In order to help you figure out which new restaurants are worth going to, we created The Hit List, our guide to the new spots that are actually worth your time and money. And we do the same thing for new bars in Houston. All the places here are less than a year old, and they include wine bars, beer gardens, dives, karaoke clubs, and incredibly fun cocktail spots. But what do they all have in common? We’ve visited them, really liked them, and felt they were well worth the varying degrees of hangover. These are the great new bars in Houston.
THE SPOTS
Downtown’s pseudo-speakeasy Off The Record might resemble a record shop, but behind the curtain, the cocktail bar feels like a party inside a swanky record cabinet. Decked out with stacked vintage speakers, framed gold records, and shelves of old hip hop memorabilia, Off The Record blurs the line between bar and club. The music is loud and bass-pumping, but you don’t have to yell at the person next to you. Everyone, including the bartenders, are dancing, vibing, and singing along to Al Green, De La Soul, The Fugees, and whatever the DJ happens to be spinning. We like to slide past the DJ booth and grab drinks in the small upstairs lounge with a date, or snag a couch spot and people watch with friends., or snag a couch spot and people watch with friends.
photo credit: Mikah Danae
Every great, grimy dive bar started a shiny new spot, and drinking at EZ’s Liquor Lounge in The Heights feels like getting in on the ground floor of a classic dive in the making. EZ’s has all the dive bar necessities: a center-of-attention pool table, TVs that always seem to stream sports, a back patio separated by a giant garage door, random signs and taxidermy, shot-and-beer combos, and hot dogs covered in chili. Check out EZ’s for weekday Happy Hour, free pool all day on Tuesday, or to throw back a couple frozens on a hot day.
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
While the Kirby Group’s bars—Verde Garden, Pitch 25, Heights Bier Garten, and…
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