h-town happy hour

11 best new happy hours from Houston's hottest restaurants and bars

Doris Metropolitan black brioche bun burger

A beefed up experience at Doris Metropolitan.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Indulging in booze and bar bites is always a good time, but never more so than during happy hour when festive cocktails, a variety of vinos, and savory menu selections are on special.

After a long day at work, pull up a bar stool and peruse the new happy hour deals at these Houston hot spots, which offer plenty of bargain eats and drinks for all.

1751 Sea and Bar
Find seafood and much more on the happy hour menu at 1751 Sea and Bar helmed by executive chef Lyle Bento. Available every Tuesday through Saturday from 4-6 pm, Gulf oysters will set you back a buck each and a revolving menu of daily crudo from the ice bar is a cool $5. Drinking while dining is highly encouraged, because the expansive bar menu featuring signature G&Ts, martinis, and wines by the glass are half off during this time.

a'Bouzy
This spirited River Oaks restaurant serves as an exciting happy hour destination with its ever-changing menu of seasonal bites and beverages available every Thursday from 3-6:30 pm. Menu selections may feature tuna tartare with spicy aioli or steamed black mussels, saucy with garlic lemon-butter, and should most definitely be paired with a French rosé or Italian rouge classico — each just $4 per glass.

BB Lemon
Dine and drink during “Lemon Hour” at buzzy BB Lemon, made available Monday through Friday from 3-6 pm. Fun and flavorful bar bites like the house-made beer cheese topped Frito pie and Texas wagyu hot dogs are only $6; and in addition to $8 craft cocktails, all of the wines listed on the bar menu are discounted $2.

Doris Metropolitan
The famed bread service, feta-topped tomato salad with the fruit presented four ways and beef kebab with tahini are hard to resist at Doris Metropolitan, but even more so during happy hour Sundays through Thursdays from 5-6:30 pm when each item is heavily discounted. A handful of wines by the glass are listed under $10, and $7 cocktails like the coconut daiquiri and Aperol Collins make for a lively evening.

Jack & Ginger’s
Enjoy an extended happy hour at Midtown’s newest Irish pub where, from 11 am to 9 pm every Monday through Friday, specials on wine, appetizers, and beer flights are offered throughout the bar and patio. Snack on crisp, salty potato chips with smoked cheddar pub cheese, or the gooey grilled cheese hushpuppies with sweet strawberry jelly paired with a cold one.

Kanaloa
Get tipsy off of tiki cocktails and more at this low-lit bar and courtyard located adjacent to Market Square Park in Downtown. Potent, fruit forward cocktails served in tall tiki glasses are on special Monday through Friday from 4-7 pm and serve as fun accessories for an Instagrammable moment. Visit on Tiki Tuesday and enjoy happy hour prices all day, with $1 off tacos.

Kau Ba Saigon Kitchen
After garnering fame from her appearances on Netflix’ Ugly Delicious and Street Eats, localebrity Nikki Tran has launched a brand new weekday happy hour pairing Vietnamese street eats with half-priced wine and cocktails at Kau Ba in Montrose. A menu of savory small plates including fried dumplings with fermented lemon sauce and fried tofu with shrimp paste are no more than $5, and guests are welcome to enjoy the discounted offerings throughout the entire restaurant, bar, and patio.

Miss Carousel
This moody East Downtown destination is a fabulous place to indulge in boozy craft cocktails and spirits, but especially during 4-6 pm (seven days a week) when classic adult beverages like the Moscow Mule and Old Fashion are discounted to $6. Vote for vino? House picks of blush, reds, and whites are also on special for $7 per glass.

Perry’s Steakhouse River Oaks
Get social at Perry’s Steakhouse in River Oaks, where the entire first level, coined Bar 79 — an ode to the year Perry’s was founded — offers a festive scene in which to dine and drink. On weekdays from 3-7 pm, and also Sunday evenings from 4-9 pm, the social hour features cocktails like the Smokey Rita crafted with Hornitos Black Barrel tequila and savory bar bites like the chopped beef tenderloin pizza for just $9.

Riel
Find a slew of exotic eats on the happy hour menu available in the bar at Riel all night on Monday and Tuesday to Friday from 5 to 6:30 pm. Comfort plates like the crisp, golden gator karaage with ranch dressing and hot dog minis garnished with fried rice and gochujang are on special, while a selection of white, red, and sparkling wines are $7 and classic cocktails, only $8.

The Pink Elephant Room
Partake in boozy happy hour specials between 4-7 pm daily at this vibey new Washington Avenue bar. Coined Happier Hour, discounted drinks include $2.50 Lone Star beers, and wine and house cocktails, marked 50 percent off. Beat the heat with $4 frozen bevs, or opt to kick your night up a notch with $3 Amarula shots.

A tiki-themed happy hour at Kanaloa.

Kanaloa/Facebook

A tiki-themed happy hour at Kanaloa.

happy-hours drinks

a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

openings news-you-can-eat the rice box