Your Halloween Guide

Slut-O-Ween roars: Houston's sexiest Halloween parties, crazy restaurant deals and wild treats

Not sure what to do on what Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls calls “the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it?” I'm talking about Halloween, of course!

With Halloween falling on a Thursday this year and a lot of celebrating going on a weekend before, there is nearly a week of fun-filled activities to eat, drink and get your ghoul on. Below is a comprehensive list of what to do whether you’re looking to party hearty or to please the little ones.

Oct. 24 (Thursday)

The South Texas Arthritis Foundation brings back their annual Bone Bash, a costumed gala where guests can enjoy cocktails dinner and entertainment along the lines of a costume contest, live music, fortune tellers — and silent and live auctions. The party begins at 6:30 p.m. at Hotel ZaZa.

Oct. 25 (Friday)

Maggiano’s Little Italy on Post Oak Blvd hosts one of my favorite traditions: A murder mystery dinner! Sixty five dollars will get you an appetizer, three courses, and of course the classic comic whodunit show.

Oct. 26 (Saturday)

Texas’s largest Halloween electronic dance music festival ‘Something Wicked,’ returns at Sam Houston Race Park. Disco Donnie Presents and NightCulture host a lineup of more than 20 performers. Think Praia Urbana, only with a gothic twist.

New hipster dive bar Clutch City Squire will be at the center of the action.

Gay icon Lady Bunny will once again man the DJ booth at Hotel ZaZa’s fourth annual Halloween Party. Magicians and makeup artists will be there to further enhance your already awesome costume. This is the party to see and be seen at!

The new and often overlooked Rosemont Social Club will be another Saturday night hotspot. Join PULSE, St. Luke's Medical Center young professionals, for a pre-Halloween costume bash where you can sip and nosh on cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while you watch or participate in a costume contest.

Sing your heart out at Howl Houston's "Howl-O-Ween Bash" during the bar's famous dueling piano show. Make your $7 cover back in the costume contest with $2,000 in cash and prizes.

Dance the night away at the Corinthian for Easter Seals Greater Houston’s The Bash: A Halloween Happening. Skyrocket and Disco Expressions provides live music, and tasty appetizers and signature cocktails will be provided. Easter Seals Greater Houston helps children and adults living with all types of disabilities.

Go outside the Loop to CityCentre, where Life Time Athletic transforms the green plaza into a pumpkin patch. Kids can get into the spirit of things on hay rides, bounce houses with face painters and balloon artists. If you’re a member of the gym, the cost is only $12. For non-members, the cost is $17.

Hope on the downtown revival bandwagon for Gouls Night Out, a bar-hopping adventure featuring drink specials and giveaways at Goro & Gun, Bad New Bar, Okra, The Pastry War, Batanga, and Notsuoh. New hipster dive bar Clutch City Squire will be at the center of the action. Justice Tirapelli-Jamail from the band The Manichean will host a costume contest with free giveaways and swag sponsored by Lone Star beer there. No cover all night.

Oct. 31:

You might want to dress to kill for the Haunting of the Americas on Halloween night where DJ Ill-Set will spin tunes and specialty cocktails will be flowing. Indulge in a devilishly delicioso menu for $35 per person, stay for the costume contest contest and special prizes. Reservations suggestions at AmericasRO@cordua.com.

Hugo's is offering a three-course dinner Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. For $35 a person, guests will select from Hugo's Day of the Dead menu which includes everything from classics like tamales de elote to inventive dishes such as striped bass with caper mole. For dessert, Hugo's incorporates fall by offering a dulce de leche pumpkin mousse. If it's anything like the famous brunch, this meal is not to be missed.

13 Celsius will turn its bar into your favorite childhood neighborhood, only instead of getting candy, you get a better treat: Wine reps pouring tastes of different wines. There will be a wood burning pizza oven on site starting from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the costume theme is "Animal."

Triniti is hosting a five-course dinner on at 7 p.m. for $55 per person. If you’re looking for something more casual, party in the lounge with food and drink specials such as Red Deviled Eggs and Seafood “vampchanas.”

The second annual Washington Avenue Block Party 2013 takes place at Roosevelt Bar. Sponsored by Red Bull and Bud Light, guests can enter to win $3000 in the costume contest. The party is complete with food trucks, plus live music from the band Guts To Glory and DJ StoneRokk.

Mongoose vs Cobra will serve special cocktails and seasonal craft beers while you jam out to the live sounds of the defected Soviet folk-rock supergroup Shotgun Funeral. The fun starts at dusk on Halloween night.

Straits Restaurant is family-friendly during the day and a hopping club scene at night with a simple philosophy: Why limit Halloween to only one night? Festivities kick off with a "Throwback Thursday" themed party where guests are encouraged to wear '70s, '80s or '90s-themed costumes. A G.I. Joe and Barbie themed party goes down Friday, but on Saturday guests are free to choose any costume their heart desires.

Amid the interesting one-of-a-kind decor of Mr. Peeples, enjoy Horror D’oeuvres, Tricks and Treats, live DJ and dancing from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. for $25 at the door and $20 in advance.

Whether you’re in Highland Village or CityCentre, you can go to RA Sushi Bar Restaurant Boo Bash parties. From 7 p.m. to close, boogie the night away with Halloween themed food and drink specials, a costume contest, and a guest D.J.

Hughes Hangar celebrates the day after Halloween from 9 p.m. to close with a masquerade party to benefit Blue Cure, an organization dedicated to prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Tickets range from $35 to $750.

Boneyard’s biggest event just happens to be on Halloween. Corridor Rescue is an organization that saves dogs, gets them medical care, rehabilitates them physically/emotionally and then adopts them out to loving homes. The party includes a raffle and silent auction, and of course lots of fluffy adorable friends!

Take your little ones to CityCentre to look for tasty treasures during a district-wide candy hunt. Do the monster mash in the plaza, which will be a controlled, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere with entertainment for any age group. Best of all, it’s free!

Speaking of free, Gringo’s is offering two free kids meals per adult entree purchased on Halloween. In addition, IHOP is giving away one free Scary Face Pancake per child at all locations, and Chipotle will give kids and adults in costumes the choice of a bullrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos for $3 with all proceeds going to The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

Nov. 1:

House of Blues presents The Rocking Dead Halloween Extravaganza with headliners Here Come the Mummies with Graceland Ninjaz and Bayou City Outlaw Band in the Music Hall. The Foundation Room will feature performers including the Stage Frights, DJ ILL-SET, and Kiki's Sordid Sideshow - The Circ-Burlesque Experience. There will also be a costume contest and food and drink specials for $15 in advance and $20 day of show.

Halloween parties fill Houston's calendar, from all-out costume events to themed dinners.

News_16_ZaZa_Halloween party_October 2011_Crowd_venue

Photo by Chinh Phan

Halloween parties fill Houston's calendar, from all-out costume events to themed dinners.

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Slowpokes is coming

Sawyer Yards cafe closes as Astro-owned Houston coffee brand pivots

Photo by Becca Wright

Maven Coffee's interior will be renovated to reflect Slowpokes' style.

A Houston hospitality group is shifting from operating cafes to selling coffee products to as many people as possible. Rex Hospitality’s decision to focus on products such as cold brew concentrate means that Maven Coffee in Sawyer Yards has closed, but the space will soon reopen as the newest outpost of a growing Houston coffee shop.

Rex partner Juan Carlos de Aldecoa tells CultureMap that he and his business partners, attorney Jimmy Doan and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., have turned over the property to Slowpokes, the growing Houston coffee shop with locations in Garden Oaks, the East End, Levy Park, and more. While Rex is still operating Maven Coffee’s shop at the Thompson Hotel, the company is actively searching for a new operator who would keep the location open as Maven but free it from day-to-day oversight. The future of Maven’s coffee and cocktail stands at Toyota Center and Daikin Park has yet to be decided.

“The cafes are brand plays for us,” de Aldecoa says. “We’re shifting that a bit. We still have more locations coming, but they won’t be operated by us. They’ll be licensing deals in different developments. That’s our new model.”

Instead, the company will focus on growing Maven Coffee Company, which sells cold brew concentrate and other coffee products to both restaurants and directly to consumers. “We’ve had a record month-over-month. If we put the right amount of time and effort into this project, we can make a big impact. I feel that’s where our resources are best utilized,” de Aldecoa says.

Later, he adds, “We’re in 14 different metros. We’d like to increase that to about 50 through our concentrate and having different sorts of products such as RTDs.”

Rex opened Maven at Sawyer Yards in October 2024. Intended to be an all-day cafe, it served coffee and breakfast in the morning as well as a sophisticated dinner menu that included everything from roast chicken and spicy rigatoni to steak and octopus.

Coming Soon to Sawyer Yards

Slowpokes owner Mazen Baltagi tells CultureMap that, after building a friendship with de Aldecoa, he welcomed the opportunity to bring his coffee shop to Sawyer Yards. Having assumed control of the space on January 1, he’s optimistic that the new Slowpokes will open in March. Plans call for replacing the current interior with more homey fabrics and installing vintage speakers that are more in line with Slowpokes’ other shops. He thinks the location is ideal for Slowpokes, which has built a devoted following by selling coffee, beer, and wine that are paired with a diverse food menu built around sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, and breakfast items.

“If you look at all of our locations, most of them aren’t necessarily in high-traffic areas. They’re in underserved areas — besides [nearby] Catalina Coffee, which we’re huge fans of, but they don’t have food [other than pastries] or Wi-Fi,” Baltagi says.

In particular, Baltagi thinks Slowpokes will appeal both to area residents looking for a coffee shop where they can get a little work done and to people exercising at nearby gyms such as Orange Theory and Momentum Climbing Gym. Slowpokes will also build on some of Maven’s existing events, such as the monthly Cars & Coffee gathering and a weekly run club.

“I think it’s a phenomenal brand that can get to 25-plus locations in the Houston area and throughout the state,” de Aldecoa says about Slowpokes. “I think they do a great job. They’ve figured out how to do it at scale. I’m excited for them, and they have a great model.”

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