Where to Drink Now

Where to drink right now: 10 new Houston happy hours to start summer right

If the Rockets have been bounced out of the playoffs and weather people are talking about the heat index, it can mean only one thing. Summer has arrived in Houston.

While most outdoor activities are not recommended between, say, 10 am and 8 pm, the need for refreshment is greater than ever. And with gas prices creeping up towards $3 per gallon, everyone is looking to save a couple bucks.

Thankfully, Houston's restaurants understand that people still want to enjoy themselves. Whether it's catching up over cocktails to debate the plot of Killing Eve or pre-gaming before a night at the Juice Box, don't miss these happy hour options from both old favorites and some of this year's most exciting new arrivals.

Willie G’s
With the prospect of a major luxury tax bill on the horizon for the Rockets, even Tilman Fertitta may be looking to save a little cash. Thankfully, his Galleria-area seafood restaurant offers some enticing deals during its happy hour, which takes place Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm in the bar and outside lounge. Ease the pain of aching hamstrings with $5 draft beers, $7 tap wines, or $8 specialty cocktails. Eat away the shame of going 0-for-27 from three with oysters on the half shell (six for $6), buffalo chicken sliders ($6), $9 sushi rolls, and more.
1640 West Loop South; 713-840-7190

Poitín
Word-of-mouth has been strong on this recently at Sawyer Yards, and happy hour provides a good way to sample some of chef Dominick Lee’s dishes. Available Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm, the offerings include raw or char-grilled oysters, fried pork skins ($4), ceviche ($7), and the signature hummus with pulled lamb neck ($5). Beverage options include $2 off all draft beers, select glasses of wine for $5, and three cocktails for $7 each.
2313 Edwards St.; 713-470-6686

Postino Wine Cafe
Diners have found lots to like about this Arizona-based wine bar and restaurant, including its generous happy hour. From 11 am to 5 pm, every glass of wine is $5 and every draft beer is available in a 32-ounce pitcher for $5. Since four glasses is a bottle, they’re $20. On Monday and Tuesday after 8 pm, get a bruschetta board and a bottle of wine for $20; considering the bruschetta is usually $15 by itself, that’s a good deal.
642 Yale St.; 346-223-1111

Goodnight Charlie’s
The Montrose honky tonk makes it easy during its happy hour. Available daily from 4 pm to 7 pm, the offers include $3 canned or bottled beer, half-off wine and frozen drinks, and three tacos and a beer (bottle or can) for only $10. Perfect to put someone in the mood for a little two-steppin’.
2531 Kuester St.; 832-986-5151

BCK Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures
The nostalgia-inspired Heights bar and restaurant has an array of sips and bites on its happy hour menu, which is available Monday through Saturday from 3 pm to 6 pm. Choose from a selection of $5 apps, including sweet ‘n sour meatballs, beer cheese, and stuffing mushrooms, or opt for $2.50 Peking duck tacos. To drink, choose from beer ($2.50 Miller High Life or $3 Lone Star), wine (half-off select bottles), or a selection of $7 cocktails (Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Moscow Mule, etc).
933 Studewood St.; 832-831-7155

Fig & Olive
The New York-based Mediterranean restaurant has been a stylish addition to the Galleria. Available daily from 4 pm to 7 pm in the bar, the aperitivo menu offers $5 beers, $7 glasses of wine, $9 specialty cocktails. Pair that with an extensive array of food options, including three crostini for $8 ($14 at dinner) or six for $13 ($22 at dinner), $24 cheese or charcuterie plates, and the hamachi crudo ($18).
5115 Westheimer Rd.; 832-632-6632

Rainbow Lodge
Experience this Houston classic at a discount during happy hour. Available Tuesday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm, the offerings include a selection of wines by-the-glass ($6 to $10), beer ($3), and house martinis ($5). Snack on bites like a pulled pork slider ($3), a cup of smoked duck gumbo ($4), or two fried quail bites on cheddar grits ($6).
2011 Ella Blvd,; 713-861-8666

Brasserie du Parc
Available in the bar every day from 4 pm to 7 pm, this downtown French restaurant offers an appealing mix of food and drinks during its happy hour. Options include $6 cocktails from bar wizard Kimberly Paul — try the Reversed and Laced Perfect Manhattan (Lillet Rouge and Lillet Blanc vermouths, Buffalo Trace bourbon and a touch of Pernod Pastis) — as well as select wines ($5) and beers ($4). Pair them with bites that include an eight-ounce cheeseburger ($8), ham and gruyere rolled crepe ($5), and three different preparations of mussels ($11 - $13).
1440 Lamar St.; 832-879-2802

B&B Butchers
The Washington Avenue steakhouse recently updated its popular Booze ‘n Bites social hour menu. Available Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm in both the downstairs and upstairs bar areas and rooftop patio, the extensive offerings include discount prices on pizzas, appetizers, slides, and more. To drink, choose from a selection of wines by the glass, $5 beers, or cocktails made with Texas spirits ($8 - $10).
1814 Washington Ave.; 713-862-1814

Ouisie’s Table
The River Oaks institution keeps things simple for its happy hour that’s available Monday through Friday from 2:30 pm to 6 pm: all appetizers are half off and so are all wines by-the-glass and house cocktails. That means a person could match a $6 shrimp cocktail with a $5 glass of chardonnay for a solid start to a very pleasant afternoon.
3939 San Felipe St.; 713-528-2264

Carpetbagger pizza at B&B Butchers.

Photo by Felix Sanchez

Carpetbagger pizza at B&B Butchers.

the-heights happy-hours where-drink

service switcheroo

Street food-inspired Houston restaurant swaps counter service for servers

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Traveler's Cart is add new dishes to its menu, including steak frites and chicken parm.

A globally-inspired Houston restaurant is making a big change to its service model. Traveler’s Cart will switch from counter service to full service beginning this Monday, November 17.

When owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell opened Traveler’s Cart last year as a more casual sister concept to Traveler’s Table, their globally-inspired Montrose restaurant, they decided counter service would match the restaurant’s street food-inspired menu and lower price point. With a year of experience, they’ve decided full service — where diners sit down and order from a server — will improve the customer experience in a number of ways.

First, they noticed that some of their online reviews go to great lengths to explain the ordering process. Moving to traditional table service will elimination that confusion.

“We want to be like a great brasserie or izakaya where people come and enjoy food and drinks at a reasonable price,” Matthew Mitchell tells CultureMap. “There’s a lack of intuitiveness about the process right now. Almost a year in, we’re still having to explain where you go and how you order. That tells you we probably missed the mark.”

He also recognizes that the inherent uncertainty of counter service — people are concerned about how long they’ll have to wait to order and whether a table will be available once they do — limits the restaurant’s appeal as a date night option or for larger groups who want the certainty of having a place to sit.

Even though the restaurant has been a financial success, according to Mitchell, he thinks Traveler’s Cart is missing out on revenue with its counter service model. “I think people order less at the counter. You may not order a cocktail, and you certainly won’t get back up and order more drinks,” he says.

Switching to full service will also help the restaurant’s perceived value. With entrees mostly priced between $15 and $25, the restaurant may feel expensive relative to other fast casual restaurants. Once servers are added, Mitchell thinks diners will appreciate the value, particularly since its prices are about half of sister concept Traveler’s Table.

“I feel like the food quality is outstanding for the price, but when it crosses that $20 or $30 threshold, people perceive it as pricey,” he says.

Traveler’s Cart has other ways to enhance the value of its offering, such as its $18, three-course lunch that includes iced tea or a fountain drink. Happy hour, available Monday through Friday from 3-6 pm, includes $8 cocktails, $3 drafts, $8 small plates, and more.

Along with the new service model, Travelers Cart is updating its menu with a number of new dishes. They include Thai chili queso, Baja shrimp tacos, salmon donburi bowl, chicken parmesan, and steak frites. The cocktail menu has also been refreshed with a Mexican espresso martini and a Tuk Tuk Old Fashioned, named for the vehicle that now sits in front of the restaurant’s entrance.

Recently recognized by the Texas Restaurant Association as Restaurateurs of the Year for the Houston region, the Mitchells hope that these changes will lead to even more success. With the service style refined and the menu dialed in, they’re already looking for another location.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Traveler's Cart is add new dishes to its menu, including steak frites and chicken parm.

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