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The 9 Best Bars in Houston

Nine bars, chosen on the record: two on North America's 50 Best, four Spirited Awards nominees.

Browse every Houston barBest cocktail bars in Houston
  1. Bandista
    NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasy

    Bandista

    An intimate 20-seat speakeasy hidden behind a bookcase inside the Four Seasons Hotel Houston downtown, inspired by 1920s lounge glamour and Prohibition-era tequileros with a strong Latin influence. Known for inventive cocktails and rare spirits, it ranked No. 47 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 and has been billed as the No. 1 bar in Texas.

    Four Seasons Hotel Houston, 1300 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010Tue–Sat 5pm–12am
    Full profile
  2. Johnny's Gold Brick
    Cocktail Bar

    Johnny's Gold Brick

    Johnny's Gold Brick opened in 2015 as the Heights' neighborhood craft cocktail bar, pairing house classics with a monthly menu of bartender originals and snacks from a truck out back. The current list runs from a fermented salted tomato vermouth drink to a grapefruit-infused Scotch with prickly pear, with alcohol-free cocktails at ten dollars and a happy hour of six-dollar classics.

    2518 Yale St, Houston, TX 77008Mon-Fri 4pm-2am; Sat-Sun 2pm-2am
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  3. Reserve 101
    Cocktail Bar

    Reserve 101

    Reserve 101 has been a downtown Houston whiskey bar since 2008, housed in an early 1900s building on Caroline Street with a list its owners describe as more than a thousand whiskies from around the world. It claims the first vintage whiskey program in Texas, with pre-Prohibition bottles on the back bar, and runs Houston Whiskey Social Week alongside a house Old Fashioned and a clarified sour.

    1201 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77002Daily 4pm-2am
    Full profile
  4. Nickel City
    Cocktail Bar

    Nickel City

    Nickel City is the Houston room of the Austin neighbourhood bar of the same name, on McKinney Street in the East End, with a drink menu and a whiskey menu of its own and food to order at the bar. It opens at noon every day and runs until two. The 2025 Spirited Awards placed it in the U.S. top ten for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar.

    2910 McKinney Street, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77003Daily 12pm-2am
    Full profile
  5. Angel Share
    Cocktail Bar

    Angel Share

    Angel Share describes itself as a historic charity bar in downtown Houston, a room on Congress Street where a share of the take goes to local charities, with happy hour specials, private events and a kitchen open until midnight. It opens at four every day and runs until one from Thursday to Saturday. The 2022 Spirited Awards placed it in the U.S. top ten for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar.

    924 Congress Street, Houston, TX 77002Sun-Wed 4pm-12am, Thu-Sat 4pm-1am
    Full profile
  6. Julep
    NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar

    Julep

    Alba Huerta's classic cocktail bar on Washington Avenue, highlighting the global flavors of Houston and the cultures of its staff, with a Southern focus and a deep bourbon program. Winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program and ranked among North America's 50 Best Bars. It sits at No. 84 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026.

    1919 Washington Avenue, Houston, TX 77007Mon–Thu 4pm–12am, Fri–Sat 3pm–2am, Sun 3pm–10pm
    Full profile
  7. Bar Doko
    Whiskey Bar

    Bar Doko

    Bar Doko describes itself as a Japanese whisky and cocktail bar in River Oaks and Montrose, on Cogdell Street, built around one of the city's deepest Japanese whisky collections. It opens at four every day and runs until two.

    3737 Cogdell Street, Suite 135, Houston, TX 77019Daily 4pm-2am
    Full profile
  8. Houston Watch Company
    Whiskey Bar

    Houston Watch Company

    Houston Watch Co. calls itself a whiskey and cocktail bar in historic downtown Houston, on Franklin Street, under two lines it prints on the door: drink the modern way, drink on easy terms. The list runs from bourbon and rye through Scotch, Irish and Japanese whiskey, with cocktails, beer and wine beside them and happy hour from four to seven, Tuesday to Saturday.

    913 Franklin Street, Houston, TX 77002Tue-Sat 4pm-2am, Sun 3pm-10pm, Mon closed
    Full profile
  9. The Toasted Coconut
    Tiki Bar

    The Toasted Coconut

    The Toasted Coconut is a tiki bar on Richmond Avenue in Montrose, the sister of Nobie's, serving drinks and dinner on a covered patio and at inside tables by reservation or walk-in, with happy hour from four to six, Tuesday to Friday, and weekend brunch from ten. Parties of nine or more book by email.

    1617 Richmond Avenue, Houston, TX 77006Tue-Wed 4pm-10pm, Thu-Fri 4pm-12am, Sat 10am-12am, Sun 10am-10pm
    Full profile

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Explore the whole Houston scene

These 9 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Houston, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

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