Pappas Restaurants plans to open a Pappasito's Cantina in the former Uncle Julio's restaurant at 20526 Katy Freeway, on the westbound side of Interstate 10 in Katy. A Nov. 4 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows plans to add 1,357 square feet of kitchen storage space to the existing building. The estimated cost is $508,000. Construction is scheduled to run from Feb. 1, 2027, to Aug. 1, 2027.
The filing covers only the kitchen storage addition, not the full renovation, and the company has not announced an opening date. When it announced the location in January 2025, Pappas Restaurants said construction would begin in fall 2025. The filing does not show whether that schedule was met or whether other work has started.
Uncle Julio's closed its Katy restaurant in late 2023. The reason has not been publicly established. Dallas-area operator Sun Holdings acquired substantially all of Uncle Julio's assets through a foreclosure auction in December 2024. Pappas Restaurants said plans call for an expanded dining room, an outdoor patio, two private banquet rooms and a U-shaped, full-service bar.