Best Bar – Rice Village: Marquis II
The stars at night are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap) deep in the heart of Texas, but in the heart of Houston, that shining light emanates from Marquis II. The watering hole has been a local favorite for quite a while since its origin as a donut drive-thru, and its history is a lesson in the proverbial phrase “if these walls could talk.”
A fresco of “The Painted Lady” adorns one wall, and legend has it that the artwork was covered up during renovations and eventually unearthed years later during a refurbishment of the establishment. Tales of whispers in the night and mysterious shifting of furniture are attributed to the mysterious madame.
On another wall, guests see a small painting by Packy Saunders, who whipped up the art as part of a spurious auction to raise funds for the establishment during the COVID-19 quarantine.
In the distance is a piano, where a placard spills all the tea of how the building’s former owners, Trudy and Rosemary, bought the instrument from Little Davey Koresh.
Speaking of tea, the establishment serves one of the best Texas Tea’s in the Lone Star State. Take your pick from 13 different flavors. Word on the curb is that peach and island punch are the crowd favorites, but to each their own.
Marquis II, 2631 Bissonnet
713-522-2090
marquis2.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
