A Houston bar is basking in the national spotlight. Bon Appètit has named Lee’s in Rice Village to its list of The 9 Best New Bars of 2025.

Published last week, the list spotlights new bars in cities ranging from cocktail staples like New York and New Orleans to an establishment in Madison, Wisconsin that served a menu inspired by the Great British Bake-Off. “These places remind us why we go out in the first place: not just to drink, but to drink in community, creativity, and craft,” the magazine writes.

Lee’s is the only Texas establishment to make the list. Open since January, it’s the companion cocktail bar to Milton’s, the nostalgic Italian-American restaurant that Local Foods Group opened last year. Just as Milton’s is named for LFG owner Benjy Levit’s father, Lee’s is named for his mother. The bar earned a CultureMap Tastemaker Award Bar of the Year nomination for its ability to blend a quirky cocktail menu with a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

In its entry, Bon Appètit recognizes Lee’s for cocktails such as the Black Hat, a black Manhattan that’s also black in color courtesy of cuttlefish ink, and the Pale Blue Eyes, an Old Fashioned that’s blue thanks to a clarified blue corn syrup. “Much of the inspiration at Lee’s is understated, from drink names that reference the Velvet Underground to complex mixology,” the magazine adds.

“I am extremely honored for Lee’s to be recognized on such a short, meaningful list by Bon Appètit,” Levit said in a statement. “The article describes a great bar as being about ‘mood, memory, effortless hospitality, and a sweet suspension of time.’ It’s everything we strive for at Lee’s and across all Local Foods Group concepts.”

Shortly before Bon Appètit named Lee’s to its list, the bar made a quiet change in personnel when director of bars Máte Hartai left the company in mid-May. Hartai, whose resume includes both Refuge and Tongue-cut Sparrow, is the cocktail expert who created the menu that earned Lee's its award. In his place, the company has named former March bartender Chad Matson as the bar manager for both Lee’s and Milton’s.

“The LFG team is grateful for [Hartai’s] contributions and wishes him the best in his future endeavors, which will without a doubt be fun and creative,” a representative tells CultureMap.