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    Happy hour Deals

    9 best new happy hour deals in Houston let you drink and eat well on the cheap

    Marcy de Luna
    May 30, 2017 | 10:12 am

    There's no better time than the present to sneak out early for happy hour. And while there’s no shortage of killer happy hours in H-Town, we could always use a few more. Read on for the nine best new happy hour specials in H-Town, both at recently-open spots and at familiar faves. Because all work and no play would be pretty dull.

    FM Kitchen and Bar
    All our happy hour goals come true at FM Kitchen and Bar, near Washington Ave. Every beer in the house — there are more than 40 total by the can, bottle and tap — is on special ($1 off), along with a half dozen craft cocktails ($1 off), like the watermelon mule mixed with melon vodka, fresh watermelon juice, and ginger beer. Work up a thirst while you play a game of Bocce, Connect Four or cornhole on the patio. (Weekdays; 4-7 pm)
    1112 Shepherd Dr.; 832-804-6006

    Worcester's Annex
    Happy hours are a dime a dozen, but Heights bar Worcester's Annex takes it to a whole new level, offering all 26 house cocktails, including the Fino Fresca with sherry, watermelon juice, Absinthe, lemon juice and cucumber ($4) and Ten Cent Pistol ($6), a blend of rye whisky, aperitif, dry vermouth, and muddled peaches, for 50 percent off. (Weekdays; 4-6 pm)
    1433 N. Shepherd Dr.; 713- 862-4748

    Le Colonial
    You don’t have to settle for mediocre sips and bites when you can score delicious eats ($8), like banh mi sliders and crispy frites with Vietnamese spices served with spicy aioli, and refreshing cocktails ($8), including the Crimson Crush made with pink grapefruit flavored vodka, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice, and topped with Sprite, for a deal during social hour at posh River Oaks District spot, Le Colonial. (Monday-Saturday; 5-7 pm)
    4444 Westheimer Rd G-140; 713-629-4444

    Relish
    At Upper Kirby’s Relish, drinks deals abound on the happy hour menu. All 20 cocktails, both classic and creative like Relish Rosé 75 made with gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and sparkling rosé, are on special ($6 each), as well as craft beers ($5). Also on the menu: a burger and fries combo ($10), kale salad ($10), and deviled eggs ($1 each). (Weekdays; 3-6 pm)
    2810 Westheimer Rd.; 713-599-1960

    Provisions
    Provisions, which shares a roof with its more upscale sibling The Pass, throws it back with “The Original Po' Boy,” stacked with mortadella, capocolla, provolone, mayo, chow chow, pepper relish, lettuce, and tomato ($10), a nod to the original Antone's Famous Po' Boys & Deli, which occupied the building for more than 50 years. The roster of seven bites also features a kale and red oak salad ($8) and a margherita pizza ($12). Thirst quenchers include an Old Fashioned ($6), red and white wines by the glass ($5), and beer ($4). (Daily; 2:30-6 pm)
    807 Taft St.; 713-628-9020

    Heights Bier Garten
    This laid-back neighborhood spot’s name doesn't lie. At Heights Bier Garten, there are more than 45 beers on tap, with nearly half, including hoppy Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale and Brash Cortado coffee milk stout, available for a mere $3 each during happy hour. What’s more, wines by the glass are 50 percent off. (Weekdays; 3-6 pm)
    1433 Shepherd Dr.; 713-862-4940

    Killen’s Steakhouse
    Time flies when you're having fun, which makes the newly revamped — and extended — happy hour menu at Killen’s Steakhouse all the more alluring. Dig into fare (think shrimp po' boy sliders, $12, and chicken fried steak bites, $12) and imbibe craft cocktails like the St. Rita, a combination of tequila, elderflower liqueur, and fresh lime juice ($7). (Monday-Tuesday from 3:30-9 pm; Wednesday-Friday from 3:30-6:30 pm)
    6425 Broadway St., Pearland, 281-485-0844

    King's BierHaus
    During happy hour at the Heights locale of King's Biergarten, the kitchen serves up specialty bites ($5) like a giant beer pretzel and Bavarian fried pickles, while the bar offers draft beers ($6) and cocktails ($7), from a strawberry mojito to a frozen Dark and Stormy. (Weekdays; 3-6 pm)
    2044 East T C Jester Blvd.; 281-990-3042

    Star Fish
    Martinis and oysters go together like peas and carrots. Making the killer combo happen for a deal during happy hour is Star Fish restaurant. Discounted Gulf ($1) and Atlantic ($2) oysters are joined by five different martinis ($5 each) from traditional to the Debutante made with cranberry vodka, vermouth, and lime juice. Specially priced wines by the glass ($5), craft beers ($5), and a house Old Fashioned ($5) can also be yours. Here, happy hour launches Thursday. Good things come to those who wait. (Weekdays; 4-6 pm).
    191 Heights Blvd.; 832-831-9820

    The Watermelon Mule at FM Kitchen and Bar is mixed with melon vodka, fresh watermelon juice, and ginger beer.

    Houston, new happy hour deals, May 2017, Watermelon Mule, FM Kitchen and Bar
      
    Courtesy photo
    The Watermelon Mule at FM Kitchen and Bar is mixed with melon vodka, fresh watermelon juice, and ginger beer.
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    and the winner is...

    Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 17, 2025 | 6:00 am
    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation
    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

    Add another Houston chef to the city’s growing list of James Beard Award winners. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, earned Best Chef: Texas at the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony.

    Held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 16, Bille was one of five finalists for the award, along with fellow Houstonian Emmanuel Chavez (Tatemo), Emil Oliva (Leche de Tigre in San Antonio), Regino Rojas (Purépecha in Dallas), and Michael Anthony Serva, (Bordo in Marfa). Neither of Houston’s other finalists — Mexico City-inspired cafe Casaema (formerly known as Ema) for Best New Restaurant and fine dining tasting menu restaurant March for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — earned awards in their categories.

    A Los Angeles native who moved to the Houston area to be closer to his wife’s family, Bille took a winding path to his James Beard Award. He opened the first iteration of Belly of the Beast in 2020 as a chef-driven taqueria that was known for its ceviches and birria tacos. He then spent about a year at Chivos, an ambitious but short-lived Mexican-American restaurant in the Heights.

    In late 2023, he and his wife Elizabeth opened a new version of Belly of the Beast in a Spring shopping center. It showcased a broader array of Bille’s skills, with a wide-ranging menu that pulled from global flavors — lamb shank rendang, anyone? — that included meat, seafood, and pastas. The new restaurant quickly earned wide acclaim, including a Bib Gourmand in the 2024 Michelin Guide and CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations for both Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year.

    “I feel a depth of gratitude,” Bille tells CultureMap in a text message. “Knowing that my wife and I were able to reopen on our own terms. Gratitude for my family, staff, and guests to give us love and support. It is much appreciated.”

    In an interview from the ceremony shared by the James Beard Foundation, Bille paid tribute to his wife, Elizabeth, for her role in the restaurant’s success.

    “The risk that my wife and I took to open this restaurant is more than worth it. My wife left her industry, she was a national director for nonprofit organization,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re going to reopen Belly of the Beast. I need you with me side-by-side the whole time.’ The first iteration she held down her job and supported us. With her at my wide, I’m able to focus on the kitchen, on the food, and mentoring my cooks. Able to see the bigger picture instead of just being in the weeds all the time.”

    Bille is the second Houstonian to win Best Chef: Texas, joining Street to Kitchen chef-owner Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who won in 2023. Since the category of Best Chef: Texas has only been awarded since 2022, Bille is the first man to earn the title. Prior to being its own region, the James Beard Foundation included Texas in the Southwest, where chefs Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie), Chris Shepherd (Underbelly), Justin Yu (Oxheart), and Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s) all won awards.

    The only other Texas finalist to win his category was Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, who became the first winner of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, one of three beverage-oriented categories the foundation added for 2025.

    In addition to Bille and Ezekiel, Texam Chad Houser, founder of Cafe Momentum in Dallas, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Toni Tipton-Martin, a Houston-based author, scholar, and journalist, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Houstonian Alba Huerta, who won Outstanding Beverage Program for her bar Julep in 2022, presented one of the night’s awards.

    “It’s with deep celebration that we congratulate the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award winners — distinguished culinary, beverage, and hospitality leaders whose talent and vision are shaping our dining landscape,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation, in a statement. “These outstanding professionals are the epitome of ‘Good Food for Good,’ elevating our industry’s standards and redefining what’s possible in American cuisine.”

    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
      

    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

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