Zaranda Brings Las Californias Cuisine to the Heart of Downtown Houston

New concept from award-winning Chefs Hugo Ortega and Ruben Ortega conceptualizes regional cuisine of Alta y Baja California to be comida sin fronteras – food without borders  

Zaranda, a new restaurant from H Town Restaurant Group, is now open in the heart of downtown Houston in October 2025.

The Ortegas drew inspiration from the historic “Las Californias,” a term used during Spanish and Mexican rule to describe the region stretching from present-day Northern California to Cabo San Lucas. 

From Alta California’s rich agricultural lands to Baja California’s pristine seafood, centuries-old vineyards and rugged countryside, the region offers extraordinary culinary diversity.  Zaranda brings these two halves together.

“Why not look to Alta California for its agricultural bounty and ranching heritage and to Baja California for its abundant aquatic life and diverse landscape for inspiration?,” says James Beard Award-winning Chef Hugo Ortega. “I wanted to reimagine the region as one vast, natural expanse, without consideration of borders.”

To bring this vision to life, the Ortegas are joined in the Zaranda kitchen by Chefs Adrian Caballero and Paula Gutierrez, both of whom have worked at other H Town Restaurant Group concepts through the years. 

Zaranda’s menu highlights the preparation with fish, lobster, octopus and shrimp alongside an abundance of Baja’s signature seafood such as clams, abalone, geoduck and sea urchin. The Del Rancho section of the menu pays tribute to Alta California’s ranching history offering premium beef cuts and slow-cooked dishes like Borrego Tatemado (charred, slow-cooked lamb). The Spanish influence is still strong in the region with vineyards, olives, olive oil and what the locals call arroces or rices. They are paella-like dishes that feature seafood of the region, meats or even vegetables.  Zaranda will have them prominently displayed in the entrees section. The Baja California peninsula also has a significant history of Asian influences and can be seen throughout the menu but prominently in the ingredients, marinades and sauces used in the Tostadas and Antojitos sections.

In typical Chef Hugo fashion, vegetables will have a strong showcasing on the menu with a dedicated Vegetales section featuring Las Californias’ bountiful produce.  A few options include Repollo Asado ~ roasted cabbage, miso butter, panko and Parmesan; Zanahorias Tatemadas ~ charred carrots, requesón and salsa macha; Arroz Verde con Vegetales ~ rice with corn, tomato, asparagus, bell pepper, snow-peas and chintextle aioli; and, of course, the world’s most famous salad – the Tableside Caesar Salad, a dish first created in Tijuana at Caesar’s Place by Caesar Cardini – featuring romaine and the all-important anchovies will lead the Ensaladas section.

Desserts at Zaranda, crafted by Executive Pastry Chef Ruben Ortega and Lead Pastry Chef Roxy Puga, are the perfect intersection of rustic flavors and modern artistry. These include the Erizo del Mar, a housemade chocolate sea urchin, lemon verbena cream, hibiscus, caramel, hibiscus gel, passion fruit sponge, mango, calamansi, lemon verbena cookie and chocolate pebbles; and the Dólar de Arena with coconut mousse, almond praline, candied nori and topped with a white chocolate sand dollar.   The Galleta de Macadamia is rooted in the region featuring macadamia streusel cookie, black sesame ice cream and a cacao tuille.

Zaranda’s wine list has been conceptualized and thoughtfully compiled by Elvis Espinoza, a longtime H Town Restaurant Group employee who has been General Manager and Sommelier of both Xochi and Caracol. The creative force behind Zaranda’s cocktail program is Carlos Serrano, who has worked behind the bar for H Town Restaurant Group for more than 20 years.

Zaranda is located at 1550 Lamar, Suite 101 in the Norton Rose Fulbright Tower in downtown Houston; 713-485-0652.  Zaranda is open Monday to Thursday, 11 am to 10 pm; and Friday & Saturday, 11 am to 11 pm; closed Sunday. 

For more information on Zaranda, please visit www.ZarandaHouston.com.

Photos: Paula Murphy