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    Secret Bar Opens

    New secret bar quietly opens on Main Street: Are you ready for live music and acrobats?

    Eric Sandler
    Mar 11, 2014 | 4:02 pm

    Over the last year, the 300 block of Main Street has become Texas' best destination for new bars, but the city's scene shows no signs of slowing down. For those who are bored with Bad News or think The Pastry War is already played out, a new, hidden bar has opened quietly above Clutch City Squire.

    Barringer Bar is the product of long-time industry veterans Robby and Chieko Cook, and the husband and wife team aims to bring something a little different to downtown.

    Not that they think there's anything wrong with what's already opened. "This downtown scene is really cool," Robby tells CultureMap. "We all know each other from bartending or working other places . . . We all talk about each other and send people to each other."

    "We’re trying to be a little more upscale. We’ll have some entertainment on Friday and Saturday night, because I think that’s something that hasn’t come back yet."

    At Barringer, the Cooks hope to bring an upscale lounge atmosphere with live entertainment to distinguish the new bar from the nearby cocktail bars and the more casual industry bar it sits above. "We’re trying to be a little more upscale," Robby explains. "We’ll have some entertainment on Friday and Saturday night, because I think that’s something that hasn’t come back yet."

    Robby has also reached out to a long-time friend, local blues player the Mighty Orq, to play during happy hour on Friday. Pop-up Bourbon & Bacon will also appear twice a month on Fridays to bring in people who want food with their drinks.

    Chieko has even bigger plans. She's a trained aerialist who sees the opportunity to revive one of the space's signature features from its Club 410 days. "This place a long time ago used to have a swing from the bar . . . We’re going to actually make sure that the reinforcements are good, because that was 10 years ago. I own a trapeze and a lira. I want to bring that in with the DJ, but that’s a little bit later on down the line."

    The Cooks think Barringer's symbiotic relationship with Clutch City will be good for both bars. They've made sure that Barringer stocks different liquor and has a different cocktail menu than its neighbor. "We just want to make sure that we complement them," Chieko explains. "Why go upstairs and get the exact same shot, when downstairs it’s $3 cheaper . . . Otherwise, everyone will come upstairs and say ‘This place is pretty,’ then go downstairs to spend money."

    The space certainly is pretty thanks to the work the Cooks put in over five weeks to redecorate. They built new bar tops and shelves, added "strategic lighting" for the stage and decorated with pictures of Houston from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Robby explains that he wanted to pay tribute to the building's alleged history as a brothel with a secret door to the former bank next door.

    Barringer's lack of a sign also pays tribute to that history, although neither Cook wants to use the word "speakeasy" to describe it.

    "I think the space and the way we’re situated definitely lends itself to a speakeasy style place, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a speakeasy," Robby says. For Chieko, it's more important to let other people define what Barringer is than focus on any specific term.

    "I believe that a lot of other people will call it a speakeasy and I will agree with that," she says.

    Barringer Bar is located at 410 Main Street, upstairs from Clutch City Squire. Hours are: Tuesdays to Fridays 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Saturdays 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

    Barringer aims to be an upscale lounge with live entertainment.

    Barringer Bar collage
      
    Barringer Facebook
    Barringer aims to be an upscale lounge with live entertainment.
    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    family-friendly outdoor bar

    Massive, German-inspired beer garden coming to new Energy Corridor project

    Eric Sandler
    May 13, 2025 | 5:31 pm
    Katy Beer Garden outdoor patio
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    The new beer garden will be similar to Katy Beer Garden.

    One of Houston’s most successful bar operators is bringing his talents to the Energy Corridor. Steven Salazar is opening Ashford Beer Garden at the Ashford Yard mixed-use development.

    Slated to open in early 2026, Ashford Beer Garden will build on the success Salazar has had with Katy Beer Garden, the project he opened last summer at The Dryer, a mixed-use development on the property of Katy’s historic Cardiff Rice Dryer. Like KBG, Ashford Beer Garden will be large — roughly 21,000 square feet — divided into a 10,000-square-foot indoor beer hall with a companion cocktail bar and a 11,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden that’s shaded by trees.

    “We’re sticking with that Bavarian charm,” Salazar says about his vision for Ashford Beer Garden. “Bring your family. It’s really relaxed. The kids are playing. You have multiple generations hanging out. It’s worked well in Katy. We’re excited to bring it to a new area.”

    Of course, the new project will make some improvements on the original. Most importantly, Ashford will have a full kitchen (KBG mostly relies on food trucks and a nearby food court). Salazar says he’s looking for a chef to lead the kitchen.

    In response to customer demand for private event space, Ashford Beer Garden will also have a larger second floor patio than KBG does. The beer garden will have a larger screen to make it easier for people to watch sports.

    Located on the site of a former Schlumberger campus near the intersection of Dairy Ashford Rd. and Briar Forest Dr., Ashford Yard is a 12.7-acre development that will include apartments, restaurants, and retail tenants. Salazar says he found his values aligned with the projects developers, Houston real estate firms Market Square Companies and Tenon Property Company.

    “We have a similar vision of quality for the community and creating a space and having great neighbors. Not being a strip center but a true development that’s above and beyond what the area has to offer,” Salazar says. Later, he adds, “It seems great for us to be surrounded by companies such as Shell and Baker Hughes and all these great neighborhoods."

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    news/restaurants-bars
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