Our karaoke host, Kitty, was absolutely amazing. She brought such great energy to the room and got…read moreeveryone involved. Her vibe made the whole night so much fun, and you could tell everyone was having a blast. We came with our group and sang our little hearts out! The crowd seemed like a bunch of friendly locals, and everyone was so laid-back, welcoming, and supportive. The atmosphere was honestly one of the best parts of the night. Shoutout to Sammy the bartender, you absolutely killed it! Not only were the drinks great, but your singing was incredible too. You were seriously multitasking like a pro. Overall, this place gets a 10/10 from me. Amazing people, amazing atmosphere, and an unforgettable karaoke night. If I'm ever back in Houston, this will definitely be one of my first stops!

We had so much fun stopping by on a Thursday evening. We missed some of the line dance lesson…read more(which starts at 7:30) but caught the end. It was packed! I like how the instructor talks about the steps on the mic but there are people positioned throughout the dance floor who know the dance who you can follow. We stopped by with a few of our friends who come more regularly and have mastered some of the dances! Some are more complicated than others but in general these are fairly tricky dances. There's a website you can use to practice the dances at home to prepare for each week. After the lesson there is more open dancing and they play various line dance songs for anyone to join. They also include the song that was covered during the lesson. It's fun to watch - so many folks here are really talented. We only bought some waters and did not try any of the drinks so I can't comment on those. Service was good and the lines at the bar move pretty quickly. We've already been talking about going back here to check out another line dancing class! Would definitely recommend.

The service was amazing the energy was great I really enjoyed my time for it being my first time…read more5-5 would recommend

Ripcord is a very niche bar. You'll see a very specific type of environment. People that are…read moregenerally friendly. Drinks typically come out fairly well-timed. The wait time generally isn't all too long, even on weekends. The bar aesthetic is very very bold a d tasteful in a sense. There's a nice patio area outside where you can sit down and chat with friends. Fair warning, it does get fairly crowded enough for the air to feel saturated and damp at times. Dress accordingly.

It was wonderful place for me , had a great time, drinks were amazing. I will definitely coming…read moreback to this place. You can be totally yourself.

This is a great place to go with your friends for drinks. If you get hungry they have a food truck…read moreoutside with tasty food. All of the staff is friendly. They welcome all sexual orientations. Everyone is welcomed to go and have fun. Drink prices are reasonable.

I have not been to the club scene for a long while until recently. I only came here because my…read moreout-of-town friend visiting. I couldn't believe that was my first time step into South Beach Club (SoBe) since I moved to Houston almost 2 decades ago. Every time I came to SoBe, I got turned away by the long line wrapped around the parking lot before midnight. That's when I normally get off work. But this time, we stopped by on Saturdays. We came super early, like 9:30 pm. Yeah. We got our free pass. Normally, it's $10 cover charge, which isn't bad because there is a huge dance floor with high tech lighting system and sounds system. It was totally worth every penny. Because we love to dance. We adore the music to our liking, more like in the 90's oldies. Yeah, we are older than most people on the dance floor. Thank goodness they didn't kick us out. I remember one night there was a huge group of young Asian guys came in around 10 pm. There were also many birthday celebrations around the seating area. Boy, I would love to sit on a cozy chair after dancing my ass off. Looks like they have some kind of VIP access. There were also girls and straight couples on the dance floor and around the lounge area. Oh, there is a cool patio on the side. Restroom was clean. Looks like there was some kind of upgrades at the club. Yeah. I would definitely return.

Always great staff and fun times. A true open and accepting environment. I recommend getting on the…read morespeakers and dancing the night away.

I came here for Houston Restaurant Week and completely blown away by the whole experience in the…read morebest way possible. I enjoyed the smoked duck gumbo, which was a great ratio of tasty duck and sausage to the right amount of rice. I also loved the loch darte salmon, which came with corn milk spatzle, corn, caviar, and fennel and parsley salad. The salmon was cooked wonderfully, and all the ingredients harmoniously combined to form a glorious, unforgettable meal. As we were celebrating a birthday, they also kindly provided a candle and cheesecake square, which was a great touch. Not to be outdone, the bread pudding dessert was not only ample in size but also came with a yummy brown sugar whiskey sauce, almond wafer cookie cup, and vanilla ice cream. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone in the area looking for a unique and delicious dining experience (think classier Bass Pro Shop) in the area.

Went for a couple drinks and ended up trying a couple things. The cabin feel and sportsman's decor…read morewelcome and the bar area is tucked away facing the outdoor eating. Had a couple old fashioned and tried some tequila pours. Started with the taste of the wild and it was really good, each of the cuts were unique and cooked just right. Tried the South Texas Nilgai Antelope which was perfect; tender cut of meat with a mustardish flavor, the chosen sides compliment it well. Overall great choice for happy hour or dinner.

Get ready, set and play! Then, pause…read more I recently discovered a dance bar after the closure of my beloved Eagle Houston bar. This Play Nightlife bar is located at the former Hamburger Mary's and Buddy's aka Kiki's on Grant Street of the Montrose Gayborhood. The entire complex has Hollywood neon sign on it. The left side is called Club Pause. The right side is called Play Nightlife. Together they are called Pause/Play (like on the music machine). On the weekends, Club Pause opens at noon and music starts at 10 pm. There are other activities like karaoke nights on Wednesdays and Thirsty Thursday etc. I'm usually here on Friday and Saturday nights after 11 pm. Saturdays seem to have a bigger crowd. Club Pause has bounce music by DJ Jimmy D on Saturdays and Sundays. It's a place to hang out and dance. I like to dance at Play Nightlife because the deejays are from the former Eagle Houston. CJ Fader was the resident deejay upstairs and DJ Jimmy Skinner was the resident deejay downstairs. Music is more danceable than South Beach Houston. There are not many parking spots up front. People usually park elsewhere and bar hop to Play from neighboring bars. There are 2 taco trucks in the parking lot. My favorite food truck Pixi Dust Houston is previously called Eagle Eats. That explains why I come to Play Nightlife more often than any other gay bars in the Houston's Gayborhood.

love drag events here, pretty chill environment. wish there were more nonalcoholic drink options…read moreand bathrooms were cleaner

Drinks are always strong and consistent. Love that it's tucked away. Ample parking. First floor is…read morequiet and allows for free flowing conversations. Upstairs lets you enjoy the show. Been here several times and will go back again!

I was there for 8 minutes, here's what I learned: this is a swingers bar. Whether you're a couple…read moreor not, they do stuff upstairs separate from the stuff downstairs. When people in reviews say this place is dark, I mean "the lights are almost out" dark. The bouncer told me he's seen it all upstairs...orgies, girl-on-girl, gangbangs, swingers, you name it....it's not exactly a casual speakeasy. You need to plan a night here if it's your prerogative. The upstairs is couples only, but the bouncer told me that if you'd slip him $20 then you can go upstairs and try your luck. The pictures they show you are brightened. This place is nearly pitch black. And I'm not saying this to blow up anyone's spot, it probably is a great spot for couples but it just wasn't my scene, especially when I vouched that it was a good place for me and my guy friend to chill. Also, the bartender wouldn't give me and my friend the time of day. I was really excited to see how this place made drinks and they wouldn't even service me and my friend...she just was checking her social media. I might come back here one day with a girlfriend I know VERY well, but as for now I'll keep my change and go somewhere else

This updated review is about Varsity's dance floor upstairs. I went there the day after Halloween…read moreand it didn't open until 10:30. Once it opened up, the paint smell punched in my nose. Masking tape was still on the staircase. My biggest complaint with the old Eagle was the creaky floor. Varsity fixed it by laying industrial floating tiles. It's not for dancing. The acoustic quality was terrible. It sounded like a dance party at high school gymnasium. They put a scoreboard on the big wall where it used to be a painting with the former bar. Upstair bar is usually packed. Clientele was mostly younger crowd. They sang songs with the music it was playing while dancing. Varsity installed several TV monitors on every single wall. Not sure what they trying to create. Extremely gaudy. That's not what a video dance bar should look like. Ugh. Not sure if I want to come back. The downstairs bar and dance floor were so empty. I went there on a Friday night. They turned off all TV's around 12:30 am. I was watching a cricket game while dancing. WTF!! I don't have a good taste after that.

Staff is friendly and super awesome. Meet great people there and dance the night awayread more