A recently-relocated Houston comedy club is adding a daytime component to its offerings. Beginning this Saturday, October 17, The Riot Comedy club’s cafe will be open daily for coffee, meals, and more.
Beginning at 7 am Monday-Saturday and 8 am on Sunday, the Riot Café will serve coffee made with beans supplied by Houston-based roasted Katz Coffee alongside a menu of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and similar fare. At lunch, dinner, and late night, the menu will include items such as pizza, panini, and shareable dishes.
General manager Seth Fair also created The Riot’s beverage program, which includes coffee, beer, wine, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. The Roast, the venue’s signature cocktail, is made with mezcal, tequila, cold-pressed pineapple juice, lime juice, agave, and fire tincture. Zero-proof options include the Open Mic, made with Fever-Tree ginger beer, Southern Style Lemon Up, lime juice, and pineapple juice. Specialty juice shop MEP Cold-Pressed Juice supplies all of The Riot’s juices.
On a recent episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, The Riot owner Brian Grendon explains how the cafe sets itself apart from the other coffee shops on Washington Ave.
“We have wi-fi. We encourage you to stick around,” he said. “It’s really set up for comedians to come and write and congregate. Use our podcast studio. We are incentivizing people to come and hang out with us.”
Not only does the cafe offer 50 seats inside, it has a 20-seat covered patio that’s lit at night. In addition, online ordering and dedicated parking spots expedite picking up to-go orders.
“We wanted the café to have its own personality while still feeling like a natural part of The Riot,” Fair said in a statement. “The menu brings together a mix of familiar favorites and nostalgic items, along with comedy-inspired drinks, and partnering with Katz Coffee and MEP Cold-Pressed Juice was a great way to bring Houston local businesses into the mix.”
On Saturday, The Riot will celebrate the cafe's opening withcomplimentary light bites, coffee tastings and cocktail samples, a DJ, photo opportunities, and free refillable Riot coffee tumblers — good for $1 off coffee on future visits — for the first 50 people.
Courtesy of The Riot Comedy Club
The Riot Cafe seats 50 people inside.
The Riot occupied the upstairs room at Rudyard’s from 2022 until this summer, when it moved to a new home at 1925 Washington Ave. (next to Julep). The 2,200-square-foot room seats 170 people and hosts a mix of local, regional, and national acts.
