About Rice Village Shops

Rice Village is a shopping district in Houston, Texas, United States.

Rice Village is a collection of shops, restaurants and pubs, situated about a half-mile west of the center of Rice University‘s 300-acre (1.2 km²) campus. The core “Rice Village” extends over several city blocks, bounded by University Boulevard, Kirby Drive, Tangley Street, Morningside Drive, Rice Boulevard, and Greenbriar Drive, though spillover has expanded the retail area to encompass businesses as far north as Bissonnet Street.

From its origins in the 1930s an ad hoc cluster of retail stores, the Rice Village has grown to become one of Houston’s shopping destinations. Host to over 300 shops in a 16-block area, Rice Village is known for its many small and eclectic shops and boutiques. Recent expansion in the area has also brought in high-end clothing stores and the nationwide retail venues. As Village retail became denser in the 1990s, limited parking finally led to the closure of Rice Food Market, the last surviving Rice Village grocery store.Residential  real estate has recently re-entered the area with the opening of the Hanover Rice Village Luxury Apartments.

The Village is host to dozens of restaurants. Along with traditional eateries there are restaurants specializing in food from all over the world. Rice Village has three French, two Japanese, two Chinese, two Italian, two Turkish, one Mexican, two Spanish, one Mediterranean, one Vietnamese, two Indian, and three Thai restaurants as well as sandwich shops, delicatessens, and speciality food and beverage stores. It also used to contain Houston’s only beer brewpub.