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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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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