Anvil Bar & Refuge

Anvil Bar & Refuge is like the Jay-Z of Houston bars. It can do no wrong, from the food to the drinks to the skill of the bartenders. Since opening in mid-2009, it has become the standard by which most other local bars define themselves. They either want to be better than Anvil, or not as supposedly "snooty" or "posh" as they think it is. Either one is a sign of the impact the Westheimer drinkery has had. You can't drive three blocks inside the Loop without finding a new gastropub either tweaking Anvil's concept or stealing it outright. Anvil makes drinks the way they should be made, with homemade ingredients, craft liquors, loving care, and no soda nozzles or Red Bull.