I actually liked this place more than I thought I would....but it is definitley not on the top of my list of places to go. It was a little bigger than I had pictured it and the ceilings were high AND they played decent music. I came here on a Saturday night with a group of about 10 people and we had a good time. It was really crowded and hard to move around, but we managed to get drinks pretty quickly and I danced alot so that is always good :) There was an upstairs area that I did not make it too and a small outdoor space... It was fun, but nothing special... read more

What is better than shots?! You get to spin a super fun wheel and pretty people pour you a decently sized DELICIOUS shot! We spun twice and the first was a "blue balls shot" and the second I cant remember the name, but is was cream/milk based. Both were amazing and worth the money. Yes, this isn't the cheapest place... I think it is best to start the party here and keep it moving to surrounding bars. It was very crowded, but the atmosphere was super fun!! read more

Shot Bar - heavy pours FTW - Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Typically I come to Shot Bar when it's crazy packed with people! I was shocked to learn that this place is your typical bar, not a club, before midnight. I came here with some friends while enjoying a Girls' Night Out in Midtown. A few of them wanted to dance and since my previous encounters at Shot Bar had always involved dancing I thought to come here. The place was dead. We were the biggest group in there and there was no music, just drinking. We didn't even order a drink; just came up with a game plan for our next spot on the town. If you're into the whole "dancing to loud music with your friends and you can't understand a word they are saying (and vice-versa)" scene then come here, but after midnight! read more

ok so this place definitely has its ups and downs... on a well planned night of bar hopping, this is usually one of the first places you want to go to as it gets REALLY REALLY packed. In fact, uncomfortably packed. By around 11-12 you are usually body to body with everyone in there and have to squeeze to get to the bar. On a lighter note, this place knows their shots. They have never not known any of the shots I've asked for and I have had multiple free shots just because of the shot wheel on the wall. This place is fun for dancing, drinking, and getting a little crazy... just get there early if you want to enjoy it before you can't move. read more

Prime example of racist bouncers. They let in people with cowboy high top boots but won't let me in cause I was wearing Jordan bred 11s. Discrimination was felt and therefore will not ever be going back. Recommend everyone to go to little Woodrow's next door. read more

Such a good time. A little small but the company is a blast Come and enjoy Thursday nights roulette wheel of shots. We had one of the best times of our lives here. It's a must go at least once kind of place Nestled at the end of the strip mall it's easy to miss. Look carefully for the awning at the end of the building read more

I pretty much only go to shot bar to see the owners and have a quick shot with friends. On weekends it is amazing how crowded this place gets. Its small inside, so if you just want a round of shots. Get in and get out. Owned by same group of guys that own Pub Fiction and Ei8ht. I suggest going on Thursdays, and then early on Saturdays to beat the crowd. read more

Yesterday was my first time coming to shot bar. We purposely came here on Thursday so we can have the shot roulette. That's definitely the most awesome thing that we could have. We came in with a party of 7 and takes turn to buy drinks. We had 2 rounds and you'll be shock that how fast you'll have to down those drinks. It is like one drink after another. Out of 14 spins, i think we only pay for 4 spins. We had a really great time dancing and drinking. They played very nice music that get us so high. I regretted not to try this place earlier. This place has become my favourite place to get have a lot of fun and drinks! So what's the fun?? 1) Gamble on your drinks, get it free if you get it right! (you get excited when the spin slows down) 2) You'll end up drinking more than what you think u can do! 3) Not too crowded, so you can dance freely when you're tipsy. 4) Few bars or club with walking distance, so you can just come here for second round if you dont get enough on the first round ;) read more

I have been to this bar several times and never had any problems, I actually really like this bar. Well I wasn't allowed in tonight because I had on LL Bean Boots. I have never in my life heard of a place not letting you in because of your shoes. I will never be back. Clearly the bouncer tonight had some personal issues with Bean Boots. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ read more

Everyone I know has complained about Shot Bar.... but somehow I have found myself there on more Thursday through Saturday nights than I would like to admit. Everything everyone says about it being crowded and there being lines is true, but it's for a reason. Shot Bar has a cool setting that would be a lot more fun if it had twice the room. Music is usually on point. There are TVs. Spinning the wheel is cool (sort of). They have snack mix. SNACK MIX! If you can get to the bar (good luck) and you are in the mood to dance (and don't mind bumping into people as you do it) it's not a bad place to be! It's a must-try at least once if you live in Midtown if you want a story to tell. read more

Favorite spot in midtown. Upstairs turns into a mini club Saturday nights. Great music compared to other bars in the area.

The concept is pretty cool. The bar is horrible. Way too crowded , way too loud. They should really moderate how many people they let in because you cant even walk! If you use the shot spinner on the wall you don't even know what your getting because youre moving so fast and you can ask the bartender what it because you cant hear them. SMH I don't ever come here when I'm in midtown read more

great little bar to grab a quick shot.

My boyfriend and I went to this bar this past Friday. We were both dressed to go out and party. He had on and nice shirt dark jeans and gray converse. We were denied entry because he had on tennis shoes.... We just watched a group of people go in before us that had on the same type of shoes but of course much lighter in complexion. We were told that this bar profiles, but decide to go try it out for ourselves. Next time I will listen. This bar sucks... read more

This place has got to be THE WORST BAR IN MIDTOWN. I lost my ID there and I tried to go back in there to find it and the staff was incredibly rude about it. Like we get it y'all are closed and want to clean up and go home but if you're going to work somewhere that works late then learn to act like it. On top of that they play the worst music. AVOID read more

Thieves. I forgot to close my tab at the end of the night. The following day, I called, and no one answered (even during business hours, it went straight to voice mail) so I left a message. I never got a call back and I was unable to stop by to pick up my card for 2 days. On the third day, as I was getting ready to go 30 minutes out of the way to pick up my card, I checked my credit card statement and there was over $200 worth of transactions from nearby CVS, Spec's, restaurant, and even shot bar. Unbelievable. Never giving them business ever again. read more

If you want to have a blast with your friends when y'all are out and about this is the place. Upstairs is dance floor and downstairs is basically dance floor with a couple seats. Music is always good (mostly EDM and Rap). Shot specials always get everyone in the group going. Plus on Thursdays you can spin the wheel and potentially win free drinks. read more

I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into this place last night. Based on the reviews here, and with other yelpers telling me to go somewhere else, I didn't have any high expectations. However, I actually had a good time, probably because I was with a group of 6 and it's all about the company you keep...and we're a fun bunch. We had initially intended to only stop in for a few shots but since the weather was crappy, we stayed until closing time. It's interesting to see that all of the 1 and 2 star reviews come from guys. There's a reason for that: it's a sausage fest in there. The guy to girl ratio is ridiculous, about 4 to 1 and it IS a frat kind of environment. Anyhow, we got there at around 10:30. Parking wasn't an issue and we didn't have any trouble getting in. The place is small. There's an outside patio area that runs the length of the bar so folks can get their nicotine fix or check out the barhopping action. As you enter the bar, there is an express shot bar on the left hand side, with a service window open to the outside so you don't even have to go inside. It was easier to get drinks here, probably because it looked more like a souvenir window than a bar. As you continue inside, there's a small raised area off to the left, the main bar straight ahead and small upstairs area, where the DJ keeps the music going. I agree with other reviews in that the music is not that great...but this is a shot bar, what do you expect? The bathrooms are located on the right at the end of the place, with a smaller bathroom upstairs. There's a lone bartender in the express bar and three others at the main bar. The place was about 2/3 full when we got there and a lot of guys were already three sheets to the wind. It's that kind of place. It really does resemble a frat scene and the guys are there to get drunk and pick up chicks...but since that's kinda hard with the male/female ratio, they proceed to get FUBAR. Yeah, not very attractive. It can be a bit hard to make your way to the bar if you have to get through a drunken crowd of guys. For the gals, it's kinda like a guy dropping the bar of soap in prison....watch your back. It's beyond me why guys think a girl likes a drunkard to grind up against her. Ladies, to get from point A to point B, you're going to have to run the male gauntlet, so be prepared. I gave a few of the more overly eager guys a really hard elbow to the midsection (I have to say that I really enjoyed that). My group didn't have any trouble getting drinks at the main bar. The bartenders were definitely super busy so they're not going to take the time to bond with you. It's not that they don't want to be sociable; they're just waist-deep in drink orders. I did the unthinkable and started a tab. When I closed it out, I was pleased to see that I didn't have any surprise charges as can sometimes occur in bars where people get sloshed. This isn't the kind of place you go to for some spiritual revelation, have deep meaningful conversation or partake in some fine alcohol. Nor is it the kind of place you go to for a night of non-stop dancing. Most people will probably go for a first time experience, to start the night or as a stop on a pub crawl. For me, there's not a whole lot of appeal because the guys get super drunk really fast. I had fun mainly because my group was fun, we stuck together and the lone guyfriend was able to keep the grabasses at bay. I wouldn't go here without a guy since the rest of the male population will descend on you like flies on sh*t. The Shot Bar wouldn't be my first, second or third choice to go to but I had an all right time and the people-watching was definitely fascinating. read more

A totally generic mid-town yuppie bar, sure, Shot Bar can get you and your friends inebriated, but the question is why you'd want to do that here. On weekends the place gets packed, but I suspect that's not out of choice, but out of circumstance--those who can't wait the 20 minutes to get into Pub Fiction just throw up their hands in drunken disgust and stagger over to Shot Bar. I think the interior of the bar is very poorly designed--it is extremely narrow for a bar/club, which makes it impossible to move anywhere without having to shove your way past people. I'm sure this is just some cheap ploy for guys to "accidentally" brush up against some boobage, but it's not like there's a leprechaun with a pot of gold waiting for you once you get to the front. Apparently there is an upstairs area, but I never made it up there because it would have involved me singing Pantera, throwing up a dual-cornas, and crowd surfing my way to the stairs. Because of that I spent most of my time on the non-descript patio, which has the feeling of one of those sorry areas created in response to the smoke ban. On the upside, the drinks were well made, and the prices reasonable for the area ($6 mixed drinks). All told, there are better places in the area to get your drink on. read more

Shot Bar, oh Shot Bar, why did I ever stop frequenting this spot? Oh yeah, because I pulled my head out of my ass and started exploring the world of Houston outside of Midtown. If you're new to Houston, just visiting or just vapid Shot Bar will be a blast for you. However if you're a little beyond any of those qualifiers, Shot Bar will drive you cuckoo banana crackers crazy. I'll paint the scene....You wait in line for an exorbitant amount of time especially in relation to the crap you're about to experience. Once you're in, as a female it takes only milliseconds for about 5 frat guys to sense the presence of fresh meat in the pack and attempt to lock in on their target. You try to shuffle your way up to the bar through the mass of sweaty drunks, either dancing or just being d**ks and not wanting the get out of your way--mind you this is a tiny place, the bar is like ten feet from the door, and yet it still takes a good five minutes or so to maneuver up to the bar. At the bar you just hope to be acknowledged by the hottie hot hot bartender, but you know you're nowhere near the top of her priorities. You finally get your overpriced drink and now you must dance. You kind of have no choice, given the size of the place and lack of seating. So I hope you like dancing. And it's likely someone will want to take you home, so if you're in search of some anonymous and casual one night thing you may find it here. That is the essence of Shot Bar. read more

DISCRIMINATION! I'm from Illinois, but was in town for a day visiting some friends. She invited me out with a group of people to celebrate another friend's birthday at Shot Bar. When we arrived, one of her friends was waiting outside after being denied entrance due to his sneakers. My friend was also wearing sneakers, so the bouncer also turned him down. A group of people lined up and all were given access to the bar, even though one of them was wearing sneakers. When we asked why he was given access and our friends weren't, we were completely ignored. The difference between the groups of people was that the group I was with consisted of Hispanics and African-American, while the other group was all White. Whether this is common in Texas or not, it doesn't justify their actions. read more

Well what can you say of a place that serve people to the point of falling and then let the rest of the crowed put up with this idiots. We had to arrive early to entire with out a problem. WOW I felt like i was a kid that this was his first time going to a bar arrive early so you wont have problems. Then after a certain time there is no room to stand. The music gets so loud that between the liquor and sound you become disoriented. I spent time with my friends but could not hear what they were saying. so we decided to leave and go to the Dog Tavern two blocks down. I have to admit in the Shot bar the only good thing there are the Bartenders They are HOT!!!! but hey if you like no attention go to Shot bar. read more

Racist bar. The almighty doorman and his clicker ruined the experience by holding us hostage at the front of the line while the rest of our group was already inside because they were "at capacity." Meanwhile, 2 groups of 15+ Caucasian people who did not wait in line are let right in. I did not appreciate this bar using building code policies to hide behind their bigotry. Also, they were no where close to being at capacity. and shot bar is notorious for having way too many people inside by the end of the night. I've had a good time at this bar in the past, but I'm white so... I'm changing my opinion because the doorman didn't want to let me and four friends, who happen to be persons of color, go upstairs and listen to the DJ play a song for ten seconds and then change it to something more awful than the last song. Congrats on your intolerance and shitty music. read more

I went here on Saturday night and the place was really crowded. There was a medium size line, but the bouncer was not letting anyone in; even groups of girls. I don't know if it's really worth it to wait in line for this bar, since it's really just the same as every other place in Midtown. I think it could be a lot better if they played better music... that you could actually dance to upstairs. I guess there's nothing great about it, but if there was no line I wouldn't mind going there again. read more

Waited in line for an 1/2 an hour only to get turned away for having a vintage printed t shirt slacks and dress shoes on when four guys before me walked in with t shirts and you can clearly see guys on the patio with t shirts and shorts on smfh Texas midtown Racism at it's finest I've heard about places doing this but never believed it...so ended up going to dogwood great DJ a packed house but you could still move around good bday night over all despite the disrespect Dogwood is awesome!!! read more

Bar is nice a bit packed but your able to have a good time that was before they started rejecting my Mexican ID know as "Matricula" they started telling me they didn't accept those kind of ID's when in previous occasions I would go in with that same ID I have a Texas ID I just rather use my Matricula just in case I end up losing it or stuff like that , I also dislike the door staff the way they told me they did not accept those kind of ID's they were extremely rude and seem pretty racist. I now just use my Texas ID yet never been back to this bar did not like this ID experience. read more

It's really sad that in 2010, people are still racist. After leaving Cheerz, down the street on Bagby, and experiencing the first racist doorman, we thought Shot Bar would have been a better place to go....WRONG. Myself (African American) and five of my friends (Asians) show up and the guy tells us to wait because they're at capacity...okay no problem. Meanwhile, some Caucasian guy comes up and tells the bouncer he has 4 people with him and he lets them in while we've been waiting for 10min. I kept my cool and continued to wait. We finally got in and two of my other friends (Asians) attempted to come in and the guy tells them they can't get in wearing shorts...okay I understand...until I see the bouncer let in a group of people (Caucasians) in front my friends in FLIP FLOPS and SHORTS. Seriously? The door guy at SHOT BAR is RACIST. Cheerz is even WORSE...unless you're Caucasian. read more

Easily would've given this sorry excuse for a bar negative stars, but alas yelp is far too generous with their rating system. So here's the thing, I can't even rate this bar based on their drinks, atmosphere, and service. That's because both times I tried to enter, one of my friends was not allowed in. My friend group consist of me (a small Asian female), 3 white people, and my international friend from Indian. The first time he wasn't allowed in was because "he's wearing Jordans." The second time he made sure to be dressed appropriately but couldn't enter because he was "swaying." Rightfully absolutely pissed because it's 2016 and you'd think that the fall of Gaslamp due to their racist practices would've made neighboring bars to be a little less transparent in their racism, I calmly asked why my friend wasn't allowed in. "He just can't go in." said the snarky bouncer, as he barely checked the IDs of the following 15 white people that entered the bar. "Really? because two out of two times and this really seems like racism to me." I replied, only to be shut down completely. As one of my friends went inside to get our other two friends I was told that I'm not allowed to be there anymore, so I went off to the street to wait. However, racism is unacceptable in any form and in any place, even if you're a shitty bar, so I kept on asking why my friend wasn't allowed in. Their only response was to send out two cops, one of which literally asked me "Do you want to go to jail tonight?" Really? That's all it takes to go to jail these days? All I have to do is question whether an establishment is engaging in racist practices? Apparently I, a small Asian sober female, was seen as a threat. Suffice to say, I will never return and I encourage everyone out there to refrain from patronizing places that discriminate against people of color. There are so many other bars out there in Midtown, and more so in Houston in general. Why stop at a place known for being "too small and crowded, but has Chex Mix." To make sure I wasn't going absolutely crazy, I decided to check out the reviews of this place and lo and behold, I am definitely not the only person to have witnessed such racism from this bar. I take delight in knowing that at least we didn't have cops escort any of my friends out for falsely "harassing the manage/bartender," something that seems to be a suspiciously commonplace occurrence here. read more

As an avid midtown partier, shot bar is always on my list of bars to drunkenly stumble into. This weekend, however, I had the pleasure of meeting the general manager, Sarah. Out with a group of girlfriends for a bachelorette party, Sarah greeted us at the door and her hospitality continued throughout the night. After the bride-to-be had a drink spilled on her, Sarah noticed and immediately pulled a few of us into the back where she helped cleaned up the bachelorette and profusely apologized. Afterwords, she bought all of us a round of drinks and hung around with us for a couple minutes. Even though the bride was upset at first, it's one of those things you have to expect going out in midtown. It was the way that management responded that sets this bar aside from the other jam packed bars in midtown. Five stars for sure, we will definitely be returning! read more

Love shot roulette! Some of the shots are yucky but its ok because we have such a great time there. It's also a great way to try new things and not have to wait for your group of friends to decide what they want. read more

It's pure irony that an establishment called "Shot Bar" would have a dress code, which in my case, forbid tennis shoes. I guess it's understandable for them to not let all the "riff-raff" muck up the classiness of the place. For the record, I was also wearing a polo shirt and jeans. Never escapes my mind that any place operating as a business would turn away a potential paying customer. Then again, seems par for the course in this part of town. We gladly spent our money elsewhere. read more

My personal experience at Shot Bar had always been good until this weekend. I had a few out of state friends in town for my birthday, and had gotten them all excited to come to this establishment. There was a group of 12 of us and while we were let inside my out of state African American friend was told he could not come in. First the reason was because his shoes were "red & white." I came back out and pointed out that another friend of ours had been let in and that his shoes were also red and white. (This friend was caucasian.) The bouncer then changed his initial reasoning to "it's because his jeans are ripped." Again. The friend that had been let inside with the red and white shoes also had ripped jeans. When this was pointed out, out of reasons, the bouncer proceeded to ignore us. Needless to say we took our business elsewhere, and despite how angry we all were that this had even taken place, my friend who had been refused service remained humble, even though this situation was more than offensive. I am truly not one to pull the race card every time something happens, but this was really appalling to me. I had told them nothing but good things about this bar, and his first night in Houston he was greeted with what really did appear to be racism. I understand having a dress code, but this was not a case of dress code considering that the only real difference between the friend that was let inside and the one that was denied entry was skin color. So incredibly disappointing. read more

First impressions: small place, Top 20 pop dance music, large shot wheel behind the bar and not busy for a Saturday night. They had a TV by the bar showing the recipes for their "Top 10" and their shot wheel. How can anyone pass up ordering a shot at a place called Shot Bar?! Wasn't surprised to see that Red Snapper was on the "Top 10" list. We ordered three Red Snappers and continued chatting with my friends. After she was done I asked to make one more ... Totally annoying I know but I found another victim to take a shot so I asked her to make another and apologized. I watched her make it and noticed she never poured Crown Royal. My friends already had passed out the other shots so I decided to not question anything. Once I got the bill and noticed they were $7.50 each I questioned her what she used to make them and she confirmed my suspicion ... she used well bourbon. $7.50 for a shot that only had well liquor ... I guess only in Houston?! I told her I've never had a Red Snapper made without Crown and she just walked away. I hate to give a business a low star rating based on an individual buuuut it was Saturday night. What type of owner has a bartender working a busy night that doesn't know the recipe to what they have claimed as their popular shot ordered??!! This is a happening area of Houston so with all the other options I won't return. If I had you at Shot Wheel then just be careful that the bartender isn't taking advantage of you having a good time. read more

My friend from Cali always wants to hit this joint up when he visits, this place of been the bomb back in the day but to me it's aight! Cons- Place is small, not enough room to dance, takes some time to get a drink, you get your feet stepped on or someone is stepping on your feet, and I don't really crowd watch but there were some douchey peeps (male and female) Pros-I like the shot wheel, the DJ jams!!, the patio is pretty chill, and you get wasted pretty quickly....it crept up on me and the crew! All in all if you go with the right peeps this place can be fun if you don't then be prepared to get wasted and head somewhere else. I would come again, only when my friend from Cali demands we go. read more

The bar is a cool concept. Really liked the shot wheel and they made really good chocolate cake shots! It was sooo crowded though that it took forever to get even one order in. Forget going with a large group too because the music is so loud you can't talk to each other. I would definitely go back just be warned of how crowded it is. read more

I love all of the different, yummy shots and the big spinning wheel. HOWEVER, this place is packed all of the time. Even though I love the music in this place and want to get my groove thing on, there is no room to even lift your arms most of the time. Instead, I camp out by the trail mix dispenser by the stairs to the second level. This place is really so much fun, it's just too small for the kinds of crowds it draws. I keep giving this place a second chance though, because one of these days the crowds will thin and ice ice baby will start and I will be able to jungle boogie for once! read more

This used to be the light lounge and it's Xactly the same- same crowd same decor, a bit more clubby now though. They did add an xpress shot bar at the entrance, like an EZ tag to the liquor - lol. Good place to stop and get a drink, not worth 15 min max of someone's time. read more

They have a dress code, which is ok. The bouncers are just a little rude about it.

The DJ sucks. It's like he couldn't find a song he liked. As soon as a good song would come on, he would immediately change it. It was weird and obnoxious. read more

You go to shot bar on Thursdays for free shots by playing the roulette wheel. Bet your number of desired shots on red or black and if the wheel lands on your color your shots are free. If not, you pay. More often than not you'll win (I don't know why it always works out like this, but you won't find me complaining). You go to shot bar on Fridays and Saturdays post 10:30pm to continue fueling your alcoholic binge and to possibly get down on the dance floor that's upstairs. Its small, it's crowded, and it's the perfect next to last stop of the night. Take a few shots in this grimy, lour bar and head on over to Red Door. Perfect. read more