Now THIS is a speakeasy. I had no idea that I was going to get this experience when coming to…read moreHouston, but I couldn't be happier. The origami ceiling, lively bar, friendly staff, unique cocktails, fun bathroom, and photo booth in the corner made for an unforgettable experience. My friend said it was the busiest he had ever seen the place, and it was loud. But we got some awesome drinks that I swore I could've taken pics of -- the lighting was a little crazy, so I think I ultimately changed my mind with that. One was the periscope which was a refreshing and summery gin drink... And I think I tried the naked and famous too because I like mezcal. I had already eaten so I skipped the restaurant the speakeasy's connected to, but I cannot wait to return to Houston outside of a Con so I can really go all out on exploring. It was an amazing way to end my first night!

Super cute speakeasy hidden inside a sushi restaurant. We went on a weekday evening and had no…read moretrouble getting a table. I ordered the Side to the Sun Rises (gin, yuzu, mint, cucumber) which was light, refreshing, and well balanced. I would recommend it if you enjoy gin-based cocktails with a slightly fruity flavor. My friends really enjoyed their drinks as well. They have all day happy hour on Sundays/Mondays. We did not get a chance to try the food, but the menu looked great. Overall, a fun spot with great vibes and definitely worth checking out!

Love the vibes here! House music & good drinks! They have…read morefire drinks which are so cool. Valet parking or uber def Quick and easy to get a drink! Lychee and pineapple shots were amazing!!

The ambiance at Santé was beautiful, and the food was good, but unfortunately, the service was…read morequite possibly one of the worst experiences we've had at a restaurant. Our server, Camille, took our order and then would disappear for 30+ minutes at a time. At one point, when we asked where she had been, she simply said she was "walking around." Her overall approach to serving us felt extremely nonchalant and inattentive. The atmosphere also made us feel as though the level of attention you receive depends on how much you're spending--particularly whether you're purchasing bottles. The servers seemed more focused on creating a bottle-service experience than providing attentive restaurant service. It gave the evening a very transactional, "pay for attention" feeling rather than genuine hospitality. What really sealed the experience for us happened after we had already paid our bill. A host approached our table and essentially said, "Can you leave now? We need to seat someone right now." There was no gracious transition, no "thank you for dining with us," and no polite explanation--just an abrupt request to leave. For a restaurant with such a beautiful ambiance and good food, the service and hospitality were incredibly disappointing. Guests should feel welcomed and valued from the moment they sit down until the moment they leave, regardless of whether they're ordering bottles.

I stopped by for happy hour and was pleasantly surprised by how many options they had. The prices…read morewere pretty reasonable, especially for the portion sizes. The service stood out right away, very welcoming and friendly, and the food came out extremely fast, which was a plus. As for the food, it was decent overall. The wings had good flavor, but the ranch was a bit watery and could definitely use more seasoning. The onion rings were also good, just needed a little extra seasoning to really bring them up a notch. Overall, it's a solid spot for happy hour with good prices, generous portions, and great service.

Came here for some drinks on date night and they didn't disappoint. The service and the drinks were…read moregreat. Their happy hour drinks are 6-10 dollars. We didn't get food since we already ate but we will be back. The food looked good and it had a nice quite rooftopish vibe.

Bartender: Richo…read more Strawberry Lemon Drop (Tito's): 10/10 Espresso Martini with Tequila: 8/10 Yoo-hoo: 9/10

Great little neighborhood bar. Nice atmosphere, the music level is just right. Staff are friendly…read moreand welcoming. Met some nice locals. We very much enjoyed our afternoon hours here.

This is one of Rice Village's only real bar scenes, and it's slightly off the beaten path…read more The exterior looks appealing with a nice patio. The interior is dimly lit with a variety of interesting pieces of decor. One thing that I love is this used to be an old bank, and the location has gone through a handful of owners and bars, but the old bank vault still remains, and is even an area where you can play games and sit and enjoy your beverages They have board games, a lane for darts. There's also a popcorn cart in the middle of the bar with complimentary popcorn The staff is fairly pleasant and efficient. The drinks were fine. The ambiance just wasn't my thing. It was fairly dark and the bar, darts area, and a couple other spots just felt crowded and congested. This is also a Rice Owls bar, and many of the clientele are rice students or alumni, and when we went it was very "bro-y" for lack of a better term Come tips: If you can, get reservations for the speakeasy that is located directly above the Owl Bar. Much better vibes, drinks, and service Cheers!!

Rice Village isn't exactly known for having a bunch of cool bars so it was nice to find this spot…read more Had some friends in town for a conference that were staying in the Galleria area. They looked up bars and suggested this spot. I had never heard of it but rolling up, I recognized it as where Kelvin Arms used to be. It was a cool spot back in the day and still a cool spot now. It shares a lot with other businesses and parking wasn't an issue when we went during the day. Inside is dark with an old bar feel to it. I believe this used to be an old bank and the original vault is still there. You can go in there and chill in a lounge like atmosphere. We ordered drinks and sat out on the spacious patio. I started off with an Old Fashioned. It was strong but tasty. What I didn't like was the used of regular ice as opposed to a proper, large ice cube. We then switched to espresso martinis which was done very well here. Overall, this is a solid spot in the Rice Village area. I'd come back if in the area.

At the beginning, I wasn't sure what to expect as it was our first time. I made this reservation to…read morecelebrate my husband's birthday. Something quiet and romantic, just the two of us. When we first walked in, it was very busy, but we quickly got seated. We waited a few minutes before we got attended so much so that my husband decided to go to the bar and get drinks for us. The manager did come to our table and apologize for the wait and from that moment were taking care of. Thank you Naveen and Diana for making it a great experience. Everything was great from the drinks, the food and the dessert.

Maybe a 3.5 The…read morevibes are very nice and cute - kind of upscale in a quaint way if that makes sense? We had a reservation and were sat immediately. We started off with a round of cocktails and a round of shots. The drinks were pretty good and I liked that they had some interesting flavor combinations. The lower rating is due to our server and the price. Price wise, the cocktails were a little up there but it was probably the shots that sent the bill skyrocketing (so honestly kind of our bad). I didn't catch our server's name, but he seemed to have a little 'tude about him as we asked questions or asked him to take our picture. A few remarks also felt a bit condescending. While it wasn't bad enough to ruin our night it was something that stood out to our entire party of 5

Really enjoyed coming here to catch up with friends and also watch the final FIFA World Cup match…read more There was ample seating, great music, and good food / drinks. I hope to continue to come for more events. The service is amazing too and everyone is so kind. I got the German chocolate latte, it was a bit too sweet for me but I'll just adjust the sweetness next time!

Interesting concept for a coffee shop, but it's probably positioned in the perfect location. This…read morespace is the former location of the old Stahlstrom Lumber Company but the building has been completely remodeled and is very spacious. It's not just a coffee shop, but also a cocktail bar and event space. There is a combination of several 4-top low tables, 4-top high tables, couch seating, coffee table seating, bartop seating and even a few 2-top tables outside. Each table also has flowers and a menu with a pamphlet detailing their current events for the month. Lots of Porsche photos on the wall, even a photo wall with a Porsche on the track. I can see this space catering to mostly men, but also women who love Porsches. The focal point is obviously the Porsche-shaped lighted bookshelf along the back wall of the bar area where liquor bottles are being stored. This is also to scale with an actual Porsche 911. Eighties and modern light rock and pop music was playing in the background during my visit. Parking is slightly difficult and the actual entrance is tricky to find, but just pull into the Porsche dealership from either Greenbriar or Shepherd and that will get you there. I read through the menu briefly at the counter and immediately spotted the drink I'd order, the German Chocolate, iced. I also tried their almond croissant. German Chocolate signature latte - served elegantly and in a large glass and very tasty, so it justified the slightly higher prices for the drink. It's composed of mocha and coconut puree with a caramel and chocolate drizzle. The only thing missing were the coconut flakes imo. Almond croissant - tasted like a typical almond croissant; however, here they will serve it to you on a nice plate with fork and knife. They also provide complimentary Dickinson's honey and jams next to the sugar dispenser by the cash register. Lattes here are definitely elevated if you order a signature version. However, basic lattes start at $6, for hot or iced. Some of their flavors are common ones; however, they also have ones that aren't so common at other coffee shops around town: - cookie butter, - butter pecan, and - pistachio. What great restaurant, bar or coffee shop would be complete without a happy hour? Yes, they also have a happy hour Tues - Sat 4-6pm and reverse from 8-10pm where you can get discounts (about 30%) on beer, wine and cocktails.

Great spot for lunch or dinner! The food is delicious, freshly made, and made with high quality…read moreingredients. The ambiance is both peaceful and fun! What truly stood out to me was Dana, our server. What a hospitable, welcoming and friendly young woman! The FOOD! I had the chicken wrap which out of this world! The chicken and bacon were cooked to perfection, and the fries were nicely seasoned. I recommend the organic oil to have the fries cooked in. My father had the rib eye, and he can't stop singing the cook/chef's praises! My mother had the cod on a bed of spinach, and was very pleased. All in all, it was a great dining experience!

Ordered the burger. Meet tasted like straight up cow, yuck. Ordered all the desserts. They are all…read moreterrible. Cheesecake had a curdled texture, the brownie was overcooked as heck, the bread pudding was stale old loaf of bread sitting in a pool of sugar water and the cobble was an abomination; canned peaches dumped in a bowl and sprinkled brown sugar bits on top and microwaved for about 2 minutes. This place was terrible.

I went for the first time with some friends who have been going there for many years. I had never…read morebeen to a blues club before, it was a lot of fun, you go to the bar to get your own drinks. They do not have food, we actually brought pizza in Side from Domino's next-door. We got there early so parking was easy. It's a small place, but there was plenty of seating and two pool tables. People were dancing and having a wonderful time. The band was a lot of fun as well. I would definitely go back. It was $10 cash cover charge on Friday night.

This is a nice no-fuss, old fashioned live music venue that specializes in Blues and because it's a…read moresmall venue, you really get in up close and personal with the performers. There is a cover charge of $10 for most of the performances but if you check out their website and the calendar, some of the shows are free also. The crowd is mixed but as would be expected with the genre of music, it's older - I would guess the average age of the crowd on the night I was there was 50-60 but they were getting down and having a good time so that's the important part! Parking kind of sucks here so I would suggest coming in early and if you find something in the parking lot or by the mechanic shop, back your car in because people will likely park behind you and it'll be pretty tight getting out later. There is also street parking around the neighborhoods but check the signs to make sure you don't need a permit.

Bar Buena was a surprise find after we participated in a cooking class at Sur La Table across the…read morestreet. After the byob cooking experience, we figured "why not!?" So we walked on over to this little speakeasy and were immediately greeted by the bouncer. On a Thursday night, it was quite crowded, but were able to find the last remaining seats at the bar. We were seated at the left end of the bar, which was nice because we had our own little "nook" away from the rest of the bar. Adjacent to us was the server station - the one server tending to the tables, Marilyn, frequently came by and we immediately befriended her. She gave us excellent recommendations and provided her opinion on several drinks. Robin was the bartender who took care of us throughout the night. She was super friendly from the moment we sat down and gave us stellar recommendations on food and drinks. She was happy to tweak a couple of their seasonal drinks to our liking, and even offered to mix other drinks that weren't on the menu. Fantastic service from Robin throughout the night. I started out with Tommy's Margarita - this was just their take on a classic margarita, nothing super special. I then ordered the Oaxacan Old Fashioned - think of an old fashioned made with tequila and mezcal in lieu of bourbon. I was a bit cautious about this one since I am not a fan of mezcal, however the smoky flavor was not very apparent in this one, which was a huge plus! I also got the Ardilla - very unique drink made with mexican corn whiskey, cocoa nibs, sherry, and a milk punch. I award this drink for most unique I've had in a while, definitely give it a try if you're up for something new. To finish, I had the Cariña - their take on an espresso martini made with reposado tequila. I really liked this espresso martini - it was a great way to finish out the night and I left feeling inspired to make my espresso martinis at home using tequila now! With the little room we had left in our stomachs, we tried the Pato Tinga Memela, which was duck leg (no bone) with beans and onions and cilantro atop a memela. I haven't had memela specifically per se, but consider me a fan. It is basically a mini "cake" of masa that is pan fried to a slight crispiness. An Oaxacan speciality, where else can I find these in Houston!? We also tried the Guacamole y Tostadas. The guacamole was unique in the sense that it was Oaxacan style, so contains pepitas, pickled onions, and queso fresco. The tostadas were super crispy and reminded me of how they serve guacamole in Mexico (rather than with chips/totopos). Fun fact is that this bar is owned by Goode Company. Next door to this is Goode Co. Cantina, so it's nice that they created an adjoining restaurant + speakeasy concept within the same strip. At one point in our visit, Levi Goode was standing next to us. We didn't know until after he left and Marilyn informed us, that that was THE man. Just doing a casual check-in of his bar. We really had a good experience at Bar Buena and look forward to returning. The food menu has quite a few offerings I wanted to try had I not come from a cooking class. We were also told that the seasonal drink menu was set to change shortly after our visit, so I look forward to trying these drinks!

Dark, moody, took a minute to adjust from the bright sunshine into this little haven. But the…read moreMexican wine and tequila selection? Absolutely worth staying for.