Houston was given the popular nickname H-Town some time ago, and the name has resonated within our city and beyond; the term seems to have originated in Houston's hip-hop and rap community, from what we can nail down. An R&B group known as H-Town that formed in 1991 is from Houston; the H-Town Blues Festival is an annual event whose ninth edition was held earlier this month at NRG Arena.
Thinking of the name H-Town got us to thinking of the concept of "H-Bars;" basically bars in the city of Houston whose names start with the letter H that are cool and embody the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that our city is known for. If this sounds a little silly to you, remember this is all meant in good fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously, though these bars will show you a seriously good time.
Note: This list is in alphabetical order.
HANS' BIER HAUS Located in Rice Village, Hans' Bier Haus is one of Houston's great beer bars, with a large and ever-changing selection of draft brews on tap. The inside of the bar has some darts for your amusement as well as the occasional beer pong game; check out some of the interesting art hanging on the walls as well. The main attraction here, however, is the outdoors, where the covered beer garden/patio is both dog-friendly and contains both a bean-bag toss/cornhole game and a Bocce Ball court, somewhat rare in Houston. Hans' holds several events here every week, like karaoke, open-mike night and trivia to keep things fun for the loyal patrons.
2523 Quenby, hansbierhaus.com
HAROLD'S RESTAURANT & BAR Owner Alli Jarrett has transformed the 90-year-old building that was home to the legendary Harold's men's clothing store in the Heights into Harold's Restaurant & Bar, Heights General Store and Alli's Pizzeria. An old flat-top roof has been converted into a bar and a terrace that offers up a great view for watching the people and shops down below; New Orleans native and Executive Chef Antoine Ware serves a seasonal menu of Southern Creole food prepared with local, fresh, natural items. For your drinking pleasure, local and regional beers are on tap, as well as specialty cocktails including favorites the Harold's Gimlet and Apricot Manhattan.
350 W. 19th, haroldsheights.com
THE HARP The Harp calls itself "Houston's Friendliest Irish Pub"; a bold statement, but we have always had a great time at this bar on lower Richmond, and the people we have encountered have always been cool, so we can't argue with the claim too much. Tuesday-night trivia and Wednesday-night league darts are always fun, or just come out and relax out on the spacious patio out front or on a comfy couch inside while enjoying an adult beverage. Another groovy thing about The Harp is that it's open 365 days a year; the Web site says they even stay open when it floods. Though we don't recommend trying to drive your car through deep waters to get there, if you can walk or swim over safely during the next Houston rain event, go for it.
1625 Richmond, theharphouston.com
HARRISBURG COUNTRY CLUB This East End dive bar/icehouse existed way before the term EaDo did; the new METRORail expansion down Harrisburg just might introduce Harrisburg Country Club to a whole new generation of dive-bar aficionados. Harrisburg is the kind of place where the blue-collar regulars drink Bud Lights in koozies while wearing trucker hats without any sense of irony; the old jukebox full of classic country, Tejano and hip-hop was cranked up loud the last time we visited. Harrisburg is also popular because of the burgers, chicken-fried steaks, onion rings, tater tots and other fried foods; many of the regulars dine in or get the food to go after a long day of beer-drinking and pool-playing here.
3618 Harrisburg, facebook.com /Harrisburg-Country-Club
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