Favorite
Since it’s named after a song by psychedelic rock pioneer Roky Erickson, it goes without saying that this Midtown bar has a bit of a free-spirited vibe. Owned by former Grand Prize bartenders Lindsay Rae and Billy Boyd, this little tucked-away bar is as divey as they come, with a regularly updated cocktail menu, including a slew of creative frozen Read more...
Favorite
Normally, if a foodie, a cocktail snob, and a sports fan walk into a random Houston bar, one of them will end up unhappy. Unless that bar is this one—housed, as the name suggests, in a large white bungalow, in, you guessed it, the Heights. This new gastropub offers crowd-pleasing apps including a “big ass pretzel,” fried green tomatoes, flatbreads, Read more...
Favorite
Small enough to feel intimate but not cramped, this dark and sexy bar is everything you want in a hotel watering hole. Its location inside the opulent Post Oak makes for unparalleled people-watching; flickering candles and red roses on low tables with lounge-like seating set the mood; and clubby music makes even a Tuesday night feel like Saturday. Once you Read more...
Favorite
Whose silly idea was it to pack a vending machine full of Ring Pops, grape-flavored rolling papers, and gag gifts such as the self-explanatory “Nail Thru Finger”? Our money is on the bleary-eyed, top-hat-wearing pachyderm who serves as both spirit animal and namesake for this Washington Ave. sleeper. Situated comfortably in the uncanny valley between dive bar and cocktail purveyor, Read more...
Favorite
After moseying into this fun, colorful downtown bar on a Friday night, you’d be forgiven for wondering, is this a tiki bar, or a club? The bass of a long-forgotten 2000s pop song likely will be thumping as you make your way through the crowd to order an expertly crafted mai tai or some other rum-centric drink that pairs perfectly with what Read more...
Favorite
This swanky Spanish restaurant—a wall-to-wall feast of lights, sounds, tapas, wine, and inventive cocktails, inspired by the vibrant nightlife scene in Madrid—is not the place for a quiet dinner, but it is the place to party in the River Oaks District. Over-the-top is the order of the day here, from the rotating mirrors above the gold-illuminated bar, to the neon Read more...
Favorite
Hotel Alessandra’s swanky second-floor bar is as elegant as the French starlet it’s named for, with a vintage vibe to match. The digs are decidedly mid-century thanks to a velour couch, a mirrored coffee table, and curved leather armchairs straight out of a posh ’60s living room. The cocktail menu is fittingly martini-heavy, and bartenders dress in mod geometric prints Read more...
Favorite
From the folks behind Nobie’s, this tropical-inspired bar is always a fun time, and one of the few watering holes where the food is just as good as the drinks. We love to post up here for the namesake Toasted Coconut (over-proof rum, toasted coconut, lime), then a Vamos a la Playa (mezcal, Mexican rum, pineapple shrub, lime), perhaps followed Read more...
Favorite
The wood oven plays a starring role in this trendy Mediterranean-focused Montrose restaurant, making for some of the best pizza in Houston. The menu rotates regularly, with simple pies like the white-sauce cacio e pepe with formaggi al pepe and pecorino, and a good ole pepperoni pizza with wood-roasted red sauce and mozzarella. All the pizzas make an excellent pairing Read more...
Favorite
Fittingly, this Old Town Spring establishment is one-part speakeasy, one-part saloon. Offerings include beer, wine, cigars, a menu of burgers and pizzas, an extensive cocktail list, and something we hadn’t seen before: a Make Your Own Old Fashioned menu. After trying it, we were instant converts. For $13 you get to choose your spirit, sweetener, and bitters—we selected Buffalo Trace Read more...