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    A patio bar for Rice Military

    Houston's next great patio bar coming to a historic building in Rice Military

    Eric Sandler
    Aug 12, 2019 | 1:00 pm

    The patio bar trend is coming to Rice Military. A veteran entrepreneur and a group of investors have big plans for the historic Juergen building at 6202 Washington Ave.

     

     Memorial Trail Ice House will occupy the first floor of the building and an adjacent half-acre lot that will serve as its deck and patio. Co-founder John Shaeffer tells CultureMap that he's a neighborhood resident and Memorial Park regular who wants to bring something different to an area with nightlife options that are mostly dominated by high-energy clubs like Clutch, Kung Fu, and the recently-opened Axis & Alibi.

     

    "This neighborhood has a lot of first-time homebuyers, people in their mid-30s and 40s, which I define as the ice house demographic," Shaeffer says. "As well as all the runners — every afternoon I’m one of them — we put on our shoes and go back to the park then walk home. What better place to stop and have a drink, meet some friends, that’s the idea."

     

    Slated to open in February — in time for next spring's Houston Open at Memorial Park — Memorial Trail Ice House will feature many of the features that have made other patio bars like Kirby Ice House and Axelrad so successful. That starts with the spacious backyard, which will feature an outdoor deck that runs the length of Washington Avenue along with games like corn hole and a mix of seating options such as picnic tables and Adirondack chairs.

     

    Roll-up doors will lead to the interior. Inside, patrons will find a massive, U-shaped bar with more than 50 seats. Photographs will pay homage to the building's history as home to various businesses such as a cafe, a butcher, and a barber shop.

     

    Shaeffer and co-founders Ashley McKenney and Cape Bell recruited the Ladies of Libation to serve as consultants on the project. Co-owner Laurie Harvey tells CultureMap that patrons can expect about 20 taps, a "thoughtful but simple" wine list, and a rotating menu of four to six frozen cocktails.

     

    Shaeffer adds that Harvey and her business partner Kris Sowell will be involved in all aspects of the bar's design and construction to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.

     

    "I don’t have experience in the hospitality business," Shaeffer says. "I’m going to be working with them side-by-side to learn as much as I can. After about a six-month period, they can hand me the ropes and say 'you’ve got it.'"

     

    Indeed, Shaeffer's path from technology entrepreneur to bar owner has been a lengthy one. As a fourth-generation Houstonian (and third-generation Lamar High School graduate), Shaeffer describes himself as having an interest in Houston's history. Driving down Washington Avenue, he couldn't help but notice the yellow brick building that's located just north of the traffic circle at Washington and Westcott Street.

     

    Securing the 10-year lease on the property didn't come easily. To convince the owners to grant it, Shaeffer and his co-founders demonstrated their commitment to the project by raising money through the Executive Association of Houston. Impressed by his presentation, the family not only signed the lease — they also invested in the business, Shaeffer says.

     

    "I have a fascination with historic Houston. Not a lot of it still remains," he says. "This building caught my eye. We’re not doing anything to the exterior, just restoring it to its original beauty. The interior, we’re just retrofitting it into a cool bar."

    Memorial Trail Ice House will feature a half-acre outdoor patio.

    Memorial Trail Ice House rendering exterior night time
      
    Courtesy of Memorial Trail Ice House
    Memorial Trail Ice House will feature a half-acre outdoor patio.
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    welcome to paradise

    Veteran Houston bartender shakes up the Heights with new tropical bar

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 8, 2025 | 1:12 pm
    Berwick's Birds of Paradise bar exterior
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Berwick's Birds of Paradise opened on July 4.

    The woman behind your favorite bartender’s favorite bar has quietly opened a new cocktail spot in the Heights. Called Berwick’s Birds of Paradise, it’s the latest project from Double Trouble owner Robin Berwick.

    Berwick tells CultureMap that she began looking for a new project about a year ago. Double Trouble, a coffee and cocktail bar that opened in late 2011, no longer required her full attention. She found an ideal space with the former La Coqueta at 2020 Studewood Street, a standalone building in a prime area of the Heights. Similar to Double Trouble, Berwick took inspiration from tropical destinations for BBOP's (pronounced “be bop”) drinks and design — with some additional flair from the only kind of bar she’s never worked at.

    “I might be embarrassed if you print this, but it’s the truth. I have bartended in just about every category of bar: restaurant bar, nightclub, dance club, strip club, dive bar, and Anvil and Poison Girl, the cocktail bars that people knew me from before Double Trouble,” she says.

    “The only place I didn’t work that I wanted to was a resort hotel bar. I never want to be responsible for running a hotel, but I wanted to open a bar that felt like it was once attached to a hotel.”

    Patrons will notice a screen printed portrait of a woman hanging on one of the bar’s walls. Berwick has decided that it depicts the mythical owner of the non-existent hotel that BBOP is attached to.

    “I don’t know her name, but she’s a little spooky and she’s blue. I just look at her and ask her what would she do,” Berwick says.

    Berwick worked with Jarred Pruitt and Eli Ashby at Houston builder Pruitt Structures to renovate the space with everything from new plumbing and HVAC systems to a vintage-inspired tile floor and an all-new ceiling treatment. The costs ran a little higher than expected, but Berwick cites her “fantastic investors” who raised the money required to build the bar she envisioned.

     Berwick's Birds of Paradise bar interior The building received a comprehensive renovation to become Berwick's Birds of Paraidse.Photo by Eric Sandler

    The cocktail menu takes a similarly tropical (not to be confused with tiki) theme. For example, the bar’s frozen cocktail is called La Bruha, after a nickname Berwick received from the tradesmen who helped renovate the bar. “It’s a riff on an El Diablo,” she explains, “Tequila, fresh lime juice, spicy ginger beer, habanero tincture, topped with a layer of elderberry liqueur. The ginger surprises people. It’s got a little punch to it.”

    Similarly, the Crocodile Tears Martini gets a little island flavor courtesy of Strange Water, a coconut water created by former Houstonian Yael Vengroff, and Grey Goose Citra vodka. “Everybody’s been saying it’s ‘dangerously drinkable,’” Berwick adds.

    BBOP’s tidy food menu is overseen by veteran Houston chef Jacob Pate, whose resume includes Coltivare, Good Dog Houston, and the recently-closed Savoir. Current offerings include chicken wings, a smash burger, and a Bikini Sandwich — similar to a Cubano, Pate gives the traditional Catalan-inspired pressed ham and cheese sandwich a Houston twist courtesy of muffaletta compound butter and tomato condiment.

    “On the horizon is a house made sausage dog that I’m excited about,” Pate writes in an email. “At Savoir, we had some fun butchery projects that I would like to build upon where it makes sense. Beyond that, the first priority is figuring out how it all fits in our small kitchen and having fun.”

    In addition to food and drinks, Berwick is working with Heights cigar bar Nice Ash to stock a humidor for BBOP. Patrons will be able to smoke a cigar on the bar’s patio. Because people will be smoking (among other reasons), BBOP is strictly 21-plus.

    The bar opened quietly on July 4. So far, its customers has been a mix of curious neighbors, Double Trouble regulars, and Berwick’s friends in the service industry. After spending so much time on renovations, she says she’s happy to focus on operating her bar.

    “I had been used to this high stress level, waiting for the bottom to drop out [during the renovations],” she says. “When the first guests came in, I relaxed. We know how to make drinks.”

    Currently, the bar is open Wednesday-Sunday from 4pm - midnight. Days of service and hours of operation will expand once additional employees have been hired.

    Berwick's Birds of Paradise bar exterior
      
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Berwick's Birds of Paradise opened on July 4.
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