Waco’s Hottest New Restaurant Is Inside a Shipping Container Hotel

In April, a quiet sea-change swept over the Waco dining scene. Following the opening of the Hotel Herringbone, a shipping container space that Lucky Find Hospitality converted into a hotel, came the red ribbon cutting on its restaurant, Red Herring.

The 6,000 square foot space holds ample space for seating, along with the city’s first raw bar and chef’s table. Yes, you read that correctly — there wasn’t a raw bar for oysters, crudo, and sushi in town before this one opened. The front of the space has floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street and a circular bar that is a destination in and of itself. Between the bar and dining room sits a grand piano in the round, surrounded by two-top tables with swivel chairs available on a first come, first served basis. Live music is scheduled nightly, starting later during dinner service to transition the space from a room for one’s evening meal to a nightlife destination.

Shelby Sorrel

Shelby Sorrel

The executive chef is Wacoan Corey McEntyre, also the chef and owner of nearby Milo, one of the city’s premiere seasonal dining destinations. Along with chef de cuisine Joel Garza, who comes from Uchi in Austin, he crafted a Mediterranean-inspired menu that touches on dishes and food preparations from North Africa, southern Italy, and the Middle East. Notable dishes on the spring menu include house-made sourdough focaccia; oysters by the dozen or a single dressed oyster; hamachi aquachile; squid ink bucatini with red shrimp, octopus, and chorizo; and duck confit with red harissa and hummus. Dishes are served family-style, in plates to be shared with the table.

There are also large-format mains, like a whole fish of selection based on market availability, lamb shank with beet tabouli, and porchetta with golden raisin and pine nut pesto. Desserts are simple and small, and aligned with the Mediterranean — think pecan Balkava or panna cotta with chocolate.

Shelby Sorrel

Shelby Sorrel

Along with sous chef Katy Cotner, the kitchen’s goal is to make the food accessible while pushing the boundaries of what has been typically available in Waco — in some cases, pushing it way past what the city is used to. “When we looked at the marketplace in Waco, we saw a void that we thought we could fill while also redefining what ‘fine dining’ can be,” McEntyre said in a press release. That seems to materialize in the design of the place, which utilizes somewhat thematic materials in step with the “container” aesthetic and pairs them with art deco touches, from lux materials to brass touches everywhere, for a slightly post-apocalyptic take on luxury. That sense carries through in the menu, where nothing is one person’s plate alone, and all food is shared — also an apocalyptic idea, if you want it to be.

The raw bar sits in the back of the room, covered by a clamshell dotted with pearls to let diners know where their freshly prepared fish dishes are coming from. Catty corner from it is a second bar dedicated to creating drinks for the dining room, which is next to the open kitchen, flanked by the chef’s table that seats eight. That also is a new experience for Waco diners, who get personal service from the trio of chefs, who create off-menu bites and walk them through the food.

Shelby Sorrel

Shelby Sorrel

The playful cocktail menu was developed by Alex Merkelz, Red Herring’s lead mixologist, formerly of One Day, just up the street in Waco. It pulls some clever tricks, like putting an old fashioned served with a “filthy cherry” next to a drink called Cursedly Fashionably (its take on an espresso martini) and lines up a ton of drinks with names and profiles that salut Italian favorites next to one called Paperback Romance (a floral and fruity vodka cocktail). It also offers a host of European wines pulled from lesser-known cellars and a limited beer list.

Red Herring is open now at 319 S. 4th St. in Waco, Texas, from 4 p.m. to midnight daily. Reservations recommended.