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

Wine lovers have embraced Postino's $5 glasses.

Photo by Becca Wright

Wine lovers have embraced Postino's $5 glasses.

the-heights happy-hours where-drink

Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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