Best Bar: Julep
Julep is the Sally Field of Houston bars. It stands to reason that bars noted as best in their respective neighborhoods in this annual rite would be nominees. The best bar in Midtown might be a perennial contender, like Meryl Streep. The one in the Village might be a phenom like Florence Pugh. But the best cocktail bar in town is also the city’s best, an award-winning one that’s walking away with this year’s Best Bar statuette.
Like Sally Field, Julep was once Gidget-young, great from the start but not taken seriously until it went Sybil and showed its many personalities. Its cool ambiance was evident at a glance — elegant but also casual, befitting most kinds of nights out. The staff is also a legion of well-informed, experienced and friendly personalities. The drinks – why anyone goes to the bar at all – are the strongest of these vying characters. The cocktail menu is a big reason Julep became the city’s first-ever national James Beard Award winner. Like Sally Field in Norma Rae, Julep proudly held a figurative “UNION” sign for all Houston restaurants, further putting the nation on notice of the city’s complex and interesting food and beverage industry. Do we like Julep? Yeah, we like her. We really like her.
1919 Washington
832-371-7715
julephouston.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
