where to eat and drink during Astros games

Celebrate the return of Astros baseball with more than a dozen food and drink specials

Astros home runs earn free milkshakes this weekend.

Photo by Becca Wright

The Houston Astros will begin their entirely controversy-free quest to earn another American League pennant against Seattle on Friday, July 24. Even though no one will be taking anyone out to the ballgame in 2020, Astros fans can still root, root, root for the team either at their homes or at a number of local bars and restaurants.

We’ve rounded up over a dozen specials. Some are only available on either Opening Day or this week but others will be offered every time the Astros take the field.

Be More Pacific
The Filipino restaurant in the Heights celebrates Opening Day with happy hour specials from open until close. Get $3 draft or packaged beers, $4 wines by-the-glass and well cocktails, $5 San Miguel beers, and $6 signature cocktail. On the food side, take $1 off all orders of lumpia and tikim, $2 off pulutan, and feast on $2 tacos.

The Burger Joint
Both locations of the casual burger restaurant will be giving away free milkshakes to dine-in customers for every Astros home run hit this weekend. In addition, get a special Crush City Dreamsicle shake.

Eight Row Flint
Over in the Heights, this ice house's Astros Party Pack offers a lot of value for $50. Get a 6-pack of Karbach Crawford Bock (plus koozies, an ice-filled beer bucket with the Astros logo, and other Karbach swag), an order of ballpark nachos, two hot dogs, and three mini bottle of Balcones Texas whiskey.

The Flying Saucer
The downtown craft beer bar is raffling off the last three of its infamous Mike Fiers “Snitches Get Stiches” glasses with a drawing on opening day. To enter, buy a 4-pack of 512 Brewing’s pecan porter.

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Win the Very Last Opening Day Glass! Raffle starts today at 2pm! Raffle tickets are available for CARRYOUT ONLY with 4 packs of @512brewing Pecan Porter. Additional tickets are $8 each while they last

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Jul 20, 2020 at 11:15am PDT

Hay Merchant
Chris Shepherd’s pub offers half-off Houston beers when the Astros are winning.

King’s Bierhaus and King’s Biergarten
All three locations of the German restaurant will celebrate Opening Day with $5 Texas draft beers and $5 Astros dogs — a grilled kasewurst topped ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, and relish on a soft brioche bun.

La Calle
The downtown taqueria’s companion cantina will offer happy hour pricing on Opening Day and during all Astros games this season. The offers include 50-percent off the cantina food menu and select cocktails, plus $2.99 draft beers and Tecate cans, $3.99 frozen margaritas and boozy aguas frescas, and $5.99 caguamas (32-ounce bottles of select beers).

Loch Bar
The whiskey-fueled spot in River Oaks District offers $10 “Bregman” burgers, $4 Karbach Crawford Bock drafts, and shot specials during both the 7th inning stretch and whenever the Astros hit a home run.

Monkey’s Tail
The Mexican-themed bar will offer $1 hot dogs during Astros games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dress up that dog with chili or queso for $1 and jalapenos or Cheddar for $0.50.

The Original Ninfa’s
Both the Navigation and Uptown locations of the Tex-Mex staple will offer happy hour pricing during Astros game this season. The offers include $7 Ninfaitas, $5 glasses of sangria or house wines, and $4 beer. Alternatively, sample an Astros margarita ($10) made with carrot juice and a jicama star garnish

Pizzitola’s BBQ
Houston’s oldest barbecue joint has a special, $65 Opening Day package. Available for curbside pickup or dine-in, it comes with: smoked brisket queso and chips, a slab of Pizzitola’s signature pork ribs, six pulled chicken tacos, Cracker Jacks, a 6-pack of Karbach Crawford Bock, and a mystery gift card good for a future visit.

Present Company
Recently reopened for both dine-in and to-go, the ultra popular Montrose patio spot will offer $8 Take It Back Tini and $4 Karbach Crawford Bock.

Rodeo Goat
Wear Astros gear to the EaDo burger joint to get $3 Moontangs, a cocktail that blends -Firefly Moonshine with Tang and “other things.”

Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Head to Houston’s oldest craft brewery for a special Opening Day package that includes: four, quarter-pound all-beef hot dogs with Slow Dough buns, a half quart of Amber Ale beef chili, two bags of Fritos, cheese, and toppings plus a Saint Arnold 6-pack of choice for $45. Available beginning Friday while supplies last.

Underground Hall
The downtown food hall will give away a Saint Arnold Headliner pint glass with purchase of the Blonde Ale (limit one person).

Weights & Measures
Head to Midtown for $5 pints of 8th Wonder Dome Faux’m and $5 Astro Dogs all day on Friday.

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