A Legacy of 8 Decades

In 1951, Otto and Annie Sofka opened the doors to the original Otto’s, located off a two-lane dirt road called Memorial Drive. Originally, Otto’s was a small grocery store selling canned goods and sundries. 25# blocks of ice sold for 5 cents, and farm fresh eggs sold for 13 cents per dozen. Soon after opening, Ms. Annie began grilling hamburgers and making sandwiches at the request of her regular patrons. The hamburgers became so popular that within two years, Otto replaced all of the grocery aisles with tables and chairs to accommodate dine-in guests. The small country store quickly became a “standing room only”, “line out the door”, “best food in town,” dining experience.

Hamburgers to Barbecue

Otto and his family quickly decided to expand by going into the barbecue business. Much like the hamburgers, the barbecue instantly became recognized as the best in town. Old family recipes, the finest and freshest ingredients and the patience and care to make everything from scratch began the legacy handed down to the third generation of this family-owned business.

So much has changed over the past 75 years, but one thing that hasn’t changed is Otto’s commitment to serving the best old-fashioned country cooking in town. Our Certified Angus burgers are still fresh ground daily, and our briskets are still slow-smoked over hickory logs for 18 hours. You can’t find better food or more friendly folks than at Otto’s.

Otto's... A Houston Tradition

We’ve had the pleasure of serving some very distinctive guests such as President George Bush, Liberace, George Foreman, Ron Howard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lewis, Evander Holyfield, ZZ Top, and Lyle Lovett, just to name a few. Our most valued guest, however, is YOU! So, if you’re reading about Otto’s for the first time… thank you, and we hope you dine with us soon! If you’ve been enjoying Otto’s for 50 years or more (and there are many of you); we thank you for your loyal patronage and hope to see you again soon!

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