In last week’s companion article, we touched on a culinary truism – where you work determines what you eat. After a recent job change, your friendly (and hungry) reporter started seeking new meals in a new environment, The Heights. We started with coffee and made it to midday meals, but we can’t live on lunch alone, even those as tasty as the ones we found bouncing around The Heights. Today we’re headed to dinner and out for drinks.
As one of the oldest planned communities in the state, The Heights has a rich history of incredible restaurants and landmark drinkeries (even with part of the community being dry for more than a century). This effort is going to be lopsided with places to find a refreshing beer, wine or cocktail because a) we enjoy drinking (responsibly) and b) pound for pound, we’d put The Heights up against any drinking community in the U.S., places like Miami’s South Beach, the Mission District in San Francisco, and even the French Quarter in New Orleans. Maybe our local favorites aren’t ready to rip the title from these renowned bar-crawlable locales, but we do have some diverse, unique bars to enjoy.
Before we get that drink, let’s have dinner. Because The Heights is in Houston and Houston is in Texas, we’ll start with barbecue. We’re headed to Pinkerton’s Barbecue, a staple in the city’s booming craft BBQ scene. The restaurant at 1504 Airline opens at 11 a.m. daily (besides Mondays), so it could be a lunch option, too, and you’ll want to get there early for certain menu items (beef ribs) that might sell out. But Pinkerton’s is open as late as 10 p.m. some nights, making it a bit of an anomaly. Area stalwarts like Gatlin’s and Truth – also incredible options within driving distance (we’re so lucky, y’all) – shut things down a bit earlier. Pinkerton’s is a featured Texas barbecue joint on Michelin Guide’s “Best Barbecue in Texas” list and has been spotlighted on your favorite food channel TV shows. Pitmaster Grant Pinkerton is a native Houstonian who understands smoked meats are our AstroWorld, our Houston Astros championship runs, our unity following some destructive hurricane. In other words, fabled, vital and purely Houston.
If you’re looking for something that doesn’t smack of Houston but recalls far off places, try Blue Tuba. Located in the building that one was Harold’s in the Heights, the restaurant specializes in European cuisine and a meal here can be akin to a culinary Amazing Race across that continent, moving swiftly from Belgian moules frites to a French connection (escargot), and landing upon Hungarian goulash. We sampled the goulash – a rich, red wine stew served with spaetzle – and the Austrian schnitzel with mushroom gravy at a recent dinner, just ahead of a show across the street at Heights Theater. The food was outstanding and our server Karina was a joy. There’s rooftop seating overlooking one of The Heights’ busiest, most interesting stretches of road and hearty menu options to prepare anyone for a night out.
Closer to home but still not exactly Houston-centric, there’s Gold Tooth Tony’s, the little restaurant that could (and did) bring Detroit-style pizza to the H. There are a few locations across town but the one at 1901 N. Shepherd boasts a hip vibe, on brand for one of Houston’s trendiest communities. The eight-by-ten-inch Detroit square pies feature a perfectly crisp, cheesy crust edge – the burnt ends of the pizza world – and all sorts of toppings, everything from pepperoni (always a solid choice) to pancetta, chevre, fig and hot honey (that’s all on one pizza dubbed the Piggy) and Spam, charred pineapple, togarashi and furikake (also toppings on one selection called Sebastian’s Big Idea). Inspired toppings add to the profound goodness of the signature crust.
We’ll finish off at Field & Tides, a social dining experience at 705 E. 11th. The main dining is in a cozy room that recalls a favored aunt’s house in The Heights, a place for a family gatherings where our kinship is defined by our love of fresh, skillfully prepared meals. No slight to Europe or Detroit, but Field & Tides feels like The Heights. It focuses on locally sourced foodstuffs to create its Gulf Coast-oriented menu. We recommend the cornmeal fried oysters and brussels, slathered in a sambal aioli and resting in a pool of delightful chili honey glaze. For mains, we went with the low country fried chicken piccata and the redfish, crusted with spiced crackling and served with Hoppin’ John and roasted okra. Sorry, but you can’t get that in the Motor City.
Having come fully back to Houston, we’ll move on to the after-dinner drinks that make The Heights special. It should be noted, not every amazing bar in The Heights will be listed here. These are just a few I’ve encountered since spending more time here thanks to the new day job. As fellow drinkers, please feel free to lambast me and tell me which Heights bars I’m an idiot for not including. And go ahead and tell me why your choices are better, like you’re wont to do in the comments section. Your criticism isn’t hurtful. It helps, because I really want to visit the best places I don’t know about yet.
We’ll start at Almost Famous. The bar, at 807 W. 19th, feels a little out of place in The Heights, to be honest. It’s got a large backyard, filled with bench seating and cornhole tosses and sports TVs and even a few golf clubs and ping pong balls for working on your short game. There’s an outdoor bar built out of a railcar and a couple of outhouse toilets. The very social vibe gives Kirby District or something spacious in the suburbs, so it’s a welcomed tenant for larger parties in The Heights, with its abundance of low-lit, romantic, on-trend, bungalow-style bars.
The Kid resides right across the street from Almost Famous. Not bungalow-styled (it’s in the space which once was Flying Fish), The Kid does have low lighting and a vibe built for romance and mystery (no “human kids” are allowed in The Kid after 7 p.m.). There’s a succinct menu of essential bar eats – burgers from Rodeo Goat and some starters like hummus, olives and tater tots – but we’re here for the drinking. Thanks to The Kid’s ties to Flying Saucer, you can get Duvel on tap here, but we’d opt for cocktails. Try the Big Moe (dry gin, club soda and a blueberry/lavender sizzurp homage to the Barre Baby) or “Let That Mango,” which, come on, you wanna order it just to say that out loud. (Also, it’s a very tasty tequila and mango puree concoction).
We should mention a trio of well-regarded, Houston Press award-winning spots we favor out here in The Heights, including Better Luck Tomorrow, which has one of the best margaritas we’ve ever sipped in this city (infused with a creamy avocado!) and cocktails that work in matcha, oolong-infused gin, raspberry ice, honeydew, quinquina and other inspired ingredients. The innovation, we love it. Johnny’s Gold Brick is tried and true, serving the classics to some of the most loyal drinkers in the city for 10 or 11 months of the year before popping up for the holidays as a Christmas-time drinker’s choice, so popular with regulars and lookie-loos that reservations for seating are tough to nab. And EZ’s Liquor Lounge is still doing the Lord’s work, giving Heights customers an upscale dive bar that made it one of Esquire’s top bars in the country just a couple of years ago (and, a Best of Houston honoree).
Next, we’ll head to Incanto. Besides a few outdoor lights, a not-too-flashy neon sign and a valet parking cars, the place could be mistaken for just another house on Yale. Once you’re inside, you’re whisked to a paradise of sorts, a smallish room where secrets are whispered in corners and great declarations are made before God almighty and some hardworking craft cocktail artists at the bar. Our favorites here are the London Calling (Ford’s gin, Manzanilla sherry, lemon juice and orange bitters); the Snow Angel (horchata liquor, Tequila Rose, oat milk and a cinnamon stick); and the Pink Flamingo, a signature cocktail blending Ketel One Botanical, Aperol, passion fruit, grapefruit, lemon and sparkling wine soda water. The place feels sophisticated and is perfect for a TikTok moment with friends.
We head to Casa Nomad for an even more intimate, exotic experience. Located in the bustling M-K-T Heights, Casa Nomad is an oasis, perfect for setting the mood if the mood is love. The patio is open but also feels incredibly personal. It’s so hard to get that vibe and get it right in one place, but the layout of the cocktail lounge helps as do the drinks. You will have to speak to the folks who work at Casa Nomad to order and when you do you may find yourself speaking with Chris, the bar manager and beverage director, which will be a delightful exchange, we predict. He’s very personable and knowledgeable. If you’re a fan of tequila or mescal, Casa Nomad is probably already your favorite place. We recommend the Besame, a kiss of tequila, pineapple agave and lime in a shot glass. Mwuah!
If you’re not in the mood for love but for something a li’l rougher, we’d recommend ending the night at The Deuce Pizza Bar. Located at 2418 Yale, one of the city’s best dive bars features a serpentine bar that snakes through a very eclectic crowd of drinkers. Behind the bar, you can spot your favorite canned or bottled beer, wine or seltzer in a series of coolers. There’s a full bar, too, a free jukebox, a ratty pool table and patrons who understand the real notion behind any bar and do their very best to commiserate with fellow humans doing the whole human experience thing.
Punks with back patches and goths in black leather chat with folks who wandered in from the latest Americana show at Heights Theater. Bartenders from many of the bars on this list make The Deuce their industry night choice to unwind. And best of all, for anyone who spent a full evening enjoying after-dinner drinks (or, someone writing about food and drinks who needs to bring 1,800 words full circle now) The Deuce may have the best thin crust pizza in town. A place for a tasty meal, an excellent drink and interesting Houstonians – that’s The Heights.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
