The best bars in Houston: cocktail bars, dives and wine bars

Where to drink

Montrose and the Heights hold most of the list. Downtown has the hotel hideaway and the oldest rooms, and the ice houses and dives are all over town.

18 of the 50

The Heights 5

1. M

   Mèo Bar

   The HeightsHidden bar$$

   A windowless hideaway lit by koi-fish lanterns, entered with a push button disguised as a framed kitten portrait.

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2. L

   Lei Low

   The HeightsTiki bar$$

   A tiny tiki bar on North Main, all grass cloth and palm trees, with a back bar of seemingly every rum and potent tropical drinks.

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3. S

   Starduster Lounge

   The HeightsCocktail lounge$$

   A North Main lounge where you lose an hour without checking your phone. On a hot day, order the Marfa Spritz: gin, prickly pear, manzanilla and tonic.

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4. E

   Eight Row Flint

   The HeightsWhiskey bar & ice house$$

   A former mid-century dry cleaner turned whiskey bar, stocked deep enough to survive the apocalypse, for fans of fancy booze.

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5. P

   Patterson Park

   The HeightsRooftop bar$$

   A treehouse-like bar with a rooftop view of the downtown skyline and giant games on the first floor.

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Downtown 4

1. C

   Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar & Spirit Lodge

   DowntownCocktail bar$$

   Some of downtown's best cocktails and bartenders: a seasonal menu and a staggering back bar of mezcals, amari and absinthes.

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2. B

   Bandista

   DowntownHidden cocktail bar$$$$

   A secret bar on the third floor of the downtown Four Seasons: a host with a keycard leads you through a private entrance and elevators.

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3. W

   Warren's Inn

   DowntownDive bar$

   Downtown's best dive, lit by holiday lights, with a flimsy indoor gazebo to sit in and bartenders who pour very strong drinks.

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4. L

   La Carafe

   DowntownHistoric wine bar$

   A cash-only downtown wine bar, reputedly haunted, with a giant gold cash register and an old-world feel.

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Montrose 4

1. A

   Anvil Bar & Refuge

   MontroseCraft cocktail bar$$$

   Montrose's elder statesman of craft cocktails, under a giant vintage Campari sign, with fast, encyclopedic bartenders. Refuge upstairs is the quiet date move.

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2. P

   Poison Girl

   MontroseWhiskey dive$

   Houston's reputable dive: a dark, narrow Montrose bar stocked with brown liquor and crusty locals, where personal space is not a thing.

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3. W

   West Alabama Ice House

   MontroseIce house$

   Cold beer for Montrose since 1928: a classic Texas ice house of beer coolers and a small bar, with a dog-friendly crowd outside.

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4. J

   JR's Bar & Grill

   MontroseGay bar$

   The oldest gay bar in Houston: mugs of frozen margaritas, pop blasting, and a crowd out on the patio even in the sweatiest summers.

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Midtown 2

1. T

   Two Headed Dog

   MidtownCocktail bar$

   A craft cocktail bar dressed as a Midtown dive, with inventive drinks, Fireball shots on request, and a photo booth you have to use.

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2. A

   Axelrad

   MidtownBeer garden$

   A Midtown beer garden with 25-plus taps, picnic tables, swinging chairs and hammocks to sway in with a pale ale.

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Rice Village 1

1. U

   Under the Volcano

   Rice Village$

   A Día de los Muertos-themed Rice Village institution pouring frozen screwdrivers since 1989, with Tex-Mex, brunch and Monday steak night.

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Sixth Ward 1

1. J

   Julep

   Sixth Ward$$$

   A refined, romantic Washington Avenue bar for date nights and julep riffs, like a hibiscus-infused version.

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Washington Corridor 1

1. P

   Pearl Bar

   Washington Corridor$

   Houston's only lesbian-owned bar, one of a few dozen in the country, with a dance floor that packs shoulder to shoulder on weekends.

   Map

The other 32

The 50 are spread across 16 neighborhoods. The Heights (12), Montrose (11), Downtown (5), EaDo (3), Midtown (3) and Rice Village (3) have the most; the other 10 have 1 to 2 each.

For beer, see the best breweries in Houston.

All 50, on your own map

This page is 18 of them. The Houston Bars & Cocktails pack in Whosly has all 50 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.

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