Welcome home, Queen

12 Houston spots honoring Queen Bey's return with Cowboy Carter specials

Furs, boots, spurs — are you ready to celebrate the Queen this weekend? Whether you have Beyoncé tickets or not, multiple spots across the city are celebrating the songbird’s return to Houston. Read on to see where you can sip on specialty cocktails (many made with Beyoncé's own SirDavis whisky), croon along with fellow fans, indulge in festive brunches, and, yes, even get a free taco.

Aye Candy
The speakeasy in Spring Branch is now slinging Beyoncé-themed SirDavis whisky-based cocktails through July 1. Drunk in Love features honey and fresh lemon, while The Bey Fashion is an Old Fashioned riff. Lemonade Standby combines citrus and honey, topped with champagne and finished with honeycomb. Aye Candy is open Tuesday-Thursday from 5 pm-12 am, and Friday and Saturday from 5 pm-2 am.

Hidden Bar at Norigami
This intimate cocktail bar tucked inside West U. hand roll concept Norigami is serving a $15 Beehive Bramble on Saturday and Sunday. Concert goers can bring in their ticket stub to get the speciality drink for just $9. Hidden Bar is open Saturdays from 3 pm-2 am, and Sundays from 3 pm-12 am.

Hotel Vesper
Saddle up and ride to the Galleria, where Hotel Vesper has a SirDavis Happy Hour from now until June 29. Imbibe in beverages crafted with Queen Bey’s whisky like the Texas Buckiin’, Honey Bee, The Houston, and See Her Dance.

Intercontinental Hotel
Just up the street from NRG Stadium, the InterContinental Houston has two SirDavis Whisky cocktails and a mocktail to enjoy before Queen Bey takes the stage. Smoke Hour is an Old Fashioned with mezcal and peach, while the Black Bird is a twist on a Cassis egg white sour. The mocktail, ideal for younger fans, is a mixture of grapefruit, ginger beer, and lemon.

La Calle Tacos
Fuel up before or after the concert with tacos. La Calle Tacos is giving one free taco to each concertgoer who presents proof of ticket on either Saturday or Sunday. The taqueria is open Saturdays from 9 am-3 am, and Sundays from 9 am-12 am at Bagby Park in Midtown, and 9 am-2 am at its downtown location.

Marriott Marquis
Bring that Cowboy Carter energy to this downtown hotel, where patrons can sip on SirDavis cocktails (Honey Bee, Texas Buckiin’, and Davis Old Fashioned), and bring home an engraved aluminum SirDavis Whisky cup as a souvenir (available with purchase). Visit the Marriott Marquis now until June 29 between 4 pm-1 am.

The Original Ninfa’s
Both locations of the beloved Tex-Mex restaurant are pouring the Sasha Sunrise, a liquid ode to the Queen. The $15 cocktail features Chihuahuan Desert Sotol, charred orange and guajillo pepper cordial, lime juice, piloncillo syrup, and honey hibiscus agua fresca foam. Ninfa’s is open Saturdays from 10 am-11 pm, and Sundays from 10 am-10 pm.

The Post Oak Hotel
For festive fare, this hotel offers the Bloom & Bey Brunch, featuring a chef-curated, three-course menu and two SirDavis cocktails. A live DJ will be spinning tunes, while patrons can snap photos in front of the BeyHive floral wall. A SirDavis whisky beverage cart is available as an add-on. Brunch is $90 for adults, $50 for children. Reservations are required. The brunch is Saturday and Sunday, from 11 am-5 pm.

Social Junkie
The recently-reopened Washington Avenue venue is dedicating the entire weekend to Queen Bey. On Saturday, patrons can get decked out in their finest cowboy disco finery to pre-game the concert at Boots, Bey & Karaoke. Expect Me, Myself, and I mimosas, and $4 themed cocktails: Single Ladies sangria, Bey-Hive margaritas, Lemonade with a Twist, and Run the World rum punch. Bites include Cuff It biscuit sliders, Texas Hold ‘Em chicken and waffles, and Yeehaw French toast.

For Sunday, the Cowboy Country Brunch features $3 Lemon Drops, mimosas, and margaritas, $4 biscuit sliders, and $10 chicken and waffles. Social Junkie is open from 11 am-2 am on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Sunrise House
This brunch concept in Montrose is serving Beyoncé-themed cocktails all weekend. SirDavis-based libations include the peachy Honey Bee, the bittersweet Texas Hold 'Em, and Midnight in Houston, a combo of espresso and Baileys Salted Caramel. Not into whisky? Opt for the Blue Ivy Bliss shot, made with rum, blue curaçao, and pineapple. Sunrise House is open daily from 7 am-4 pm.

Photo courtesy of Sunrise House

Sunrise House has Bey-themed bevvys like Blue Ivy Bliss shot, made with rum, blue curaçao, and pineapple.

Traveler’s Table
The Montrose restaurant devoted to international cuisine is collaborating with SirDavis Whisky from now until Sunday, June 29. The five libations are available for dinner and brunch: Texas Buckin’, Blackberry Mint Julep, Texas Tea Shot, Southern State of Mind, and the Passionate BeyBey. Traveler’s Table is open for dinner Thursday from 5 pm-10 pm, Friday through Saturday from 5 pm-11 pm, and Sunday from 5 pm-10 pm. Brunch is served Friday through Sunday from 10:30 am-2:30 pm.

Winnie's
Conveniently located next to the METRO Rail, the Midtown bar will serve its themed, Brunchin' With Bey menu all day Saturday and Sundady. It includes chicken and waffles with chipotle honey butter, a soft shell crab BLT, and oxtail and grits. Pair them with drinks such as the Bootlylicious Brew, made with rum, coffee concentrate, banana, and cinnamon; the Texas Tang, made with grapefruit-hibiscus tequila, lime, and pomegranate; and the Sugar & Spurs shot, made with jalapeno-cucumber tequila, mint, lime, and chili tincture. Winnie's is open from 11 am-12 am on Saturday and 11 am-11 pm on Sunday.

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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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