phoenix rising

Soccer-obsessed Houston sports bar flies into new home in Montrose

The Phoenix will move from Westheimer to Richmond

An enduring Montrose sports bar is making a big move this fall. The Phoenix on Westheimer will move from its current location to a new home at 1643 Richmond Avenue.

Originally opened 20 years ago as the Firkin and Phoenix, the bar offers a comfortable environment for watching sports, which has made it particularly popular with local soccer fans. Alongside an expansive selection of beers, the kitchen serves a wide array of fare that includes traditional pub grub such as burgers, wings, and nachos, as well as salads, tacos, and more.

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Owner Vu Truong tells CultureMap that he was unable to agree to terms on a lease renewal for The Phoenix’s current home at 1915 Westheimer. Inspired in part by the recent closure of Montrose staple Paulie’s, he realized that stability would only come from purchasing a property rather than leasing.

“That building, driving by, it made sense for what we thought the next spot for the Phoenix would be,” Truong says. “It’s kind of a similar path to when I opened the Firkin and Phoenix 20 years ago. I knew it was a cursed location, but we knew the Phoenix would rise above it all, and it did.”

Although the new location will be a little smaller inside than the current spot, it will have a larger patio.

“We’re hoping to stick with basically the same menu once we start going,” Truong says. “Hopefully, we’ll have more space that’s more efficient to push out more food and do some to-go business. We’ll try to keep our prices as reasonable as we can.”

If everything goes according to plan, the bar portion of the new location will be open before the World Cup kicks off in June. In that scenario, both locations would operate simultaneously until the end of August, when the original location’s lease will expire.

The new location’s kitchen and brewery components will follow after the bar opens. “I don’t have deep pockets or rich friends, so we’ll have to phase it this way,” Truong says.

“We’re taking a baby steps approach. If we can have two places during World Cup and not have a lapse in service, I’m hoping we can keep most of our clientele, especially by staying in Montrose.”

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wave goodbye, Wooster's

Midtown bar with creative cocktails and craft taps will close in February

Photo courtesy of Wooster's Garden

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A staple Midtown cocktail bar will soon serve its last drink. Wooster’s Garden will close on February 12, co-owner Jeff Barati announced on Instagram.

He paid tribute to the bar in an emotional post about its legacy.

Since 2014, Wooster’s Garden has been so much more than a place to grab a cocktail – it’s been a second home, a meeting place, a celebration spot, a refuge after long days, and the backdrop to countless memories. Truly my favorite of all our concepts. So many great memories that are very difficult to put into words. I’m getting emotional typing this.

We’ve watched first dates and engagement parties turn into lifelong partnerships, strangers become regulars, and regulars become family. We’ve shared laughs, tears, milestones, cigar nights, and late nights. None of this would have been possible without the community that showed up night after night – your support, stories, and loyalty are what gave this Midtown haven a heartbeat.

Barati tells CultureMap that he and business partner Andy Aweida have leased the space to a new operator who will announce its plans soon. Still, he has some hope that Wooster’s will be revived in the future.

“Our tentative plan is to reopen elsewhere if we can find the right location,” he writes a in a text. “The staff wants to stay together and reopen.”

Opened in 2014 by the Kirby Group, Wooster’s Garden offered a compelling mix of craft cocktails paired with an extensive tap wall of beer and wine along with creative, upscale bar food. Its format and indoor-outdoor design served as a template for a number of the group’s later concepts, including Heights Bier Garten and Bayou Heights Bier Garten.

Closing Wooster’s Garden follows the Kirby Group’s recent decision to shutter Verde Garden, its Mexican-themed bar in Montrose’s Harlow District development. It will be replaced by Exilio Latin Flair, a pan-Latin restaurant from the owners of Bari Ristorante.

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