where to drink on Derby Day

These Houston restaurants and bars are going all out for Derby Day 2026

Bust out the big hats, iron that seersucker, and flaunt those florals, because the Kentucky Derby takes place this Saturday, May 2. Since many Houstonians enjoy any excuse to dress up and celebrate the Southern side of our city’s cultural gumbo, the popularity of these parties seems to increase every year.

This roundup includes both all-out, adults-only affairs and a couple of family-friendly options. With the mint juleps flowing and parking tight at most of these places, we strongly encourage catching a ride instead of driving.

Read on for our picks for Houston’s best Derby Day celebrations.

Brasserie 19
The River Oaks restaurant’s annual Derby Day party is a see-and-be-seen affair that’s known for its fiercely-contested best hat competition, as well as its brunch atmosphere and free-flowing mint juleps. 11 am.

Chapman & Kirby
The EaDo venue’s 10th annual Talk Derby To Me party is a brunch-based affair that begins at 2 pm. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their Derby finest, including statement hats, bold floral looks, and polished menswear. 2 pm (Free admission until 4 pm with RSVP).

Credence
For the second year in a row, chef and restaurateur Levi Goode is hosting his lavish “Hats & Horses” Derby party with an array of small bites, Maker’s Mart cocktails, a raw bar with oysters, and the race on a giant screen. Attendees can win prizes for best hat, best dressed, and more. Tickets start at $100 for general admission, with enhanced options such as VIP tickets ($250) and reserved tables also available. A portion of proceeds will benefit Dress for Success Houston. 4 pm.

Guard & Grace
The downtown steakhouse’s Run for the Rosé Derby Party will feature tastings of rosé, white, orange, and sparkling wines from more than 15 vendors, paired with bites from the restaurant and a live viewing of the Kentucky Derby. Proceeds from a raffle will benefit Women of Wine Charities. 4 pm.

Heights Bier Garten
Winner of Bar of the Year in the 2021 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, the bar’s 10th annual "Run for the Roses" party will feature best hat and best dressed prizes, along with Southern-inspired drink specials, giveaways, a photo booth, a DJ, and more. Reservations are encouraged. 11 am.

Julep
Alba Huerta’s James Beard Award-winning cocktail bar goes all out for Derby Day with a tented outdoor celebration that includes three cocktails bar. In addition, CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best New Restaurant winner Aiko and cult-favorite Mexican restaurant Karanchos will serve bites, photo-worthy floral displays will abound, and Clutch City Band will perform. Festive Derby attire is strongly encouraged. 1 pm.

King Steak
The Uptown restaurant’s Derby party will feature a festive atmosphere, complete with prizes for “Best Dressed” and “Boldest Hat.” Sip on $10 mint juleps and champagne specials with nibbling on complimentary passed hors d’oeuvres. 3 pm.

Long Weekend
The recently-opened family friendly restaurant will celebrate its first Derby Day with a special menu of race-inspired bites, a special drink menu, and a $100 gift card for the winner of the best hat contest.

Permission Whiskey & Service Co.
Kentucky native and Permission owner Peter Nolan always goes all out for Derby Day with a bluegrass band, trumpet performance, ice sculptures, and a live horse. The winner of the best dressed contest will win a custom gift. Tickets, $25, are available via the link above. 1 pm.

The Union Kitchen - Kingwood
The popular neighborhood restaurant will celebrate Derby Day with themed cocktails made with Old Forester and Woodford Reserve bourbons, starters such as horseradish deviled eggs and smoked pimento cheese crostini, and entrees such as a Kentucky hot brown sandwich, grilled short ribs, and honey-bourbon grilled chicken. In addition, mini ponies will be available for photo ops and one person will win a best dressed competition. Reservations are encouraged. 12 pm.

William Price Distilling
Located in Garden Oaks, the event will include traditional cocktails such as the mint julep and Old Fashioned, along with the race on a big screen, giveaways, and a prize for best hat. Free to attend, but RSVP is required. 2 pm.

Courtesy of Permission Whiskey & Service Co.

Permission Whiskey goes all out with a bluegrass band and a live horse.

where to drink cocktails nightlife derby day kentucky derby

peanut butter-pickle-bacon?

Growing restaurant chain brings over-the-top burgers to Houston

Courtesy of Killer Burger

Killer Burger will open on May 6.

Portland, Oregon-based Killer Burger is coming to Houston. The restaurant will open its first Bayou City outpost near downtown on Wednesday, May 6.

Founded in 2010 by Thomas “TJ” Southard, Killer Burger is best known for its over-the-top Peanut Butter Pickle Bacon Burger, which adds creamy, acidic, and salty elements to the classic bacon cheeseburger. Other burgers have catchy names like the Bender — a bacon cheeseburger with spicy barbecue sauce, crispy jalapenos, and grilled onions — or the Motley Qüe, which is similar to the Bender but uses tangy barbecue sauce and Monterrey Jack cheese. All burgers are made to order.

Behold the Motley Qüe burger. Killer Burger Houston

The restaurant also serves fried chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders, which are matched with seven sauce choices. The only sides are fries and onion rings. Desserts include three milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry) as well as a chocolate chunk cookie and the “chewy marshmallow bar,” a variation on a Rice Krispie treat made with brown butter.

Located at 1909 Taylor St., the restaurant will be Killer Burger’s third Texas store, joining two in San Antonio. The restaurant also plans to open two locations in Austin later this year.

“Texas has been an incredible growth market for us, and the response we’ve seen so far has given us a lot of confidence as we expand into new cities like Houston,” Killer Burger CEO Adam Sanders said in a statement. “We’re not trying to be just another burger spot — we’re here to bring something bold and different. Killer Burger has always been about big flavor, no shortcuts, and an experience that stands out, and we’re excited to introduce that to Houston.”

anderson