About Us.

Just when you think Houston can’t get any friendlier, it can. Remember Boston’s fame with the original Cheers – where everyone knows your name? Granted, H-Town may have little in common with Boston but at the ripe age of 16, a painfully shy, determined young girl envisioned that very same concept right here. We know it as Shandy’s Cafe and heaps of regular customers have been celebrating with Shandy Shade for 15 years now.

Born in London, England to Nigerian and Jamaican parents, Shandy’s family moved to Los Angeles, California to start a new life there. One holiday during high school, Shandy visited her cousin in the Houston Heights area and loved it so much, she decided to stay. Permanently.

Having gained the building blocks of cooking and layering flavors from her Nigerian mother – and knowing she had some talent in the kitchen – Shandy set out to open her own cafe one day. “My mother is an exceptional cook and I learned so much from her – especially how to combine spices and prepare sauces from scratch,” Shandy says.

To gain experience, she worked at Wendy’s and various places but also wanted to pursue academics. So off to the University of Houston she went, earning a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Over the next few years, Shandy began putting the pieces of her “Cheers” venture in place and in August 2005, Shandy’s Cafe was born. She had no money. In fact, there was only a cent in the cash register. But there was fierce determination and oh, how Shandy was about to need that!

The very week Shandy’s Cafe opened, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, decimating New Orleans and subsequently tearing through Houston. Our businesses and restaurants were closed and our streets were barren but Shandy grabbed two friends, Lisa and Angie, and decided to “just get in the kitchen, cook and hope for the best”. She didn’t think anyone would actually show up but word spread quickly throughout Rice Military of a new cafe on Memorial Drive – nestled between Specs Liquor and the Valero gas station. Before Shandy knew it, there were lines out her door – for days. And everyone soon knew Shandy’s name! As a result of this unusual entree into the local restaurant scene, word of mouth has continued spreading…from neighborhood to neighborhood and these many years later, the ‘regulars’ are from different generations of devoted families.

Fast forward to 2020. It’s 11:00 AM and Shandy’s Cafe is opening its doors. And where is Shandy today? She’s still cooking in the same kitchen, still waitressing to all 14 tables and now taking a plethora of “to go” orders to boot. She busses the tables and handles the cash register, as her friends and patrons leave with new memories. Shandy remains that shy, passionate young woman who may not have time to chat with everyone during peak lunch and dinner hours anymore but she’s always there doing her best to juggle many plates, as the saying goes.

Just what makes Shandy’s Cafe the place everyone wants to be and everyone knows your name? It’s a cozy nook without pretention. It’s the aroma of fresh food filled with spices (from her native roots) like cumin, cayenne, paprika, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and habanero peppers. It’s the fullness of families, friends, many local celebrities and even passers-by from Memorial Park and Specs. It’s the idea of relaxing and dining in a casual atmosphere, albeit no rush or fuss.

Shandy’s loyal following in the community is evident and no one can get enough of her delicious, homemade food that looks fancy. Try the Half Roasted Chicken slowly simmered in Herbs de Provence with meat that falls off the bone (perfect for ‘finger lickin’). Or her Shrimp Fresca: first there’s an oven roasted sauce of Roma tomatoes, garlic, red peppers and balsamic vinegar. It is then puréed and sautéed with fresh spinach, tossed in linguine pasta, topped with grilled shrimp and Parmesan Cheese and served with homemade pesto sauce for an added kick.