If going twice in two nights when visiting from L.A. isn't a testament to a great bar, I don't know…read morewhat is. I ate at Norigami Tuesday night and it was great as were the cocktails served up at the nextdoor bar called Hidden Bar. On Tuesday, I tried the Thai Chili Ginger Margarita ($13) and it was great, complete with a hunk of candied ginger which I "gingerly" consumed throughout my drink experience...see what I did there? Next, I had the Three Dots and a Daiquiri ($13) with Rum, Lime, Velvet Falernum, All Spice and Pineapple and it was very similar to one of my favorite tiki drinks, the Three Dots and a Dash, complete with 3 luxardo cherries. To finish, I had the absolutely incredible Golden Laurel ($16) with Gin, Italicus Bergamot, House Greek Botanical Bitters and Sea Salt. It is equally beautiful served with a clear bay leaf and delicious. Last night, I was guided by the friendly bartender to try the Et Tu Banana" ($15) with Banana Bourbon, Spiced Pear, Creme de Banane, Campari and Citric Acid. I was a little worried about the cocktail being overly banana-y but it wasn't at all. It was a fantastic drink. For my last call, he recommended the Left Hand ($13) with Bourbon, Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Chocolate Bitters. Again, fantastic. Both nights, the bartenders and drinks were fantastic. Ambiance is nice with moody lighting. They even have a bidet toilet seat in the bathroom! Hidden Bar is a "hidden" gem, for sure. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Stopped by The Hidden Bar for drinks and let me just say... the ambiance is EVERYTHING the…read moreaesthetic is super cute, very picture-worthy, and definitely gives that "night out with the girls" vibe. They even have a selfie ring light on the wall, which is such a fun touch for pictures (because if you didn't take pics, did you even go??) Now--fair warning--we went on a Friday night and it was PACKED. We were lucky enough to find seats, but it was so crowded we could barely talk without yelling, and we were basically shoulder-to-shoulder with the people around us Other than that, it's a really nice spot to grab drinks, hang out with friends, and get some cute content. Would I go again? Yes... just maybe not on a Friday night

Vibe: Grown and sexy. Heels required for the ladies. $10 valet…read more Drinks: Our bartender killed it. The cocktail "The Dream" was amazing. Highly recommend. 9/10. Fruits of the earth was huge but tasted like juice (came with a little show). A little too big to be holding.

Sante is a chic, cocktail bar/lounge located in Upper Kirby neighborhood. It's best to probably…read moreuber here or they have valet service as well. The ambiance is very lively and always a good time. I've been here a couple times for happy hour and at night as well. Service is actually really good for a bar that's always busy. The waitresses check in often and bring drinks quickly. I've tried the picante drink, fruits of earth (pineapple and pass fruit mix so it's sweet), an expresso martini here. I enjoyed it all! The happy hour specials are a great way to try out the menu $7 cocktails, $5 martinis, discounted caviar service at $47. It's a great place for happy hour with friends or a stop when out bar hopping around town.

The place to relax and have a small bite or cocktail is just right Upstairs! This was one of the…read morefirst places I visited when I first relocated to Houston. It was and still is the perfect place to "WINE"-down and grab an delicious appetizer. Perfect to visit if solo, on a date, or with friends or colleagues after work. This quaint lounge setting offers bar seating, high top tables, lounge and booth seating, as well as patio seating overlooking a the beautiful tree-lined street. They also offer a separate room to host meetings or parties. Appetizers are delicious - I ordered their fried pickles and spinach dip. Just enough to hit the spot. For my cocktail, I selected the a classic apple martini (I know, "who still drinks those still?" Lol...I do...nothing wrong with a classic dahling). Great times and worth the check out. Right "upstairs" from Hungry's, this place is a great spot to chill. Self parking is limited, however they do offer valet. No street parking. Enjoy!

I stopped by for happy hour and was pleasantly surprised by how many options they had. The prices…read morewere pretty reasonable, especially for the portion sizes. The service stood out right away, very welcoming and friendly, and the food came out extremely fast, which was a plus. As for the food, it was decent overall. The wings had good flavor, but the ranch was a bit watery and could definitely use more seasoning. The onion rings were also good, just needed a little extra seasoning to really bring them up a notch. Overall, it's a solid spot for happy hour with good prices, generous portions, and great service.

This place is awesome. Small but cool, they've got a Godzilla pinball machine and the First Rodeo…read moreis a delicious cocktail. Need I say more?

Super friendly bartender! Fair prices and delicious drinks. They make a great meal! Music is not…read moretoo loud either.

This is one of Rice Village's only real bar scenes, and it's slightly off the beaten path…read more The exterior looks appealing with a nice patio. The interior is dimly lit with a variety of interesting pieces of decor. One thing that I love is this used to be an old bank, and the location has gone through a handful of owners and bars, but the old bank vault still remains, and is even an area where you can play games and sit and enjoy your beverages They have board games, a lane for darts. There's also a popcorn cart in the middle of the bar with complimentary popcorn The staff is fairly pleasant and efficient. The drinks were fine. The ambiance just wasn't my thing. It was fairly dark and the bar, darts area, and a couple other spots just felt crowded and congested. This is also a Rice Owls bar, and many of the clientele are rice students or alumni, and when we went it was very "bro-y" for lack of a better term Come tips: If you can, get reservations for the speakeasy that is located directly above the Owl Bar. Much better vibes, drinks, and service Cheers!!

Rice Village isn't exactly known for having a bunch of cool bars so it was nice to find this spot…read more Had some friends in town for a conference that were staying in the Galleria area. They looked up bars and suggested this spot. I had never heard of it but rolling up, I recognized it as where Kelvin Arms used to be. It was a cool spot back in the day and still a cool spot now. It shares a lot with other businesses and parking wasn't an issue when we went during the day. Inside is dark with an old bar feel to it. I believe this used to be an old bank and the original vault is still there. You can go in there and chill in a lounge like atmosphere. We ordered drinks and sat out on the spacious patio. I started off with an Old Fashioned. It was strong but tasty. What I didn't like was the used of regular ice as opposed to a proper, large ice cube. We then switched to espresso martinis which was done very well here. Overall, this is a solid spot in the Rice Village area. I'd come back if in the area.

Such a cute vibe, very Italian with a fire girl in the back for cooking pizza and a beautiful…read morefountain in the middle of the courtyard, they have a cute lounge area with a fire pit. Drinks are soooo good. I tried multiple drink and all were good. The espresso martini was my favorite. This is both a great date spot and a girls night out.

ambiance is chic and upscale.service was friendly and attentive. food was very very good. the…read morepizza was a huge portion.and came out very quickly. i appreciated that there was a mocktail list and that they were very thought out. the mocktail i got was very pretty and flavorful. my group mentioned however they were disappointed with the live music set up. it was just one guy playing and they expected a whole band playing.i didn't know what to expect so i had no expectations. however it was raining that day and maybe that is why they had less people playing music.it was quiet and hard to hear him playing. overall though it was a great experience and a nice dinner to have.

Cars have fuel, humans have caffeine & cocktails…read more This place is really a hidden gem that I had seen but never stopped in until friend and I made last minute decision to check it out. And glad we did but also upset at myself that I had not visited sooner. Ambiance: Parking is a mix of valet and self park along the side of the Porsche dealership. Dress code for the evening was dressy business casual. There was an event going on along with the DJ spinning some great tunes. It's almost like a mini lounge/club, but scaled back to be a cocktail and coffee shop. The Porsche's parked in front were a good addition to enjoy while drinking cocktails. Service: Bartenders were friendly and quick. So much so that we ended up with an extra drink that we didn't let go to waste. Food (drinks): They do have some food and coffee that is offered, but we came for the hard stuff. Podium Espresso Martini: 5/5 Wouldn't expect less than a 5 from a place that regularly serves fresh espresso, now make it boozy and it's even better. We visited on a Tuesday and they had an handful of drinks that were $9 all day. They had a smoked old fashioned and carajillo espresso listed. Not sure if it was a limited time for the holidays, but I plan on finding out and either way trying them. Overall, highly enjoyable and fun experience to have some well crafted drinks by some attentive and friendly mixologists that care what they serve. Looking forward to my next visit.

As a car centric coffee shop I wish they had a bigger parking lot. That's my only negative and not…read moresomething I would hold against the coffee shop but I feel I should be noted that parking is tight. The staff here is very friendly and personable. I have been trying to try new coffee drink and their German Chocolate was excellent. The shop is super cute and spacious. When I first arrived there was a Pilates class in session and they have different events and happy hours though out the week. Very cute and fun coffee shop.

Me and my two kids met my friend and her kids for late lunch and we had never been here before…read more.. Our Service was amazing!! The Food was outstanding. I had their Buffalo Wings fried in Beef Tallow and fries (My son loved them too!) I never knew it could taste so clean, non greasy and it'd be so crispy and delicious!! Our Server Jaxon was so sweet with great recommendations!! We will definitely be back soon.

I came here with a group of friends who love to hit up happy hour and know exactly where to go…read more There is another On the Kirb not too far from this one on Kirby. It was on a Wednesday and I found parking on the street not far from here. First thing I noticed was the margherita pizza. I chose the vegan version with vegan cheese. Friends were looking at me crazy. Margherita pizza has no meat already. No, it's the cheese that I can't eat. I think it was very flavorful. I shared it with a couple of friends. Their reactions were opposite. I don't blame them. Vegan cheese is not really cheese. Hahaha. Mashed potatoes was pretty good too. I like the atmosphere and the restaurant opens til late. Food was excellent. Service was pretty efficient. The waitress had a good memory when taking orders. I don't mind coming back.

I went for the first time with some friends who have been going there for many years. I had never…read morebeen to a blues club before, it was a lot of fun, you go to the bar to get your own drinks. They do not have food, we actually brought pizza in Side from Domino's next-door. We got there early so parking was easy. It's a small place, but there was plenty of seating and two pool tables. People were dancing and having a wonderful time. The band was a lot of fun as well. I would definitely go back. It was $10 cash cover charge on Friday night.

This is a nice no-fuss, old fashioned live music venue that specializes in Blues and because it's a…read moresmall venue, you really get in up close and personal with the performers. There is a cover charge of $10 for most of the performances but if you check out their website and the calendar, some of the shows are free also. The crowd is mixed but as would be expected with the genre of music, it's older - I would guess the average age of the crowd on the night I was there was 50-60 but they were getting down and having a good time so that's the important part! Parking kind of sucks here so I would suggest coming in early and if you find something in the parking lot or by the mechanic shop, back your car in because people will likely park behind you and it'll be pretty tight getting out later. There is also street parking around the neighborhoods but check the signs to make sure you don't need a permit.

Bar Buena was a surprise find after we participated in a cooking class at Sur La Table across the…read morestreet. After the byob cooking experience, we figured "why not!?" So we walked on over to this little speakeasy and were immediately greeted by the bouncer. On a Thursday night, it was quite crowded, but were able to find the last remaining seats at the bar. We were seated at the left end of the bar, which was nice because we had our own little "nook" away from the rest of the bar. Adjacent to us was the server station - the one server tending to the tables, Marilyn, frequently came by and we immediately befriended her. She gave us excellent recommendations and provided her opinion on several drinks. Robin was the bartender who took care of us throughout the night. She was super friendly from the moment we sat down and gave us stellar recommendations on food and drinks. She was happy to tweak a couple of their seasonal drinks to our liking, and even offered to mix other drinks that weren't on the menu. Fantastic service from Robin throughout the night. I started out with Tommy's Margarita - this was just their take on a classic margarita, nothing super special. I then ordered the Oaxacan Old Fashioned - think of an old fashioned made with tequila and mezcal in lieu of bourbon. I was a bit cautious about this one since I am not a fan of mezcal, however the smoky flavor was not very apparent in this one, which was a huge plus! I also got the Ardilla - very unique drink made with mexican corn whiskey, cocoa nibs, sherry, and a milk punch. I award this drink for most unique I've had in a while, definitely give it a try if you're up for something new. To finish, I had the Cariña - their take on an espresso martini made with reposado tequila. I really liked this espresso martini - it was a great way to finish out the night and I left feeling inspired to make my espresso martinis at home using tequila now! With the little room we had left in our stomachs, we tried the Pato Tinga Memela, which was duck leg (no bone) with beans and onions and cilantro atop a memela. I haven't had memela specifically per se, but consider me a fan. It is basically a mini "cake" of masa that is pan fried to a slight crispiness. An Oaxacan speciality, where else can I find these in Houston!? We also tried the Guacamole y Tostadas. The guacamole was unique in the sense that it was Oaxacan style, so contains pepitas, pickled onions, and queso fresco. The tostadas were super crispy and reminded me of how they serve guacamole in Mexico (rather than with chips/totopos). Fun fact is that this bar is owned by Goode Company. Next door to this is Goode Co. Cantina, so it's nice that they created an adjoining restaurant + speakeasy concept within the same strip. At one point in our visit, Levi Goode was standing next to us. We didn't know until after he left and Marilyn informed us, that that was THE man. Just doing a casual check-in of his bar. We really had a good experience at Bar Buena and look forward to returning. The food menu has quite a few offerings I wanted to try had I not come from a cooking class. We were also told that the seasonal drink menu was set to change shortly after our visit, so I look forward to trying these drinks!

Bar Buena is a hidden gem. Popped in here for drinks and ended up staying awhile. Service is…read morefriendly and attentive. There was 8 of us and we also ordered food. The food here is amazing and wonderful. Small plates like tapas style. Trust me you will not be disappointed. All my friends who love to eat and a mix of different nationalities were amazed and impressed how good the food was in this bar. I hate giving this little gem away but it is worth it. I will definitely be back for more. We were having such a good time that I forgot to take pictures. Get ready for flavor town.