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5519 Allen Houston, TX 77007
281-501-1478
http://www.theusualpub.com The first thing you'll see when approaching The Usual is its outdoor patio, which is as relaxed as the Heights bar's clean, dimly lit interior. Suds connoisseurs may be a bit surprised at the variety of beers on tap, and the price is right, too - especially during The Usual's weekday happy hours (6-10 p.m. Mondays; 4-10 p.m. the rest of the week). Tuesday is steak night with $1 Lone Stars, adventurous customers take the stage on karaoke Thursdays and DJ Joy de la O opens up the "Joy Factory" Saturdays. Occasional live music and pinball, darts and pool in the back room round out The Usual's attractions. More >>
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2525 W. Loop S. Houston, TX 77027
713-850-9200
http://www.hotelderek.com Hotel Derek's Valentino Houston & Vin Bar makes the idea of "spending the night" at a bar entirely possible. Valentino, the intimate back-room restaurant, is elegantly appointed and ideal for a romantic dinner, while the lobby-side Vin Bar has hipper décor and a livelier, more casual atmosphere. The hotel's complimentary valet will make you look like a big shot to your date, but both food and drinks are relatively affordable - especially Vin Bar's many tapas offerings under $10. Thursday nights feature J.J. Usher's soothing acoustic performances, while jazz group Oxygen gets patrons up and dancing on Saturdays. More >>
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6100 S. Main Perryton, TX 79070
713-348-3258
http://www.valhalla.rice.edu The periodic table painted on the wall should tip you off that this is a haven for grad students, of both the perpetual and temporary varieties. Eggheads hunker down here in this dungeonlike basement pub beneath the old chemistry building at Rice, and what keeps them coming back is perhaps the cheapest beer in town. (Volunteer bar staff help keep prices low.) Then there's the conversation: You can scour the country far and wide, but you would be hard-pressed to find a bar with a brainier clientele. And don't let the warlike name fool you since geeks are more likely to find paradise here than any deceased Viking warrior. The booze sticks to wine and beer only here, meaning you have venture into the real world for the hard stuff. More >>
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2727 N. Houston, TX 77009
713-863-1220
http://varasbar.tripod.com Vara's may be a bit of a trek for some folks, but this friendly sports bar has been serving up brews to thirsty neighbors for 25 years running. Littered with local sports décor, the bar provides several televisions and a host of tables to sit and watch a game. A pair of pool tables is tucked away in the corner, and every Thursday the bar hosts live music. Vara's is no less enjoyable for being beer-only, which is doubly true if the massive back patio is open. Home of the E-5 Tailgaters, Vara's back 40 has seen many a cookout and benefit. More >>
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5535 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77007-8021
713-880-0400
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3303 Richmond Houston, TX 77098
713-522-6798
If ever there were a spacious, comfortable Upper Kirby sports bar with a plethora of televisions, Velvet Melvin is it. With an iconic circular sign and expansive patio fronting Richmond Avenue, this watering hole is hard to miss. The brave and brash might want to try tackling the Melvin's "Drink the Tank" challenge: A 64-ounce fishbowl full of various liquors. (Don't say you weren't warned, though.) Weekly drink specials, Monday-night trivia, an all-day Sunday happy hour and a cluster of Golden Tee machines keep patrons coming back. Or perhaps it's the bar's array of beers and hefty food menu - including the Melvin Melt, "guaranteed to cure a hangover." More >>
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719 Main Houston, TX 77002
713-236-8150
http://www.venuehouston.com Venue's leather couches have the soft, pebbly feel of a brand-new football or basketball, and it's easy to imagine stars from the Rockets or Texans spending the night sipping on drinks here. Upon first entering, it looks like a medium-sized lounge, with the main room bathed in a smooth red-orange glow and the bar patiently at patrons' beck and call. But in the back there's a giant room that could be described as a church of partying, with a large dance floor, high ceilings, and an elevated DJ platform on the back wall resembling a choir loft or pulpit. A long bar stretches down the left wall, with plenty of wells to handle the crowd. The capacity at this downtown club approaches 800, and on prime evenings it's full of revelers. More >>
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13245 Jones Road Houston, TX 77070
281-970-1399
http://www.thevintagepub.com
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10001 Westheimer Houston, TX 77042
713-532-9463
http://www.vintropolisbar.com In a villa-themed shopping center off Westheimer near the Beltway, Vintropolis sets itself apart from the recent wash of wine bars opening around town. Rather than choose the dark, crowded and cozy wine-cellar route, Vintropolis features a Mediterranean appearance and spacious feel. Drinkers fond of an al fresco experience will immediately note the abundance of outdoor tables, shaded by large trees - an ideal spot for a late-afternoon glass. There are walls full of bottles and a helpful staff to aid in their selection, but don't miss the dozen or so wines on the $5-glass list. More >>
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528 Waugh Houston, TX 77019
713-533-9333
http://www.facebook.com/VueHouston
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307 Travis Houston, TX 77002
713-247-9207
Market Square's recent renovation has turned the onetime parking lot and long-ago site of Houston's City Hall into a cozy neighborhood park, while the adjacent Warren's Inn remains the area's premier neighborhood bar. The décor is a bit posh - chandeliers, oversized mirrors, a catbird-seat gazebo - but the atmosphere is as casual as it gets, with a lively crew of regulars usually gathered around the bar to catch up on downtown gossip or offer animated commentary on Dancing With the Stars. Popular with lawyers and judges from the nearby courthouse, Houston Chronicle and Houston Press journalists unwinding from a long day at the keyboard (guilty) and couples gearing up for or relaxing after a night in the Theater District, Warren's has been honored for everything from its potent martinis (careful) to a jazz-heavy jukebox that suits its surroundings to a T. Next in line might be the bar's surprisingly tasty - and spicy - chicken-salad sandwiches. More >>
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4115 Washington Houston, TX 77007
713-426-3617
http://www.washavedrinkery.com More than a dozen phrases painted on Washington Avenue Drinkery's walls, offering encouragement that a fourth shot isn't such a bad idea on a work night, are prime examples of the bar's smirking attitude toward Washington Avenue's social mores. It's a spacious place, but room at the bar is limited, so your best bet on crowded nights is the smoky back patio and outdoor bartender. Not long ago, a message on the marquee out front discouraged Ed Hardy-clad drinkers from coming inside. Almost two years into its existence, the bar is still one of the avenue's busiest - especially on weekends - so these days the doorman doesn't care as much about how you're dressed as he does about the fire code. More >>
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14656 Grisby Houston, TX 77079
281-920-2929
http://www.sherlockspubco.com
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1919 W. Alabama Houston, TX 77098
713-528-6874
http://www.westalabamaicehouse.com Less a bar than a perpetual backyard barbecue, the breezy, this open-air ice house has been quenching the thirst of beer-starved Montrosians since 1927. It's a blue-collar place to knock back a social beer after work and discuss the great affairs of the day and the tawdry gossip of the neighborhood. Fridays in summer the icehouse offers free grilled hot dogs, and live bands of all shapes and sounds take to the small outdoor stage. In winter, they unfurl plastic walls and trot out the space heaters, and patrons repair indoors for pool and jukebox tunes. This is a suburban icehouse done right, inside the Loop. More >>
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406 W. Grand Parkway S. Katy, TX 77493
832-437-5590
http://www.wildriverkaty.com Its massive interior providing more than enough space to thoroughly entertain patrons, Wild River sits clustered among a handful of new bars near I-10 on Katy's Grand Parkway. The doors open to a foyer featuring a counter laden with belt buckles and cashiers taking cover charges. Entering the main room brings one face to face with a sizeable bar that has a few televisions above it, and a centrally located stage and substantial dance floor ringed by wooden railing. Off to the left is an open space furnished with a large projection screen, couches and four pool tables. A lounge area, the DJ booth and a washtub-bar setup reside across the dance floor, while a second bar rests in the corner next to an equally substantial amount of bar tables and wall couches. Wild River is non-smoking, but patrons are welcome to puff to their hearts' content on the patio. More >>
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6101 Richmond Houston, TX 77057
713-266-2282
http://www.facebook.com/wildwesthouston Cougars, male and female, abound at Wild West most every night as urban kickers and suburban cowboys descend to drink cheap longnecks and dance to the slickest radio country around. The double-decker barn-style building is spacious as hell and on the weekends it becomes a sea of boots and Wranglers. Two sparkling saddles sit above the dance floor, giving the bar a sort of disco-Gilley's vibe. There is a cover most nights, but it's negligible compared to the amount of stellar people-watching and flirting that goes on here. You can also expect to hear the random hip-hop or pop song in between the requisite Swift and Paisley cuts. This is a fun place to take out-of-towners who still think Houston is all cowboys and two-stepping. More >>
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6363 San Felipe St. Houston, TX 77057
832-858-1149
http://www.facebook.com/winetopia
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2416 Brazos Houston, TX 77006
281-974-5083
http://www.wonderbarhouston.com On the site of the former Tipsy Clover, Wonder Bar is almost like something out of the Willy Wonka playbook. Utilizing a bit of trickery to entertain customers, the bar's zany side draws in Midtown drinkers like bees to honey. The signature "Tube Tinis" - which come in 11 varieties, including Strawberry Basil and Pineapple Chipotle - whiz throughout the bar via vacuum tubes like bank deposits, in sealed doses that are assembled by bartenders on the receiving end. Quirky booths lined with TV screens show the bar's Twitter feed as well as live streaming footage from a nearby camera concealed behind a leaf that keeps Michelangelo's David rather modest. More >>
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9003 Westheimer Houston, TX 77063
832-767-0040
http://www.facebook.com/ZanzibarHouston
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4321 Montrose Houston, TX 77006
713-521-2002
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimms-Martini-Wine-Bar Sitting on the east side of Montrose Boulevard, Zimm's is a classy lounge just north of the U.S. 59 bridge. It's a grown-folks drinkery that feels somewhere between an art gallery and a hotel bar, with house music and overstuffed leather furniture adding to the European vibe. Martinis are the house specialty, so there are several to choose from on the menu. The cocktails aren't cheap, but the pours are stiff, especially for customers who take the time to get to know the folks making their libations. Zimm's door-minders will examine your wardrobe closely, so come correct Montrosians or don't come at all. More >>
