With baseball season gearing up for the playoffs (Go 'Stros!) and college (Go Undefeated Cougs!) and pro football games in full swing (Quit breaking our hearts, Texans!), it's a great time to catch the play-by-play of your favorite Houston sports teams while feasting on top-notch bar snacks.
Below are 10 spots to watch the big game while you score with elevated spins on nachos, burgers and more.
Anejo
The upscale Tex-Mex restaurant at Uptown Park offers two TVs in the bar and stellar nachos topped with poached snapper, spinach a la Mexicana (creamed spinach with cheese), queso fresco and lime-cumin crème.
Bramble
Head to the Memorial-area neighborhood joint where you can get finger-friendly food, like squash blossom beignets. Stuffed with goat cheese, the fried snack is accompanied by a dip-worthy side of house-made green goddess dressing.
Rico’s Morning + Noon + Night
Catch all the action at the Midtown outdoor dining spot, decked out with two 50-inch flat screen TVs, oscillating fans and patio heaters. Game-day fare includes the guacamole-slathered Tex-Mex burger (with queso, salsa and sliced jalapeño) and the flavor-packed H-Town Dog (bacon-wrapped 44 Farms beef presented on a Slow Dough bun with ketchup and house-made onion jam).
Caracol
While there are plenty of Gulf oysters to be had in Houston, we can't get enough of the wood-roasted ostiones asados at the Galleria seafood spot. The killer combination of the seven-spice chipotle butter and the Texas mesquite-burning oven make it a grand slam.
Hay Merchant
Go big at the Midtown staple, where the roster of game-time eats features a roasted half pig’s head served family-style (enough for up to six to share). Load tender meat slices onto a tortilla with lettuce cups, kimchi salsa and pickled vegetables, and then wash it all down with any of the 80 craft beers on the drink menu. Make sure you plan ahead: This dish takes 45-minutes to prepare.
Benjy's
Support the home team at the Rice Village locale of the New American eatery. The upstairs bar offers game day viewing while the kitchen offers an upscale spin on chicken wings (with chile-lime sauce and togarashi Japanese spice mix).
Soma Sushi
You wouldn’t expect to find a hot dog on the menu at the Washington Avenue sushi hot spot, but you can’t go wrong with Soma's Japanese corn dog (filled with unagi (eel), fried in pancake batter, then topped with pickled ginger, spicy mayo, green onions and bonito flakes).
Baker St. Pub & Grill
Not your run-of-the-mill burger, place your bet on the sriracha ranch version at the laid-back pub. Messy good, this standout comes loaded with fried jalapeños, pepper jack, bacon, caramelized onions and sriracha ranch dressing and served on a toasted sweet sourdough bun.
D&T Drive Inn
The Heights-area bar boasts four TV's and a can't-miss smoked portabello torta (with black beans, avocado, radish, queso fresco, sour cream and cilantro).
Pour Society
Fill up on the Texas banh mi (with smoked chicken, chicken-liver mousse, cauliflower relish, Swiss chard and barbecue vinaigrette) while you tune in to any of 17 flat-screen TVs at the spacious gastropub located at the Gateway Memorial City complex.
The roster of game-time eats at Hay Merchant features a roasted half pig’s head.
