For decades, Houston’s J.R.R. Tolkien fans, vegetarian brunchers and celebrity musician visitors have gathered at Hobbit Café, a house off Richmond transformed into a unique restaurant. Now, as Hobbit Café celebrates fifty years, its expansive menu — and its mixed clientele — have grown beyond the early days of a strictly vegetarian, underground atmosphere.…

Originally called The Hobbit Hole and located in a house blocks away from the existing location, the restaurant began with smoothies and vegetarian sandwiches named after Lord of the Rings characters: the wizard Gandalf appeared as an avocado sandwich with mushrooms and melted jack cheese.… [But] ​“now people are coming for meads.” …