Celebrating Space City

Get in the H-Town spirit with more than 20 713 Day deals and specials

Every year, more and more Houston businesses embrace 713 Day.

Although this holiday that’s named for Houston’s original area code is still unofficial, that hasn’t stopped bars, restaurants, and other venues from celebrating July 13 by creating big, blowout events and/or food and drink specials.

Here is a thorough rundown of all the places locals can go to this weekend and be — as they say around these parts — Houston Proud.

Axelrad invites Houstonians to celebrate the day with local brews. The beer garden is offering $1 off on Houston draft beers, including beers by Saint Arnold, Great Heights, Gristworkz, and more. 2 pm.

Over at BB’s Tex-Orleans, all of the restaurant's famous po’boys will be only $7.13 each on 713 Day. Choose from favorites including BB’s signature Bedtime on the Bayou Po’boy and the Surf and Turf Po’boy. 11 am.

Bagel Shop Bakery and New York Deli will be offering a sweet deal for bagel lovers. Get a half-dozen bagels for $7.13 (rainbow and French toast bagels not included in the offer). 6 am and 7 am.

Bayou Heights Bier Garten will offer its signature cocktails for $7.13, including the Sittin' Sideways, Barrebaby, Lemme Upgrade Ya, Thee Stallion, Bayou Blossom, Regulator, and the Harvey Colada.

Both locations of pizza and cocktail bar Betelgeuse Betelgeuse will celebrate 713 Day with $7.13 pizzas (small cheese or pepperoni) as well as $7.13 select cocktails. In additions, the restaurants will have vendor markets, live music, and giveaways, including the chance to win free pizza for a year. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP on Eventbrite for $5, all of which will be donated to the Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation.

Burger Bodega will celebrate 713 Day and National French Fry Day all weekend. They’ll have a limited-edition “713 Up” T-shirt for sale (you can get free fries with it), and Bas’s Cheesesteak Window will be around on Monday for a pop-up. 11 am.

Common Bond Coffee & Bakery will be offering one small hot drip coffee or cold brew and choice of pastry — including butter croissant, almond croissant, pistachio croissant, chocolate croissant, and more — for $7.13.

Craft Pita is collaborating with Pinkerton's Barbecue for a one-day-only special of a halal smoked chicken thigh pita made with smoked chicken thigh, spicy aioli, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. In addition, Pudgy's Cookies will offer a limited-edition banana tahini cookie. Both items will only be available while supplies last. 11 am.

Craft Pita Pinkerton's Barbecue Raffi Nasr Grant Pinkerton

Photo by Michael Ma

Raffi Nasr and Grant Pinkerton are teaming up for a smoked chicken pita.

Duck N Bao will offer 14 of its signature cocktails — including the Azalea Margarita, Love At First Sight, and Lychee Martini — all day for $7.13 (normally $12). 11 am.

The Four Seasons Hotel Houston will hold a 713 Day celebration at its lobby bar/restaurant Bayou & Bottle. Enjoy the popular Bayou Burger and a locally-brewed Equal Parts Loggerbier draft for $7.13 all day. 11 am.

Over at Hongdae 33, the restaurant's cocktails, including the Magic Potion, Orange Gummies, and Sour Apple Tequila will be available for $7.13 each (normally $11). 11:30 am.

For Saturday through Monday, the Houston Zoo will offer $7.13 admission tickets. Attendees can add the 713 Day Ballcap Bundle for $35, which includes a limited-edition hat, one admission to Mythical Realms, and one carousel ride. 9 am.

Local Foods will serve a $7.13 tomato sandwich at its four Houston-area locations in Upper Kirby, Rice Village, the Heights, and Uptown. The sandwich is made with everything bagel-seasoned heirloom tomatoes, house whipped ricotta, butter lettuce, basil, and vinaigrette on Slow Dough Texas toast.

Meow Wolf’s Radio Tave is celebrating 713 Day all weekend with live events, special cocktails, limited merch, and live DJ streams from Ice House Radio. Attendees will also receive 13 percent off admission by using promo code 713DAY when purchasing tickets online. 10 am.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will present a screening of the filmed-in-Houston 1994 movie Reality Bites, introduced by writer/visual artist James “The Houstorian” Glassman. Before the movie, enjoy a Houston-themed cocktail and light bites. 6 pm.

Nothing Bundt Cakes will celebrate 713 Day with a special discount on two fan favorites. Customers can enjoy premium, s’mores and cinnamon roll-flavored bundtlets, for $7.13 (normally $7.99) on Monday. 9 am.

Off the Record Listening Bar will have a 713 Day Game Night, hosted by Houston city controller Chris Hollins. Pull up, play some games, and buy some records, all while celebrating the people, culture, and music of H-Town. 6:30 pm.

The Original Ninfa's Uptown and Navigation locations will have deals on some of their classics. On 713 Day, customers can order the chile con queso (normally $13) and the Original Ninfarita (normally $12) for $7.13 each. 11 am.

Pizaro's Pizza is offering a discounted classic for 713 Day during a specific timeframe. On Sunday, customers are invited to place orders of Napoletana Margherita Pizza for $7.13, between 7 pm and 7:13 pm only.

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. will have a full 713 Day, with a DJ playing H-Town hits and live performances. Limited edition shirts, glassware, and stickers will be available, in addition to 713 flash tattoos and a local market. 4 pm.

The Savoy will have a “We Rep 713 Weekend.” complete with a weekend brunch kickoff on Friday, a We Rep Houston Day Party on Saturday, and a “713 Slab Sunday.” On Monday, they’ll have $7.13 frozen cocktails and Houston-themed drinks all day. 11 am.

Star Pizza's 713 Day specials include $7.13 thin and crispy pizzas, a lunch special with a small salad, small New York-style pepperoni pizza, meatball duo appetizer, and spaghetti and meatballs. In addition, get $7.13 Shiner pitchers and $2 Karbach Hopadillo and Crawford Bock.

Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen will bring back the Houston enchilada for 713 Day, and the rest of July, for only $7.13. That's a barbacoa enchilada topped with chile de arbol salsa, fresh chopped onions, and cheese. Happy hour prices on all house drinks and bites will also be available all day long on Monday. 11 am.

At Treebeards, customers are invited to enjoy red beans and rice with sausage (normally $8; limited 4 per customer) for $7.13. 11 am.

Typhoon Texas Waterpark is joining the festivities with a one-day admission for just $7.13. People also can enjoy select food and beverage specials priced at $7.13, along with live music, face painting, and family-friendly activities. 11 am.

713 day houston news-you-can-eat holidays

Movie Review

Star-filled pickleball comedy The Dink aces on Apple TV+

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

Mary Steenburgen and Jake Johnson in The Dink.

While the sport of pickleball was invented way back in the 1960s, it has exploded in popularity in the 2020s. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make a movie about the craze, and a comedy like the new Apple TV+ film The Dink provides the best way to honor and make fun of the divisive sport at the same time.

Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), aka The Hammer, is a former tennis phenom who’s now working as an instructor at a club owned by his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris). While the two don’t always see eye-to-eye, they have a mutual hatred for pickleball, which they have begrudgingly allowed on the property by giving it the worst court.

Dusty is hoping to stop all future pickleball expansion by winning a one-on-one grudge match, but when he injures his wrist, he’s given a prescription of pickleball as a form of rehab. Older women like Candace (Mary Steenburgen) are the only people he can find to play with, and despite his disdain for the sport, he soon falls prey to its low-key charms.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, the film is probably the best advertisement pickleball will ever have. Dusty’s introduction to the sport serves as a lighthearted tutorial for the uninitiated while still getting in some nice digs at its expense. The other players — Candace, Gail (Cleo King), and Judy (Lynn Marie Stewart) — are equally welcoming and critical of Dusty, who initially has trouble adjusting to the game’s different rules.

The film’s approach to the story is silly but never stupid. Dusty is a blowhard, but he’s also able to admit when he’s wrong, especially when Candace introduces him to multiple things he had never considered before. A long-standing feud between Dusty and Andy Roddick provides more than just a goofy cameo for the real-life tennis star. The film also pushes right to the edge of being over-the-top before pulling back, allowing it to keep a semblance of reality to it.

Clements’ story follows a tried-and-true formula, making the film very predictable but enjoyably so. Where it earns its comedy credentials is in its finer details, like Dusty’s love for his 1999 Buick LeSabre with under 200,000 miles on it, his trunk full of old VHS tapes, or his interactions with his assistant PJ (Aaron Chen), who manages to be the comic relief in an already funny film.

Johnson, probably best known for starring in the sitcom New Girl in the 2010s, has the right amount of smarm and niceness to pull off the role, letting viewers laugh at and root for him at the same time. The film is full of comedy all-stars in small roles like Oswalt, Chris Parnell, and Ben Stiller, but Harris steals everyone’s thunder. The line readings by the four-time Oscar nominee give an extra punch to his character’s jokes, especially one that hints at the sordid history of the tennis club.

It’s a shame that The Dink is only playing on a streaming service as there’s a dearth of good comedies like this in movie theaters. With a solid joke-telling approach, a respect for its subject matter, and a cast who all play off each other well, this is a film that deserves to be seen by more than just those with an Apple TV+ subscription.

---

The Dink is now streaming on Apple TV+.

movies sports pickleball film