Anyone who’s driven down N Main Street enough times will notice the two-story brick building at 3921 N Main. It looks like it’s been there for almost 100 years, because it has.
Once home to the original location of Houston Tex-Mex institution Spanish Flowers, its been home to several different businesses over the years, including a motel and, according to local legend, a brothel.
Beginning in February, it will take on a new role as home of Starduster Lounge, a neighborhood bar from Will Thomas, a co-founder of White Oak Music Hall and the owner of Dan Electro’s, along with some assistance from Benjy Mason, the owner of Heights cocktail bar Johnny’s Gold Brick and a partner in Winnie’s, the Louisiana-inspired sandwich shop and bar in Midtown.
Thomas had noticed the building over the years as he drove to and from White Oak. When friends of his acquired the property, he leased the building with the intent of turning it into a Houston location of El Cucuy, a taco and tequila concept in New Orleans that he’s a partner in. Then he had a realization.
“This street doesn’t need another taco and tequila place. There’s three that I already love,” Thomas tells CultureMap. “The building, the way its setup and the way it looks, the vibes are already there. The idea was to bring that to life. Take what was here and give it some life again.”
Mason approached Thomas about working together on the project. Rather than send a draft menu or design ideas, he created a Spotify playlist loaded with country, rock, and Texas tunes from the ‘60s to the ‘90s.
“He already had the right vibe going,” Thomas says. When he heard the playlist, he thought, “That’s f—ing spot on.”
“I love Doug Sahm and the whole San Antonio scene,” Mason says about the songs he choose. “They’re making music that could not be made anywhere but there. It has hippie roots, country roots, and Tejano roots. That’s where we started.”
From there, the drink program took shape. While it isn’t a cocktail bar, it will have a menu made of classics with a twist, such as Mezcal Café de Olla Espresso Martini and a Freezer Cosmo. Mason has brought back the frozen shandy from D&T Drive Inn, updated with a little grapefruit and the knowledge from operating Johnny’s for almost 10 years.
The back bar will be heavy on whiskey and agave spirits. Beer drinkers will find a couple of drafts along with bottles from local craft brewers, meaning a beer and a shot is always an option.
The bar plans to utilize food trucks. It will also offer what Mason describes as “an aggressive happy hour.”
Naturally, people have been approaching Thomas about whether Starduster will host live music. It won’t be a focus the way it is at Dan Electro’s, but musicians might show up from time to time.
“I love live music. Maybe someday will get a songwriter in here every now and then or a duo. Maybe we’ll have a holiday party and have a band in the backyard,” Thomas says.
Mason says he’s heard from a lot of Johnny’s regulars who live in neighborhoods like Brooke Smith and Woodlands Heights that they’re excited about having something even closer to home. While it will certainly draw interest from the Heights and beyond, both men hope to build regulars from the immediate area.
“Ultimately, it’s a neighborhood bar. People like to drink at the bars that are close to them,” Mason says.
For now, the bar will operate on the first floor and an expansive backyard. Thomas recruited Houston’s Gin Design Group to handle interior details, including a hand-painted mural inspired by West Texas.
Ultimately, Thomas plans to utilize the upstairs, too, but he says he hasn’t decided what to do there. Yet.
Photo by Quit Nguyen
Starduster Lounge occupies a historic building on N Main St.
