where to party on derby day

11 Houston restaurants and bars run for the roses with Kentucky Derby parties

Houston’s restaurants and bars are celebrating the 50th running of the Kentucky Derby in style. Held this Saturday, May 4, the events include a wine festival, costume contests, and the chance to take a picture with a horse.

Time to break out the seersucker and find the biggest, fanciest hat available. Here are the best derby happenings in Houston.

Backstreet Cafe
Pre-party for the race with a Derby-themed brunch at the River Oaks staple. Look for drink specials featuring Maker’s Mark and a special board that includes deviled eggs, pimento cheese, cucumber sandwiches, hot chicken biscuit sandwich, and fried green tomatoes with crab remoulade. A prize will be awarded for best hat.

Brasserie 19
At the restaurant’s annual hat party, the see-and-be-seen crowd will don their finest Derby wear in hopes of winning a champagne brunch for six. Call 713-524-1919 for reservations.

Brenner’s on the Bayou
Held from 2:30-5:30 pm, the restaurant’s annual Wine Fest features 18 wineries pouring more than 40 wines. The roster includes: Revana Family Vineyards, Copper Cane Wine & Provisions, Wagner Family Wines, Santa Margherita NA, Vineyard Brands. In between sips, attendees will find bites from eight Landry’s restaurants, including Grotto, King Ranch Texas Kitchen, and Willie G’s. Three people will prizes in the Derby Big Hat Contest. Tickets are priced at $150 for general admission or $250 for VIP that allows entry at 1:30 pm.

Daily Gather
For its celebration, the CityCentre restaurant will be serving Derby-themed cocktails alongside light bites and prizes for best outfit and best hat. Held from 4-7 pm, the restaurant will show the race on a big screen. Tickets cost $65.

Federal Grill
All five locations of the whiskey-fueled comfort food restaurant will celebrate with Woodford Reserve mint julep specials, live music, and a contest with prizes for the best dressed man, woman, couple, and best hat.

Heights Bier Garten
Beginning at 11:30 am, the popular patio bar will host an all-day bash with drink specials, themed photo booths, games, and live music. A best dressed contest takes place at 6:30 pm.

Julep
The award-winning, Southern-inspired cocktail bar goes all out for Derby Day. Held from 1-6 pm, its annual party features live music, multiple bars, and decorations that include 5,000 fresh cut flowers. Guest chef Michelle Wallace will serve bites throughout the day. $25.

Loch Bar
Customers who show up in Derby attire will receive a complimentary cocktail. All of the restaurant’s TVs will show the race.

Permission Whiskey
Owner Peter Nolan honors his Kentucky roots with one of Houston’s biggest Derby bashes. Held from 1 pm until 2 am, the party features live bluegrass, a DJ inside, and a jazz vocalist at James, the bar’s member’s only speakeasy. In addition, look for multiple ice sculptures, photo with an actual horse, and a cigar roller. Plus, the best dressed man and woman will win a fantastic prize.

Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House
Down in San Leon, the restaurant will have a rose wall for photos, a DJ, drink specials, and a wine basket prize for the best dressed. Attendees who pick the winning horse will also be entered into a raffle for a Pier 6 gift card. 4 pm.

Rockhouse Southern Kitchen
Billed as Houston’s largest Derby party, restaurateur Rob Wright celebrates the day with DJs, cocktails, and more. Attendees are encouraged to wear their finest Derby attire. 3 pm.

Photo by Marco Torres

Julep goes all out for Derby Day.

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8 miles high

Houston chef's menu takes off on United's premium business class offering

Courtesy of United

Justin Yu, far left, is one of 11 participating chefs.

United Airlines has shared more details about its new partnership with Chef’s Table, the acclaimed Netflix documentary series, including the menus created by the 11 participating chefs for travelers flying its premium Polaris business class seating.

For flights departing from Houston, United and Chef’s Table recruited Justin Yu, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Theodore Rex, a fine dining restaurant in downtown that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In addition, Yu and his business partner Bobby Heugel own Houston hospitality group Thorough Fare, which operates bars and restaurants including Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow, Squable, Donna’s, and a new, still-unnamed restaurant in Montrose that’s slated to open later this year.

Beginning August 1, people departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be able to dine on Yu’s three-course menu that consists of:

Appetizer: Deviled eggs with white soy, aged cheddar, and chives
Salad: Chicory salad with spiced bacon, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, and oregano mustard vinaigrette
Entrée: Braised Texas short rib with ragout of mushrooms, red miso, and black eyed peas

“I wanted that slightly Texan touch,” Yu told CultureMap in March. “To me, the Houston part of it is the most important. There’s such a level of diversity. Introducing light touches of that to the meal was something I considered.”

Other participating chefs include Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles), whose menu includes an appetizer of burrata with braised leeks, shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and beef brasato with garlic mashed potatoes; Jenner Tomaska (Esmé, Petite Edith, and The Alston in Chicago), who has created a braised leeks appetizer, an arugula salad, and halibut with sauce matelote; Tomos Parry (Mountain and Brat in London), whose menu includes an appetizer of grilled beef filet, lobster salad with grilled peach, and slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes.

Chefs representing United’s destinations in Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., São Paulo, and Tokyo are also participating. The menus will be available through September 2026. They’ll be updated with new seasonal items beginning in October. Customers may opt for the Chef's Table meals beginning five days and up to 24 hours prior to departure.

"At its core, this collaboration with Chef's Table is rooted in a shared ambition to redefine what inflight dining can be," said Aaron McMillan, United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, in a statement. "Because our leading global network reaches into the world's greatest food cities, we're able to work hand-in-hand with world-class chefs and translate their points of view into dishes intentionally designed for the realities of travel and inspired by destinations we serve."

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