In 1962, Jalal Antone opened a small import shop on Taft Street in Houston’s Fourth Ward. Born to Syrian-Lebanese immigrants in Louisiana and raised in Southeast Texas, Jalal brought with him a deep appreciation for food, culture, and community.
Originally, he planned to serve traditional Levantine dishes, introducing the flavors he grew up with alongside imported spices and specialty goods. But Houston wasn’t quite ready, so he adapted.
What came next would become iconic.
Jalal introduced a sandwich that blended his Louisianan roots with the bold, familiar flavors Houstonians loved, a cold po’ boy layered with ham, salami, provolone, pickles and his now famous chow chow relish. It was different, unexpected, and unmistakably Houston.
The sandwich caught on quickly. By the 1970s and ‘80s, Antone’s had become a local staple, more than just a sandwich shop, the original store remained a neighborhood hub, filled with imported goods, spices, and specialty items that reflected Houston’s growing diversity.
Around the same time, the Antone’s name began to travel. Jalal’s nephew, Clifford Antone, brought the family’s roots to Austin in the early ’70s, opening a small sandwich shop inspired by the original Houston concept. Before long, guitars and amps started to take over, and that shop evolved into the now-legendary Antone’s nightclub.
Today, the connection comes full circle — Antone’s Po’ Boys are still served inside the nightclub, bridging food, music, and culture across two Texas cities.
More than 60 years later, Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys is still rooted in the same idea it started with: bringing people together through food. What began as a single shop in Houston has grown across Texas, but it remains grounded in consistency, timeless recipes, and showing up for the communities we serve.
