Black Friday Dining Deals

14 best Houston restaurant deals to wine and dine on Black Friday

Montrose Cheese & Wine bottles on a shelf

Get 20-percent off wine this weekend at Montrose Cheese & Wine.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Black Friday offers a wealth of deals; Houston's restaurants and food-related retailers are eager to get in on the action. Shoppers will find gift card bonuses, discounts on wine, and food specials at establishments across the city.

Best of all, dining out means not eating leftovers.

Bowl & Barrel/The General Public/The Rustic
All three of FreeRange Concepts’ Houston establishments are offering a gift card special that starts on Black Friday and lasts until December 31. For every $50 gift card purchased, the buyer will receive a bonus, $15 gift card.

Houston Wine Merchant
To celebrate Small Business Saturday, the ultra-popular wine and spirits purveyor offers big discounts on wine. Get 10-percent off when purchasing between one and 11 bottles, 15 percent off when purchasing 12 or more bottles, and 20-percent off when purchasing 48 or more bottles. Spirits are not included. See store for details.

Ike’s Love and Sandwiches
Recently opened in The Heights, this California-based restaurant is running a BOGO sandwich deal from November 29 through December 1. Simply show the staff this graphic to redeem the offer.

Montrose Cheese & Wine
Goodnight Hospitality’s retail shop and wine bar is running a special from November 29 - December 2. Get 20-percent off all retail items from open until 2 pm (excludes cheese) and get 20 percent off all 12-pack wine cases all day — even the fancy bottles. In addition, those who purchase a $100 gift card will receive a bonus $20 card (offer valid until Christmas Eve).

The Palm
Receive a $25 bonus gift card with the purchase of a $250 gift card at the venerable steakhouse and Italian restaurant.

Pappas Restaurants
All of the restaurants in the family-owned business (Pappasito's, Pappadeaux, Pappas Bros. Steak House, etc) are offering a gift card promotion through December 31. Purchase a $50 gift card and receive a $10 bonus gift card.

Peli Peli
The South African restaurant with four Houston-area locations has an appealing gift card offer. Purchase a $50 gift card and receive a bonus $10 gift card that’s activated on Christmas Day; those who step up to a $100 gift card will get a bonus $20 gift card.

Perry’s Steakhouse
In addition to its regular Friday lunch special — get a smaller cut of the restaurant’s signature pork chop for just $16 from 10:30 am to 4 pm — the restaurant will give a bonus $25 gift card to anyone who purchases a gift card worth $125.

Pluckers Wing Bar
The Austin-based restaurant and sports bar with four (soon to be five) Houston area locations is taking half-off the cost of joining the Pluckers Club. For only $10 (on Black Friday), members receives discounts on food and perks like a free meal on their birthdays.

Postino Wine Cafe
The wine bar with locations in The Heights and Montrose offers a $30 bonus gift card to anyone who purchases a $100 gift card. Offer valid in-store on online on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Saint Arnold
Houston’s oldest craft brewery will celebrate Black Friday with a Big Beer Blowout. Get bottles of various brews from the Divine Reserve and Bishop’s Barrel series to complete a flight. For the first time, changes to Texas law means customers may take their purchases to-go. In addition, the beer garden and restaurant will have a number of special beers available on draft.

Shake Shack
The global burger juggernaut will be running a Black FryDay promotion from November 27- December 1. Diners receive a scratch off ticket good for prizes such as:

Free burger with any $20 order or free fries with any $15 order via the Shack App
Free Delivery with any $15 order through Grubhub
Free Shack for a year (a $2,500 gift card)

news-you-can-eat

Hoffman's Houston

Ken Hoffman takes a swing at Houston Astros' pitch to build a new downtown hotel

Photo courtesy of Visit Houston

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Astros owner Jim Crane says the team is ready to break ground on a major construction project that will include a hotel and entertainment complex across the street from Minute Maid Park as soon as the 2023 baseball season wraps up – hopefully with another World Series parade in downtown Houston.

AstrosWorld!

But another hotel? Another entertainment complex? More construction downtown? My first reaction was, how much more does Houston need? I remember when the Super Bowl was held in Houston in 2004, clubs and restaurants sprung up downtown practically overnight, only to disappear virtually the morning after. When it came to downtown development, the expression “less is more” turned out true. At least that Super Bowl.

I asked my contacts in government and the Houston welcome wagon, is this a good idea, building a hotel and entertainment complex next door to Minute Maid Park? Do we need it? Can we sustain it?

The answer every time was a resounding yes! For a couple of reasons: first, downtown Houston, coming out of Covid, is booming, leadership is creative and budget-minded these days, and most important, if Jim Crane is behind the idea, you can trust it’ll work. The guy’s got a track record.

“In 2004, the idea was to turn downtown’s Main Street into Bourbon Street. Is that what we really want? It was a misguided plan, the wrong philosophy, and businesses opened and closed in short order,” a source told me.

It was a different story when the Super Bowl returned to Houston in 2017. This time Houston saw the Marriott Marquis, a 1,000-room hotel complete with an iconic Texas-shaped swimming pool, open in time for the tourist onslaught. Also, Avenida Houston greeted downtown visitors with new restaurants and entertainment venues. Both the Marriott and Avenida Houston have continued to thrive long after the Super Bowl left town.

“We want our downtown to attract visitors while providing services for the growing number of singles and families who are making their home downtown. As we continue to host major events and conventions, there will be a need for more hotel rooms,” the source said.

The Astros’ plan to build a sprawling hotel and entertainment complex originally was discussed in 2021 but was put on hold due to Covid. Now Crane and the Astros are ready to come out swinging. Similar complexes operate successfully next to the baseball stadium in St. Louis, Chicago and other cities.

An Astros-themed hotel adjacent to Minute Maid Park is particularly intriguing. The lobby could be home to an Astros museum and team Hall of Fame. Rooms and restaurants could be decorated in honor of Astros legends – the “Nolan Ryan honeymoon suite,” or “Strech Suba’s Bullpen Bar and Grille.” There could be meeting space for autograph and memorabilia shows. There could be a broadcast facility for post-game interviews and analysis. And maybe one day, fingers crossed, a betting parlor like the Cubs have at Wrigley Field.

The Astros have a contract to play at Minute Maid Park through 2050 – the only long-term contract that doesn’t make Crane cringe. Anything that enhances the fan experience and generates revenue is good for the team and the city. I might even consider going downtown on non-game nights.

hotels downtown houston-astros