where to root for the Astros

Houston restaurants and bars celebrate Astros Opening Day with food and drink deals

Biggio's will be serving brats and hot dogs on Opening Day.

Photo courtesy of Biggio's

The Houston Astros begin their march to the World Series this Thursday, March 27 with a home game against the New York Yankees. While fans with tickets to the game have access to Street Fest in front of Minute Maid Park, everyone else who wants to take in the game will find a range of options at Houston bars and restaurants.

Some of the specials listed below are only valid on Opening Day, but others will continue all season long. Here’s where to root for the home team.

Biggio’s will be hosting the ultimate opening day feast with the Astros Opening Series: Biggio’s Smoker Specials. Named after Astros legend Craig Biggio, the sports bar will be smoking brats and hot dogs on its patio and offering pregame drinks. BIggio will be there for photos. 11:30 am.

Catbirds will celebrate the occasion with $3.50 shots of Jagermeister, Fireball, and Mexican Candy as well as $5 Makers Mark, Espolon, and Deep Eddy and free hot dogs. Throughout Astros season, the Montrose bar will feature $4 Houston beers, $4 Jim Beam, and $8 Makers Mark Old Fashioneds. 3 pm

Over at all Cyclone Anaya’s locations, watch the game while sipping on their refreshing Ocean Blue Top Shelf Margarita with Espolon Blanco, Blue Curacao, lime, lemon, and pineapple Juice for $12 (Jumbo drinks are $15.) 11 am.

Throughout opening weekend, The Hidden Bar in West U. is offering one free sake shot to fans who come sporting their favorite Astros gear. Guests can sip on The Painkiller, made with Pussers rum, pineapple, coconut, orange, lime and demerara syrup for $15. 3 pm (11 am Sat.-Sun.).

Holman Draft Hall will have the “Astros Freeze,” a special frozen cocktail, available all opening weekend long for $12. There will also be $100 game day boards with lemon pepper wings, chicken strips, BBQ ribs, mini burger sliders and more. 3 pm.

Wear your favorite Astros gear when you visit Hongdae 33, Dun Huang Plaza’s all-you-can-eat, Korean barbecue hotspot. Enjoy BOGO beer or soju all day on opening day.11:30 am.

Jax Grill extends its yearly, Astros offer to its patrons. Throughout the season, any customer who arrives wearing an Astros jersey on game days is entitled to a 10% discount on their order. Kids can also get a free pack of Astros baseball cards. 11 am.

KIrby Ice House will be celebrating at all locations with can’t-miss specials. Sip on $4 frozen drinks like the Kirby Frozen Tea or Kirby Frosé, or $6 house wines by the glass. And don’t forget about $10 off select wines by the bottle. 3 pm.

Swanky seafood tavern Loch Bar is celebrating opening day with a couple mouth-watering specials. You can have the Loch Bar Burger (usually $19) at $10 and all draft beer for $4 on Astros opening day. 11:30 am.

Newly opened EaDo bar Nickel City will sell anyone with an Astros ticket or wearing Astros gear a 99-cent Jim Beam highball. The special is available all season long. Limit one per person.

Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House will have an opening-day watch party, featuring massive big screens visible from nearly everywhere you can sit. They’ll also have ballpark-themed bites, $2 draft beers, and the all-star menu of tide-to-table fare. 11 am.

Houstonians can enjoy a drink at Reset Rooftop Lounge before or after the game. Guests that show proof of a same-day Astros game ticket can get one free shot (white tea, green tea or Mexican candy) or one free well drink all weekend long. 3 pm.

Diners who stop by Tacodeli can get a $5 tequila drink when they purchase an appetizer. Enjoy classic starters like Tacodeli’s flavorful queso and spicy guacamole and wash it all down with a discounted tequila drink for the ultimate, opening-day celebratory meal. 7 am.

Over at The Upside Pub, they’ll be serving an Astros Dog (bacon wrapped all-brisket hot dog, house queso, pico de gallo, crispy onions & jalapenos) and a Crawford Bock can for $15. They’ll also hit ya with home run beer shots and Orange Crush cocktails for $10. 11:30 am.

URBE is ready to help you show your spirit with their colorful, delicious Astros conchas. They will once again offer the conchas starting on opening day. And they will be available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the season. 11 am.

New patio bar Woodland Social is celebrating its first-ever Astros season. They have 21 expansive 75-inch televisions, a grand 20-foot LED screen on the patio, and a well-stocked bar offering an enticing selection of cocktails, beer, and wine. 2 pm.

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Ready. Set. Go.

Exclusive: New cocktail bar from Houston hospitality stars coming to the Heights

Courtesy of Thorough Fare

Bobby Heugel and Jacki Schromm are opening a new bar in the former Ready Room space.

The Heights’ growing bar scene will soon welcome a new addition with serious cocktail cred. Anvil owner Bobby Heugel has partnered with bartender Jacki Schromm to open a new cocktail bar in the former Ready Room space (2626 White Oak Drive) in the Heights, the duo tell CultureMap.

Slated to open in the fall, the still-unnamed cocktail bar will be the latest project from Thorough Fare, the hospitality company Heugel operates in partnership with James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu. The group’s portfolio also includes Heights restaurants Squable and Better Luck Tomorrow; cocktail bars Anvil and Refuge; neighborhood bars Catbirds and Blue Lagoon Club; and Theodore Rex, Yu’s fine dining restaurant in downtown that earned a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide.

The new bar will also be Heugel’s first new concept since opening Refuge in 2022. However, since Refuge evolved out of Tongue-cut Sparrow, Heugel’s Japanese-inspired cocktail bar, it retained certain elements from its predecessor. The new project aims to bring a fresh perspective to Houston’s cocktail scene.

Bobby Heugel Jacki Schromm Ready Room The new bar is expected to open this fall.Courtesy of Thorough Fare

“While I love Refuge and still think it’s one of the best bars we’ve ever done, it was a continuation of some disjointed history,” Heugel says. “It’s exciting to do a cocktail bar where we get to talk about a fresh concept, fresh ideas — really update those ideas for where the scene is at today.”

Partnering with Schromm is a key source of those new ideas, Heugel explains. Since moving to Houston from Boston in 2019, she worked with Heugel at both Better Luck Tomorrow and Anvil. Currently, she’s the general manager of Reserve 101, the downtown cocktail bar known for its extensive whiskey selection, knowledgeable staff, and extensive inventory of vintage spirits. Schromm describes Heugel’s invitation to partner with him as “a shock in the most delightful way.”

“I think it’s every bartender’s dream — when you’ve worked in X amount of spaces with X amount of owners — you start to think, I could do this,” she says. “I thought that was still five-plus years away. We’re jumping into it maybe a little sooner than what my goals were, but it’s incredibly exciting.”

First opened by restaurateur Ken Bridge in 2018, the Ready Room distinguished itself with its intimate atmosphere, vintage decor, and live music. Permission Whiskey owner Peter Nolan took over operating the bar in 2023. The bar closed last year when Bridge shuttered his Korean restaurant Mapojeong, ending his lease on the property that also includes Ready Room. Neither Heugel nor Schromm are ready to share specifics about the bar’s concept, but Schromm promises it will be a welcome addition to the Heights.

“What this cocktail bar will become is something that we don’t have in the Heights yet,” she says. “I think it will be a really fun and exciting addition to the Heights community.”

Schromm has about a month left at Reserve 101 before she devotes her full attention to the new bar. She’s eager to make a splash in a neighborhood that’s recently welcomed new additions like Starduster Lounge and The Kid — and she recognizes how meaningful it is to work with a partner who has a track record as solid as Heugel’s.

“It does not sit lightly with me. This is an incredible opportunity,” Schromm says. “I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling from the moment that we talked about it. It’s a really rewarding feeling to be recognized like that. Just feeling really blessed and grateful.”

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