Esquire's favorite bars
3 Houston establishments belly up to Esquire's best bars of 2024 list
Refuge is lit by a replica neon sign.
Three Houston bars are enjoying a little time in the national spotlight. Esquire magazine named them to its list of The Best Bars in America, 2024.
They are:- Light Years, a natural wine bar in Montrose
- Little’s Oyster Bar, a seafood restaurant in Upper Kirby
- Refuge, a cocktail bar in Montrose
Writer Omar Mamoon praises Light Years for its welcoming atmosphere that’s established by co-owner Steve Buechner. “I’ve met Steve only once, and he made me pay for the wine. But his natural-wine bar and bottle shop, Light Years, is located in a house in Montrose, and if you go, he’ll treat you like a friend and allow you to linger as long as you want (or until last call),” he writes.
Lifestyle and culture director Kevin Sintumuang acknowledges that Little’s Oyster Bar is more of a restaurant than a bar, but its beverage offerings make it a worthy drinking destination. “There are five Champagnes by the glass, and the cocktails, by Oliver Brooks, are the right kind of light and bright accompaniments to both the Houston heat and a plateau of oysters, blue crab, and gulf shrimp,” he writes.
A companion to pioneering cocktail bar Anvil, Mamoon appreciates Refuge’s sophisticated atmosphere. “A replica of Havana’s El Floridita neon sign welcomes you. But the rest of the space is dark, energized by hip-hop and drinks that feel classic rather than trendy, even though this might be the first time you’re tasting Oaxacan rum in a daiquiri.”
The only other Texas bar on the list is Ayahuasca Cantina, a speakeasy-style agave bar that’s located within Xamán Café. “The back bar is lined with a bunch of bottles—mezcal and tequila, of course—but the move is to start off with a flight of the less popular sotol, the grassy-flavored distillate that comes from a plant in the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico,” Mamoon writes. “Start here, then switch to one of the many seasonal cocktails on the list.”
Overall, the list contains 42 bars from across the country. Presented alphabetically by state, New York City leads the way with seven entries. Houston and San Francisco tie for second place with three bars each.
In an introductory essay, Sintumuang writes that the magazine found more bars that are able to offer different experiences under one roof. “Bars have always been that third place, the spot where you hang outside work and home. But as we’ve discovered crisscrossing the country over the past twelve months to visit the new bars, they’re doing that in more nuanced and varied ways than they have in a long time.”
Last year, Esquire’s best bars list included 31 bars. EZ’s Liquor Lounge, a retro-inspired bar in the Heights, was the only Texas establishment to make the cut.
