Astros playoff specials

9 hot Houston food and drink specials to cheer on the Astros big playoff run

Find beer specials and a hot dog deal at FM Kitchen & Bar.

Photo by Dylan McEwan

Like Alex Bregman said, “we’ll never know” what it’s like for the Houston Astros not to win the AL West. Now the real work of defending the team’s World Series title begins with a best-of-seven series against the Minnesota Twins.

Fans will certainly pack Minute Maid for both games this weekend, but far more people will want to root for Bregman, Jeremy Pena, Justin Verlander, and the rest of the team than can fit in any single stadium. Thankfully, a number of Houston-area restaurants and bars are offering specials that will last throughout the playoff run — hopefully all the way to another World Series victory parade.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a list of local restaurants and bars serving specials for the ALDS series.

But first, a quick time out.

Vote for our Ultimate Sports Bar Showdown

CultureMap and SportsMap are teaming up to celebrate the return of the fall sports season with The Tailgate, our all-out party devoted to everything sports. It’s happening Wednesday, October 25 at Silver Street Studios, and tickets are already on sale.

For The Tailgate’s second year, we’re inviting CultureMap and SportsMap readers to vote for Houston’s best sports bar in our Ultimate Sports Bar Showdown. Our panel of editors and other local experts has compiled a roster of 16 local favorites with an array of different strengths. Some are owned by professional athletes, while others are part of local or national chains.

Vote here for your favorite.

Want to find out who wins? Join us at The Tailgate on Wednesday, October 25 at Silver Street Studios. Favorite restaurants such as FM Kitchen and Bar, Wild Concepts, Leaf & Grain, Ramen Tatsu-ya, and CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best New Restaurant winner Aiko will serve sports-themed bites alongside many of our Ultimate Sports Bar nominees.

The event also will shine a spotlight on sports-related nonprofits and give you the chance to pitch in and make a difference for the causes they champion. Learn more about Dynamo and Dash Charities, Houston Texans Foundation, and others.

General admission ($50) and VIP ($75) tickets are on sale now. All tickets include bites by participating restaurants, complimentary premium beverages, and access to fun activities throughout the event. VIP tickets offer one-hour early entry, a dedicated VIP bar, and a meet-and-greet with former Houston Texans star Jonathan Joseph. Buy them now.

Home run food and drink specials

Back to the ’Stros. Check out the list below for food and drink deals that include beer specials, hot dog discounts, and tasty frozen cocktails.

Chapman & Kirby
Located near Minute Maid Park, the EaDo bar and restaurant will feature $25 beer buckets during Astros games. Pair them with snacks like queso, brisket fries, chicken tenders, and fajitas nachos.

Christian’s Tailgate
The popular burger joint and sports bar will feature $20 buckets of beer and drinks named after Astros mascot Orbit.

Craft Pita
Get buy two get one free spreads for takeout or delivery throughout the postseason. Choices include hummus, beet hummus, spicy hummus, labneh, and babaganoush.

Flight Club
The interactive dart bar is offering Astros fans a flatbread and a beer for $10 during home games.

FM Kitchen & Bar
The comfort food restaurant near Washington Avenue will feature specials such as $5 Crawford Bock drafts, $20 Estrella Jalisco buckets, and $12 Astros-themed cocktails. In addition, get a hot dog for just $4 (toppings like chili, cheese, and guacamole available for an additional cost).

Heights & Co.
This popular patio bar will feature specials, including the ‘Stros Smash Burger, the Crush City Margarita, and $1 off all beers. In addition, get a complimentary beer with the purchase of a Brisket Grilled Cheese.

Jax Grill
Get 10 percent off your food bill for wearing Astros gear during all playoff games at both the Shepherd Drive and Bellaire locations.

J-Bar-M Barbecue
Get happy hour prices all day, every day throughout the Astros post season run at this barbecue joint in EaDo. That includes $5 frozen margaritas and watermelon ranch waters as well as $15 beer buckets.

The Upside Pub
This neighborhood-friendly spot in Garden Oaks will have the sound on for all Astros playoff games. Get an Astros dog (a bacon-wrapped brisket hot dog topped with queso, pico de gallo. and crispy onions and jalapeños) with fries and a Crawford Bock for $15.

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a truer sound

New Montrose listening bar is a high-fidelity haven for music lovers

Courtesy of Casalu

Grab a seat at the bar.

Montrose’s lively bar scene has welcomed a new listening lounge that’s drawing major buzz. Called Casalu, it aims to have the best-sounding room in Houston.

Owner Lutfi Rukab brings experience as a co-owner of Brookstreet Bar-B-Q to Casalu. The bar’s location at 1001 Missouri allows it to share a parking lot with Brookstreet’s Montrose location. Rukab tells CultureMap that his experience as both a DJ and a patron of listening bars around the world motivated him to open Casalu.

“When I’ve traveled to places like Europe and New York, I always come across these places with impeccable sound,” Rukab explains. “When we go out in Houston, I get a headache or we have to scream. When I started looking around, I noticed no one has proper room treatments or proper sound. That was the first thing I wanted to focus on, and then everything else would follow.”

To achieve the proper sound, Rukab invested in a high-end stereo system made with premium components, obsessing over details like amplifiers and speaker cable. A hand-built, Japanese-made rotary mixer from Alpha Recording Systems allows DJs to mix tracks between Casalu’s two turntables. Custom-built speakers from German manufacturer H.A.N.D. Hi-Fi ensure clean sound at both low and high volumes.

“I toured everywhere to look for speakers,” Rukab says. “[H.A.N.D.] makes bespoke speaker systems for restaurants and cafes and bars and homes all over the world. They talk to you about what you want. Everything is custom-made. Everything is designed for the space.”

A rotating cast of local and regional DJs will make regular appearances at Casalu. Genres will run the gamut, with everything from jazz and French house to ’80s music, disco, and more. Like Rukab, general manager Omar Azhari has hospitality experience and has performed as a DJ. Together, they’re curating a list of performers that will also include live musicians.

“We’re going to play music as it was intended to be listened to from the recording studio, with minimal distortion,” Rukab says.

Rukab let his own taste guide the bar’s interior design. It has the feel of a well-curated living room, with a mix of seating options that includes tables for two, booths for larger groups, and, of course, seats at the bar. An outdoor patio brings Casalu’s total capacity to about 130 people.

Bar manager Fatima Imanli created a cocktail menu that nods to Rukab’s Palestinian heritage by including Mediterranean ingredients. For example, the Closing Track combines espresso and tequila with date-cardamom syrup. Similarly, the Fig & Vinyl blends bourbon with caramelized figs, and the Midnight Luce is an espresso martini riff that’s made with a tahini syrup. As part of a commitment to avoid processed sugars, all of the bar’s syrups are made with either honey or agave nectar.

In addition to cocktails, Casalu offers a tidy selection of wines by the glass or bottle and a few beers. Houston roaster Greenway Coffee is working with Casalu on its coffee program, which is powered by the espresso machine that had been installed at Paulie’s, the neighborhood Italian restaurant that closed last year.

Casalu’s limited food menu also takes inspiration from the Mediterranean. Customers will find options like hummus, olives, labneh, cheese, charcuterie, and more.

After a quiet soft opening, Rukab is feeling good about the investment he made in Casalu. Feedback has been positive, and people seem to appreciate what he’s created.

“We’ve had a great reaction. I couldn’t ask for more,” he says. “It’s a dream when they say ‘wow.’ Those are the best words coming out of somebody’s mouth.”

Casalu is located at 1001 Missouri St. It’s open from 3 pm to midnight Monday through Thursday, and from 3 pm to 2 am Friday and Saturday. Reservations are available online.

Courtesy of Casalu

Grab a seat at the bar.

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