Favorite
You may remember this second-story spot in the Rice Hotel as the old State Bar. These days, it’s refreshed and renewed, as are the drink and food menus. The sunset view is simply stunning, to say nothing of the crowd-pleasing happy hour specials: $2 off bottled beers, $3 off cocktails, wine and draft beers, and $4 off plates such as Read more...
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Chef Silvia Covarrubias’ Mexican heritage blends with Southern comfort at this luxe bar in the Whitehall hotel. Find a seat on the breezy patio to hear live music and munch on street tacos and Cajun crawfish queso. Read more...
Favorite
This elegant spot offers a respite from the crazed singles scene that can take over other wine bars. (Really need to pick up a date? Head to the Whole Foods across the street.) It offers an interesting menu, too. Try the artisanal honeys, served with fruit and bread for dipping, with one of the smartly curated wine flights or something Read more...
Favorite
Wednesdays through Saturdays, weather permitting, settle into one of the comfy sectionals with a glass of wine and a cheese plate and revel in the nightly spectacular that is the sun setting over the Strand (after you find your way upstairs through the hidden door, that is). The Rooftop’s minimalist decor somehow manages to feel cool and inviting without distracting Read more...
Favorite
A single slatted wooden railing somehow manages to impart a feeling of seclusion to this bar’s rooftop patio overlooking Westheimer and Montrose, making it a natural spot for couples, who canoodle under canopies and at long, candlelit wooden tables. Along with its spectacular cocktails, Rosemont serves dependable flatbread pizzas for lovers with a hunger for more than each other, and Read more...
Favorite
Blink and you just might miss this tidy little spot shrouded in fairy lights and vines, tucked away on Sunset just off Kirby. Simone is where folks from the neighborhood and beyond gather for bottles of wine, cocktails, and very good pizzas, all presided over by chef/owner Kristen Powell. The intimate space makes for a nice, relaxed date night indeed. Read more...
Favorite
Good luck finding this spot if you’ve never been before. There’s no sign outside, so just look for the heavy, wooden double doors near Bowl on Richmond Ave. For those in the know, Absinthe is a come-as-you-are lounge where the pours are heavy enough to make you forget the fact that no bars in America actually serve real absinthe; settle Read more...
Favorite
This much-loved Montrose hangout is the place for couples with a taste for sangria, frozen mojitos, and an ambiance that’s très—well—bohemian, complete with eccentric touches like a chandelier constructed of wine bottles and an ancient piano. Whether inside or on the vast patio—with its plants, twinkling lights, and nooks and crannies aplenty—you’ll find Boheme a lovely spot for a romantic night out. Read more...