextualize them in the Houston dining scene.

Ope Amosu

CHÒPNBLỌK To Be Featured on Marcus Samuelsson’s TV Show: No Passport Required By Jeanette Pasuizaca View the Article on Solcieti Here There’s a food renaissance happening in Houston. The diversity throughout the city has fueled a dynamic food scene that knows no boundaries and does it in a casual and unpretentious way, which is a signature characteristic of Houston. In a city filled with new food trucks every week, invite-only dinners and pop up restaurant events like the recent Slu… (truncated)

Ope Amosu

Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson reveals why he's filming his PBS show in Houston By Eric Sandler - CultureMap Food Editor View the Article on CultureMap Here Chef Marcus Samuelsson spent this past weekend in Houston filming for his PBS reality series No Passport Required. Slated to air later this year, the episode will focus on Houston’s West African community and its rapidly growing presence on Houston’s culinary scene. Houston will be one of six cities featured in season two. The… (truncated)