Where to Drink Now

9 new bars shaking up Houston with cocktails, live music, and more

Houston’s bar scene continues to deliver, with nine new spots offering everything from sneaker-lined walls to art-inspired cocktails. Whether you’re looking to sip, flirt, or just soak up the vibes, these aren't your average gin joints or sports bars. Read on to discover which of the city’s latest bars could become your new favorite haunt.

Augustine Lounge
You don’t need to book a room to visit the only Texas hotel named a best new hotel of the year by both Esquire and Travel + Leisure. Hotel Saint Augustine’s Augustine Lounge is open to hotel guests and locals alike, inviting patrons with fare ranging from a burger with duck liver mousse to a plate of cookies. The rich interior is ideal for sipping cocktails such as the Coyote Call, a mezcal, port, and blackstrap rum concoction with raspberry, lime, and nutmeg. Beers, wines, coffee, and mocktails round out the menu. Augustine Lounge is located at 4110 Loretto Drive and open daily from 11 am-12 am.

Bar Doko
The cozy, 16-seat Japanese-inspired cocktail bar — with a healthy nod to Mexico City's famed Handshake Speakeasy — set up shop in Autry Park next door to its sister restaurant, Doko. Both spots are the latest projects from chefs Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee of Duckstache Hospitality, known for Kokoro, Handies Douzo, Himari, and Aiko. Tucked away in an alley, patrons can find one of the largest selections of rare Japanese whisky in Texas, along with a menu that centers on “the six seasons of Japan and the circle of life.” Signature drinks include the “Natsu” Summer, a concoction of Iichiko, lemon verbena, black lemon bitters, and Fever Tree soda ($18), and “Sora" Sky, a sesame-infused tequila paired with Maven cold brew and topped with a miso foam ($18). Bar Doko is located at 3737 Cogdell Street, Suite 135, and is open daily from 4 pm-2 am.

Birdies Den
This neighborhood bar opened its doors on January 11, welcoming patrons to its spacious covered patio and moody, laid-back interior. The cocktail menu offers “high, low, and no octane” options, with each category featuring drinks such as a Mezcal Old Fashioned, Carajillo, and Guava Me Good (featuring Topo Chico, guava, and grapefruit), respectively. Truffled HTX is hosting steak nights on Tuesdays, while crawfish boils are popping up on Saturdays. The location at 1624 Richmond Avenue has hosted both the Irish bar Penny Whistle Pub, which closed at the end of 2024, and The Harp, another Irish pub that operated for nearly 20 years. Birdies Den is open Monday-Friday from 4 pm-2 am, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 am-2 am.

De Fortune
This Friday, April 25, the new bar in the Regent Square mixed-use development (also home to Mexican Sugar, Georgia James, and the upcoming Succulent Fine Dining) will finally welcome patrons after announcing its opening last May. This is the first foray of MAKE Investments, with Miami-based Unfiltered Hospitality designing the beverage menu and Houston’s Gin Design Group in charge of interiors. Patrons can expect to find inventive cocktails with an international flair, alongside a small selection of bites. “De Fortune” translates from French to “makeshift” or “chance,” a nod to the hospitality group’s aim to offer an evolving experience influenced by seasonal ingredients, exotic spices, and global spirits.

The Kid
It’s time to welcome The Kid to the Heights. The newest concept from the team behind Rodeo Goat and The Flying Saucer has set up shop in the former Flying Fish location at 1815 N. Durham Drive. Playful creations, like the Jalapeno Business (vodka, jalapeno, cucumber, lime, simple syrup, with a Tajin rim) and the Pinky and the Grain (Deep Eddy vodka paired with homemade strawberry syrup and lemon juice), are served alongside classic cocktails such as a French 75. There are only five beers on draft, with Saint Arnold receiving two spots. The menu also features a selection of bottled and canned beers, wines, mocktails, and an extensive range of liquors.

“I want to have classic cocktails with the right vessel,” Asa Hanrahan, co-owner and operating partner, told CultureMap. “Something that’s easy to execute, tastes great, and looks great when it hits your hand.” Rodeo Goat fans will be delighted to find the burger joint’s creations on the menu, along with happy plastic baby goats (aka kids) peeking out from the walls. You’ll find The Kid open Monday through Saturday from 4 pm-2 am, and Sunday from 4 pm–12 am. Human kids are welcome before 7 pm.

Santé Lounge
Art lovers and cocktail enthusiasts can both delight in this Upper Kirby lounge, which welcomes patrons with art-inspired libations and bites. The lounge, located at 2309 Richmond Avenue, has four unique sections that offer patrons a choose-your-own-adventure experience for their visit: the garden room boasts a large central bar and two olive trees; the spin room is where the DJ sets up; the verde room is a more lounge-like space; and an outdoor patio.

Matthew Medina of Cocktail Cowboy Concepts and Santé’s beverage partner has created a menu featuring Gallery Collection Cocktails. Inspired by famous paintings, each cocktail is served on a coaster displaying the corresponding artwork. For example, the tequila-espresso combination is influenced by Vincent Van Gogh's "The Café Terrace at Night," while a mezcal-based cocktail pairs passion fruit and pineapple, evoking Frida Kahlo's "Fruits of the Earth.” Classic cocktails, like a Negroni and a Cosmopolitan, are also available, along with beverages to share with the table, house shots, beer, and wine. To elevate the experience even further, select from Santé’s food selections, which include flatbreads, oysters, and caviar service. The lounge is open daily from 4 pm-2 am.

Sneaks
It’s a coffee shop — no, a sneakerhead spot — wait, no, it’s a bar. Actually, it’s all of those and more. Sneaks has one goal: “We’re trying to make Midtown great again,” co-owner Eddie Massa told CultureMap. This is Massa’s third project with Native Coffee owner Pouya Alavi and lawyer Ash Tadghighi — the trio is also behind the nightclub PDA and 40 All, a sports bar and pickleball court. It’s Tadghighi’s sneaker collection that is put on display, with only one of a pair in a case to deter thieves. Patrons will discover the speakeasy (or “sneakeasy”) hidden behind a bookcase, leading from the chill coffee shop to a vibrant scene of mood lighting, hookah, live DJs, and — of course — a wall of sneakers. Sneaks is located at 3030 Travis Street, with the speakeasy open Wednesday-Sunday from 9 pm-2 am

Sonderbar Internationale
Life has come full circle for Sonderbar owner Reese Haisler, whose newest bar has taken over the former Etro Lounge location on Main St. — the business he originally founded in Montrose in 2007. Sonderbar features a menu of globally-inspired drinks (with bourbon as the lone exception), offering more than 50 beers from over 20 countries, along with craft cocktails, wine, sake, and coffee creations.

The eclectic spot reflects Haisler’s many passions, including his 10,000-vinyl record collection and his background as an artist, DJ, and sound engineer. Haisler personally remodeled the space, and he curates its music that spans from new wave to Italo Disco. Old TVs showcase music videos, with more monitors planned to feature vintage sci-fi clips and animations. From 10 pm-2 am on Fridays and Saturdays, step into Synth Diskoteka, the bar’s dance floor, which Haisler says is his “reinvention of Etro,” though with a broader range of music. Sonderbar is located at 114 Main Street and is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:30 pm-12 am, and Thursday-Saturday from 4:30 pm-2 am.

Starduster Lounge
It’s fitting that a 100-year-old building in the Heights has been transformed into a vibrant neighborhood bar featuring a mural inspired by West Texas, a vintage tile floor, and eclectic furniture. Starduster has already become a destination after opening in January, partially due to its co-owners: Will Thomas (co-founder of White Oak Music Hall and current co-owner of Dan Electro’s) and Benjy Mason (Johnny’s Gold Brick owner and a partner in Winnie’s). Highballs, cocktails, boilermakers, frozens, and beers are available, along with non-alcoholic options that include THC beverages. Don’t miss out on the half-off cocktails happy hour that runs Monday-Friday, 4 pm-6 pm and Tuesday steak nights by Houston food truck legend Jason "Big Sexy" Hill beginning at 5 pm. Starduster Lounge is located at 3921 N. Main and is open Monday-Friday from 4 pm-2 am, and Saturday and Sunday from 2 pm-2 am.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Hotel Saint Augustine was the only Texas property to make the cut on Esquire's 2025 list of Best New Hotels in the World.

where to drink cocktails craft beer openings the-heights downtown

Monday Hustle

Michelin-recognized Houston restaurant now open for dinner daily

Photo by Eric Sandler

Houstonians can finally satisfy their Nancy's Hustle cravings on Monday.

It’s never been easier to get an order of Nancy cakes or former Astros star Justin Verlander’s favorite Houston cheeseburger. Beginning this Monday, May 5, Nancy’s Hustle is now open for dinner seven days a week.

Co-owner Sean Jensen tells CultureMap that he and his business partner, chef Jason Vaughan, opted to add a seventh day of service for several reasons. Most importantly, their customers have been requesting it.

“We’re busy every night,” Jensen says. “We often get complaints that it’s hard to get in. This opens up another day for people to sneak in.”

Indeed, the restaurant, which opened in the fall of 2017, has never been riding higher. Food & Wine recently named it one of the 15 best restaurants in America, based on a nationwide poll of restaurant workers. It also earned a coveted Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Rather than a Michelin star, Jensen thinks Bib Gourmand, which Michelin describes as recognizing “restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices,” felt like the right award for Nancy’s, which has always prided itself on being a neighborhood restaurant with refined food and friendly, polished service.

“If we had gotten a [Michelin] star, I would have thought they were wrong,” Jensen says. “I would have probably been offended if we’d only gotten a recommendation. I think we’re more than that. I think we’re in the right place with a Bib Gourmand.”

The restaurant saw an immediate uptick in diners after the Michelin Guide’s list came out in November, particularly from visitors who wanted to patronize Bib Gourmand recipients, he adds. Being open on Monday allows the restaurant to serve diners who are either staying for a long weekend or flying in on Monday and looking for a good meal.

On a separate note, regulars will notice a new face behind the bar. In January, bartender Brandon Choate left Anvil for a new role as Nancy’s bar manager. He’ll also be working the floor some evenings.

“He’s great. We love the changes he’s making and the new fresh set of eyes,” Jensen says.

Jensen also notes that, since many other restaurants are closed on Monday, being open on that day makes it easier for their peers in the hospitality industry to patronize Nancy’s Hustle. Monday service has been a success at like-minded peers such as Theodore Rex, Nobie’s, and Coltivare, which have always drawn restaurant workers on Monday evenings. Nancy’s makes itself particularly friendly to hospitality workers by seating people until 11 pm nightly.

Finally, being open seven days also benefits the restaurant’s employees. Jensen explains that it became easier to be flexible with employees’ schedules at Tiny Champions — their EaDo restaurant devoted to pizza, pasta, and shareable plates — when that restaurant moved to daily service last summer. For better work-life balance, the restaurant wants to give all employees two consecutive days off, but that could sometimes get tricky when one of those days had to be Monday.

“Instead of having to focus everyone’s two consecutive days as Sunday and Monday or Monday and Tuesday, we can mold days off that work better for them or for us,” he says. Later, he adds, “it makes it easier for those employees who have family or significant others who work nine-to-fives. It’s easier to give them a Saturday or Sunday off when you’re on a seven-day schedule.”

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