Five years ago, co-owner Ryan Muccular desperately wanted smothered cabbage and was dismayed to learn she couldn’t find the authentic soul food dish near Katy.
To make matters worse, her husband, celebrity chef Kevin Muccular, was on a business trip to California. The Mucculars own Katy’s hot dog restaurant, That’s My Dog, which has been named one of Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants in Texas two years in a row.
Ryan’s unfulfilled craving for comfort food inspired the two to launch “Soul Food Sunday” at That’s My Dog, serving soul food classics one day a week. The weekly event was so successful that the Mucculars decided to open a new restaurant entirely dedicated to soul food.
That idea became Aunt Bill’s, which opened at 22603 Morton Ranch Road in May.
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“Katy desperately needed a soul food restaurant,” Ryan said, “and we’re happy to be here to bring that to the community.
The restaurant’s name is a tribute to Kevin’s grandmother, Willie Mae Reed, who was affectionately known as “Aunt Bill”.
“We wanted an endearing name in honor of the legacy left behind,” explained Ryan. Most of the recipes Kevin uses are Reed’s original recipes.
The most popular menu item is smothered oxtails and collard greens, Ryan said. Other popular foods include fried chicken, waffles, and feeder bananas.
“We make everything from scratch using soul food recipes that were passed down from Kevin’s family,” Ryan said.
Aunt Bill’s also has a stage for live music. Once a month, the restaurant hosts “Date Night at Aunt B’s,” a reservation-only night featuring soul food and “music in all genres,” Ryan said. “We will do jazz, funk, soul, contemporary, there is something for everyone.”
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“Well, with the possible exception of Disney music. The date is a chance for parents to take a break from ‘Frozen,'” she added with a laugh.
The next appointment is July 14. The cost is $125 per couple, which includes a main course with two sides, dessert and a signature cocktail.
The Mucculars also have some other big news on the horizon: they’ve signed a deal with Pepsi to market their Pepsi-infused barbecue sauce. As part of this partnership, Aunt Bill’s will soon be featured in the Sugar Land Space Cowboy Constellation Field.
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