The holidays have been a whirlwind of food, drink and more food for my husband, Classic Rock Bob, and me. With our New Year’s resolutions simmering on the back burner and an evening in which there weren’t various young adults to feed, we decided to check out the recently-opened Baker St. Pub & Grill on Tomball Parkway ten minutes from our home.
CRB had recently been jonesing for fish and chips. The turkey, brisket and prime rib that dominated our holiday festivities was getting to be too much for him. He prefers seafood, particularly cod or some similarly mild, white fish. He eats it, baked or fried, every chance he gets. In fact, he may be the only person keeping the Filet-O-Fish on the menu at McDonald’s. I was in the mood for a cozy pub with British fare and Guinness on draft, so our culinary cravings were aligned for once. Remembering fondly the Sherlock’s of old, or should I say olde, on Westheimer and the now-shuttered Baker St. Pub at Willowbrook, we thought the new location might be exactly what we needed on a cold, winter’s eve.
Located in a strip center with a Spec’s liquor store, Sprouts grocery and various other retail businesses, the exterior of Baker St. is fronted by an outdoor patio. We saw an iconic British-style red phone booth when we walked in, but the warm wood and book-lined walls of previous Baker St. pubs was nowhere to be seen in this suburban version.
The bartender greeted us and told us to sit wherever we pleased. We pleased to sit in a comfy booth along the wall. There were various customers at the bar with a few guests seated at tables. Six large televisions were sporting the same football game and we quickly realized that this was more of a sports bar than an English pub styled on the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Our server quickly arrived with menus and went to get water for us while we looked them over. There were a number of cocktails on offer and they were quite inexpensive compared to many other bars and restaurants around town, most in the $7 to $8 range. I ordered the Spicy Paloma while Classic Rock Bob, a fan of tropical drinks, chose the Island Time. I noticed that it had several different spirits in it, like a Long Island Tea. That, however, was not to be the case.
The cocktails took a while, but we could see the bartender making them so we knew that they were on their way. When our server delivered them, they looked tasty. My first sip hit me with fresh grapefruit juice, of which I am a fan. Unfortunately, that is about all I could taste. CRB’s drink was no better. It tasted like a weak pineapple juice. The price was right, but we felt as if we were participating in Dry January unwittingly. We decided beer was our best option for the next round.
The onion rings that we ordered for an appetizer arrived and they were rather on the pale side. Like many Anglo-Saxons, these lads would need SPF 50 on a sunny day. Just one minute longer in the fryer and they would have been perfect. I think for $4.99, the chef could pop in an extra ring or two. Onions are cheap.
When our server returned for our food order, we asked for a couple of beers. Fortunately for me, Guinness was available. Unfortunately for CRB, his first two choices were not. She explained that the food and beverage menu were the same as all the other locations but that the new location did not have all of the beers listed. I then began to wonder if that had been the reason our drinks were so weak. They seemed to have a lot of ingredients listed on the menu. Perhaps the new bar wasn’t equipped with the proper spirits to complete the recipes.
Our server returned with my husband’s third beer choice of a Stella Artois, served in a Stella glass. My Guinness was fine, if not a little on the flat side. She then asked if we were ready to order our food. We looked quizzically at her, then she realized she had already taken our order. We all laughed and she went back to check on our dishes.
She soon came back with the full order of Fish & Chips ($16.99) and the Shepherd’s Pie Bites ($11.99). The fish and chips had two filets of Atlantic cod, which were fried nicely, though we both thought it too could have used an extra minute in the fryer. The fish was flaky and my husband liked the light batter. The fries were average and the house-made slaw was served in a cup rather than a chintzy ramekin like many establishments. There was malt vinegar and tartar sauce for condiments. It hit the spot for CRB’s craving and he had an extra filet to take home.
The Shepherd’s Pie Bites had the best fry of the evening. They were sort of like arancini, except filled with minced ground beef and mashed potatoes. They were served with a flavorful mushroom brown gravy and were probably the best dish of the evening. However, the most British part of the dish was the lack of seasoning. There were salt and pepper grinders on the tables so that was quickly remedied.
Classic Rock Bob then ordered a glass of house cabernet (Barefoot) which was a happy hour bargain at $4.75. As we finished our drinks, our eyes roamed the room. We noticed that there was very little about the new location that could be described as ‘English pub’. There were large English beer signs on the wall and a brightly-lit Underground subway sign but the concrete floors and industrial ceiling screamed sports bar. The most British part of the whole venue was the darts area whimsically painted with the British Union Jack.
As we finished our drinks, Texans fans began to trickle in for the game against the Indianapolis Colts. If we had stayed longer, we could have enjoyed the roar of happiness as the Texans clinched the AFC playoff. There was also a large party preparing for a 70th birthday surprise but I couldn’t convince CRB to stick around to see the birthday girl.
Baker St. Pub is a welcome addition to the area because there aren’t many other bars around except Wolfies, which shares the same strip center. It offers nearby residents another drinking and dining option but it’s not as unique as it could be. There are three other Houston area locations in The Woodlands, Sugar Land and Katy plus one in Austin. Those four seem to have more of the English pub feel.
I miss the ambiance of the old Baker St. Pub near Willowbrook Mall. Despite also being in a strip center, it was like a classic pub inside. The new Spring location has few references to its Baker Street hero, which is a damn shame for me. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. In fact, my son’s middle name is Conan, after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I let CRB thinks it’s because of his much-loved Conan the Barbarian books, however.
The lack of Sherlock Holmes decor is not enough reason to forego more visits to the new spot. The service was very good and the atmosphere was comfortable, if one is not expecting an English pub. There are a number of daily specials and great happy hour deals. On Monday, the Fish & Chips is a wallet-friendly $8.50. And our beers and wine were also a bargain during its extended happy hour from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., on a Saturday no less.
Baker St. has only been open a couple of months so the kitchen staff may still be learning the ropes and frying techniques. When we popped our leftovers in the air fryer the next day, they actually tasted a little better than the night before. So, we’ll probably make Baker St. an occasional stop in the future to try more of the menu and take advantage of the daily specials. The burgers that were passing by our table to hungry Texans fans looked really good and the Wednesday $5 burger night is already on my list.
But I do wish that the space was more like a pub than a sports bar. Just as the British public clamored to have Conan Doyle resurrect Holmes after killing him in The Final Problem, I am hoping that the new Baker St. Pub & Grill will bring back a little of the decor and ambiance that pays homage to its namesake.
Baker St. Pub & Grill
22432 Tomball Parkway
346-808-5051
bakerstreetpub.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
