Inside My Table #76 | Restaurant listings
Houston’s Best Hotel Bars
Hotel bars do not have to aim very high, considering that they’ve got something of a captive audience: weary business travelers in need of alcoholic comfort and out-of-town revelers looking to continue the celebration after the reception is over. Happily, a few local Houston hotel bars have personality enough to attract hometown imbibers, too. Some of the following are great for before or after a concert or ballgame, and some are simply a lovely place to wait out rush hour. Most are attractive, quiet and conversation-friendly; a few provide entertainment; and a couple sometimes even get raucous. We’ve listed the best of the local hotel bars by hotel.
ALDEN A+, 1117 Prairie at San Jacinto, 832-200-8800. A sleek, attractive and groovy lounge that is the antithesis of most hotel bars, A+ draws patrons from downtown and beyond. (That’s saying something.) Even when packed on weekend nights, you can carry on a conversation. The staff efficiently weaves through the crowd to provide the first-rate service you would expect at a first-class hotel.
BISTRO LANCASTER BISTRO BAR, 701 Texas at Louisiana, 713-228-9500. Just a few yards from both the Alley and Jones Hall, the tiny bar at the luxurious Lancaster is perfect for a pre- or post-theater or symphony cocktail. Relaxed, quaint and upscale with a well-mannered British feel, it is well-suited for conversation. You can also enjoy dessert from the adjoining fine-dining restaurant, which just might be the perfect coda to a performing-arts evening.
FOUR SEASONS LOBBY BAR, 1300 Lamar at Austin, 713-650-1300. This can be a fun and sometimes crowded place to catch the occasional celebrity. Otherwise, it’s an old-style bar that is ideal for well-crafted cocktails after work. There are no TVs, but there is a jazz pianist in the corner playing the American songbook. It’s not as over-the-top luxurious as you might expect for a Four Seasons, but more than serviceable, with comfortable chairs and flattering low lights.
HILTON AMERICAS LOBBY BAR, 1600 Lamar, 713-739-8000. Located just past the hotel’s entrance, this bar is convenient and especially good for meeting friends before an event at the Toyota Center a block away. For more conversation or more intimate encounters, there is also the Piano Bar and Lounge at the steakhouse (also on the ground floor) and the Skyline Bar & Grill, located on the 24th floor, which has great views of the city.
HILTON WESTCHASE RIO RANCH BAR, 9999 Westheimer bet. Gessner & Beltway 8, 713-974-1000. Set in a separate room at the Rio Ranch restaurant, this is far more attractive than the typical hotel bar. Both the interior and exterior feature limestone and cedar as part of the Hill Country theme. A comfortable happy-hour choice for office workers in the Westchase area or for a nightcap.
HOTEL DEREK BISTRO MODERNE CAFE, 2525 West Loop South at Westheimer, 713-961-3000. The bar is the cafe part of the stylish Bistro Moderne. With black-and-white decor, it’s elegant and upscale with a menu sporting more-casual dishes from Bistro Moderne’s kitchen. The food is a draw for many, but the bar itself is classy and even sexy, according to some tastes. Free valet parking is a bonus.
HOTEL ICON THE WHISKEY BAR, 220 Main at Congress, 713-224-4266. Located on the second floor overlooking part of the hotel’s restaurant, Bank, this is possibly the coolest of the local hotel bars. Its one of several Whiskey Bars that began in Los Angeles, and it has many fans of its ritzy and intimate atmosphere. The black lacquered walls and mohair-covered banquettes make for a sophisticated, if often smoky environment. Drink prices match the decor.
INN AT THE BALLPARK ATRIUM BAR AND LOUNGE, 1520 Texas at LaBranch, 713-228-1520. Right across from Minute Maid Park, this is a smart, air-conditioned expanse to meet for a civilized drink before or after a ballgame. No surprise, a baseball theme is pervasive here. At the main entrance, you are even greeted by life-sized bronze likeness of Nolan Ryan in mid-windup. If too crowded (or not crowded enough), the bar at Vic & Anthonys is next door.
LA COLOMBE D’OR THE BAR, 3410 Montrose bet. Westheimer & West Alabama, 713-524-7999. This 1920s-era mansion is home to an expensive French restaurant, a beautiful banquet facility and the “World’s Smallest Luxury Hotel.” Tucked in next to the “library” is the snug bar, one of the more diminutive, but finest-looking stops for a cocktail in town. Recommended as a way to begin or end a romantic evening.
ST. REGIS THE REMINGTON BAR, 1919 Briar Oaks at San Felipe, 713-840-7600. Popular for dancing with an older, singles crowd on the weekends while a band plays R&B hits from more than several years ago. At other times it is a handsome and relaxed bar with dark wood paneling, comfortable well-upholstered booths, a humidor and expertly-crafted cocktails. It’s a fitting complement to this upscale hotel and its fine-dining restaurant.
THE HOUSTONIAN THE BAR, 111 N. Post Oak Lane bet. Memorial & Woodway, 713-680-2626. The Bar here fits the hotel’s mission of “sophisticated comfort” and is in line with the rest of this resort/spa/club complex in the woods just off of the busy West Loop. It might not be a nightlife destination, but is rather a place for a relaxing drink where you can expect good service in a fine setting.
THE MAGNOLIA HOTEL MAGNOLIA BAR, 1100 Texas at San Jacinto, 713-221-0011. Across from the Christ Church Cathedral, this bar is lodged in an attractive, cool, modern lobby on the second floor of the hotel. Live jazz on Mondays through Saturdays is an added diversion when trekking downtown at night.
THE OMNI HOUSTON BLACK SWAN PUB, 4 Riverway at Woodway, 713-871-8181. With a DJ spinning tunes on the weekends and the dance floor crowded, the Black Swan is boisterous and filled with 20- and 30-somethings, many of whom seem to be arriving already well-oiled from rehearsal dinners or weddings. Darts and drinks provide entertainment at other times. The bar is named for the black swans that traditionally make the hotel pond their home.
THE WOODLANDS WATERWAY MARRIOTT ACQUA LOUNGE, 1601 Lake Robbins Dr., in The Woodlands, 281-367-9797. Is there a better place to meet before or after a concert at the nearby Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion? The bar is adjacent to the hotel’s Ristorante Tuscany and offers 40 wines by the glass.
