return of the mac

Downtown's largest covered patio bar welcomes hot Houston crowd for massive opening bash

If the completely ridic recent opening is any indicator, the future of downtown nightlife may well be in one of its oldest buildings. Downtown’s largest covered patio bar, McIntyre’s, recently opened with a jam-packed event that looked positively pre-COVID.

Young professionals, downtown regulars and residents, and even some veteran politicos popped into the sprawling, multi-level space that was once the beloved Spaghetti Warehouse building, which dates back to the early 1900s.

What they found was nothing short of a dramatic transformation; the new space in Market Square boasts a sparkling new facade, more than 7,500 square feet of second-level space, sweeping downtown and Buffalo Bayou views, a vibrantly decorated main space, lounge seating in front of a stage, an upstairs L-shaped patio (plus dog-friendly patios), and the bar’s signature swings (an Instagram favorite, to be sure).

The transformation has been in the making since early July 2018. Plans were made to completely gut the old building (60 percent of load-bearing walls were removed) and actually add food trucks inside the venue (the city quickly nixed that idea), co-owner Kyle Berg tells CultureMap.

Given the previous devastation of the familiar (and rumored to be haunted) building due to flooding, new designs means the entire downstairs can take on potential flood waters — a total gamechanger, should the bayou rise.

By the numbers, the new downtown McIntyre’s boasts 65 TVs, two giant screens, 24 beers on tap and 30 bottled and canned, two cocktails on tap, and the “only highball Ranch Water machine in the world, to my knowledge,” Berg notes.

(Fun fact for Ranch Water fans: Berg notes that the machine makes the cocktail with a club soda that’s 40 percent more carbonated than a Topo Chico.)

Food offerings —via food trucks— include hamburgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, pizzas, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, and more pub-style fare.

As for the scene, Berg says the crowd is a mix of those who understand the brand (followers flock to the Heights bar regularly and now, downtown) and those looking for a laid-back, downtown hang. Between live music — country nights and more — and pre-and-post Astros gaming, the massive bar promises to be a favorite.

Berg and his partners — Chase McIntyre, Brian McIntyre, Michael Paolucci, James Crable, and Trey Helle — may have just accomplished a downright historic feat (seriously, how often are beloved Houston buildings adaptively reused) here, but they’re far from done. He teases two new McIntyre’s locations in San Antonio.

First-floor fun.

Photo by Trust in Visionaries

First-floor fun.

craft-beer urban-renewal preservation openings nightlife downtown

Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”