Nightlife
Downtown Houston is a vibrant area that is buzzing day and night with restaurants, bars, clubs, cinemas and theatres. Richmond Avenue – on the west side of the city adjacent to the Galleria – is a particularly happening place. Many bars and clubs generally charge around US$10 and drinks cost US$3-5. Smart dress is expected in most of the clubs and bars, although venues that are more like pubs are fairly casual. Bars are generally open from lunchtime until 0200 in the morning. The minimum drinking age is 21 years.
The free city listings paper, The Houston Press, is published on Thursdays and has an extensive list of which bars and clubs to go to and what’s on where.
Bars: La Carafe, 813 Congress Street, is a friendly neighbourhood bar, while the Brewery Tap, 717 Franklin Street, boasts 35 kinds of beer on tap. The State Bar, Texas Street, is a popular place for a drink, while The Ginger Man, Morningside Drive, has a very relaxed atmosphere and a good selection of beers from around the world. Every city has an Irish bar and Houston is no exception – Brian O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub on Morningside.
Casinos: These are not permitted in Texas – the nearest ones are in New Orleans.
Clubs: Retro disco is alive and well at Polly Esther’s, 6111 Richmond Avenue. Tonic, at 310 Main Street, is a funky place to be seen with different music each night (open Thursday-Saturday and Tuesday only), including hip-hop, house, salsa and merengue. A popular Latino club is Elvia’s Club, on Fondren Road, which has a live salsa band every night. There are a number of dance halls in the Houston area, including Wild West, 6101 Richmond Avenue, which attracts a young crowd. Six clubs in one venue, City Streets, Richmond Avenue, comes complete with disco, country music and more, a piano bar and karaoke room.
Live music: McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, on Norfolk Street near Shepherd Drive, is one of the best venues for acoustic music and features a variety of folk acts. The Mercury Room, Prairie Street, is rather upmarket with a wide selection of live music and one of the hottest clubs around. Jazz lovers are drawn to the Sambuca Jazz Caf, Texas Avenue, while dance music and great views of the city can be enjoyed from the top floor of the Sky Bar, on Montrose Boulevard at Hawthorne. Bayou Blues, in the Bayou Place entertainment complex on Smith and Texas Avenue, features live blues music, which is very popular in Downtown.
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Nightlife