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

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!

Super cute speakeasy hidden inside a sushi restaurant. We went on a weekday evening and had no…read moretrouble getting a table. I ordered the Side to the Sun Rises (gin, yuzu, mint, cucumber) which was light, refreshing, and well balanced. I would recommend it if you enjoy gin-based cocktails with a slightly fruity flavor. My friends really enjoyed their drinks as well. They have all day happy hour on Sundays/Mondays. We did not get a chance to try the food, but the menu looked great. Overall, a fun spot with great vibes and definitely worth checking out!

First of all: Make a reservation for the exact group size you have. This place is very popular and…read moreusually booked up. It's inside the Four Seasons hotel. I did their main valet for about $8 on a Thursday. Easily your best bet! It's fun to ask the front staff and make the "journey" to find the place so I won't spoil any of that here. You will eventually have a host who will take you through the experience to get inside. They have a bar experience where you're face to face with the bartenders and a couch seating style. Hanging with the bartenders is more fun as they're fun with a lot of personality. Make sure to let them know if you're celebrating something. High chance you'll get bonus shots/drinks! Every drinks has a cool presentation and is very instagramable.i can't remember the name of mine but it had a mango taste with a dip n dots inspired topping. It's in one of my photos. It was on an other level. I'm not much for sweet drinks but dip n dots are my weakness. It went so hard. Highly recommen

Extremely overrated…read more Had friends in from out of town and thought this would be a great place to take them. High reviews from ppl I trust and a great concept. Booked a reservation and had to rush from another event to make it in time. We get there on time and we still wait 20 minutes in the lobby to be taken up. Love the concept and the door behind the bookshelf. However, just tell us what to do and step out the way. They stand right on top of you and it ruins the pictures/videos. We get inside and the vibe is great. Low lit and nice ambiance and decor. We go to the back and get seated. It was kind of awkward seating for four but it got the job done. Cool view out of the single window to the city below. Let's get to the drinks and service. Apparently, it was a newer menu and many of the drinks we were told about were no longer listed. The server was very strange and off-putting. She didn't do the best job describing the drinks at all and kept calling us "my babies". Four full grown adults being referred to as "babies" by a woman our age or younger was just weird and she did it a lot too. No one liked it. The drink I got was extremely overpriced and came in a tea cup- not my cup of tea. My friend asked for something creative using tequila and pineapple- she said "sure, we can make that. Do you prefer 1942 or clase azul?" I stepped in. I know you have more tequilas than your two most expensive options. Of course they did and she gave him more realistic options to mix with. Had I not stepped in, she would have taken advantage of him. None of us were impressed by the drinks, the prices or the service. None of the fun and fancy drinks were shown to us nor seen throughout the bar or other tables. No smoke, no big bubbles being popped, no treasure chest with a drink in lol This was an expensive let down. We do a ton of high end and expensive dinners and bars. This did not live up to the hype or price point. Extremely overrated and the strange service left a bad impression on all of us.

Soft life, sweet treats, and a little mystery is exactly how a girls' night should feel. The…read moreultimate girls night out in Houston is a Case Chocolates. Every Wednesday, they host a midweek indulgence for the ladies: complimentary champagne, signature chocolate, and curated sounds inside this one-of-a-kind chocolate speakeasy. Come for the immersive chocolate experience. Stay for the seductive, late-night vibes. If you're in Houston and looking for a cute girls night out, unique date night, or a speakeasy experience, add this to your bucket list immediately. It's intimate, indulgent, and just different enough to make your night feel special. Now there are levels to this elevated experience. Here's the simplest breakdown according to their mixologist Tim: 1. Opening Hour: 2 infused chocolates, 1 chocolate medallion, a mixed drink, and a welcome spritz 2. Guided Tasting: 3 courses of drinks and chocolates 3. The Journey: 5 courses of drinks, chocolates, and other bites. Come hungry! You're encouraged to book a reservation through their website. But since we went on Wednesday for the ladies night, we were able to just go right in. I'm doing chemo so I can't drink or have the alcohol infused chocolate but I still had a great time. Sober folks can also enjoy this place. I got a cherry mocktail and it was the best mocktail I ever drank. They had two chocolate bon bons that weren't infused with alcohol and then all of the flat medallions are also not infused. They were sweet enough to send me home with some alcohol infused chocolates to have once I finish my chemo. We got there around 7 and didn't leave until the place was closing down. The DJ was amazing and she made the atmosphere feel more like a Saturday night.

To start, when you arrive, you will ring the doorbell for them to come let you in, which I guess…read moreconsidering the space makes sense. The store front is very tiny, it could fit maybe 6 people fairly comfortably. They do have a speak easy space for their tastings, which is an interesting concept, which I'll touch on later. Effectively, they have different unique shapes of chocolate that are liquid filled with alcoholic and non-alcoholic liqueurs. Think licor 43, gin, bourbon, whiskey, tequila, etc. The chocolates themselves are good, there wasn't any that I disliked and I'd say the carajillo was one of my favorites. All that said, I think this can be hit or miss with some folks. I like them, whereas I can see how it has a bit of a flash in the pan type taste. It hits fast and then, that's it.Personally, I can get past that probably and could easily eat 10 in rapid fashion. Where this place loses my attention and where I struggle is the pricing. Value is always subjective and I'm sure some will find these to be well worth their price. For reference, I think it's 4 for $22, 8 for $34, when I recently visited. I just didn't find them to be worth that pricing model, particularly when there are other brands that you can get at a lower price and similar fillings. At the end of the day, I think this is worth it for an experience or date, particularly if you're going to go in for the tasting. Think, wine and cheese, in this case, cocktails and chocolates. It's $65 a person for the experience. Overall, I'm glad to see a boutique shop like this that's locally owned by a young, ambitious entrepreneur. My two cents, price lower and there is likely a higher amount of return customers for the chocolates, but I'll save you, the reader, the take on an entire business model diatribe here.

Segreto is one sexy, fun place. The drinks are on the pricier side of life but the entertainment…read moreand atmosphere make up for it. Come put together, bring your fun attitude and dance shoes or sit at the table and head bounce, but either way you'll love the live music and the DJ afterwards. Pro tip....Get there early if you don't have a reservation so that you can snag a bar seat or possibly be seated at a table. If at a table with no rezy be prepared to have to get up when the reserved party gets there though.

Located next to Lombardi's, Segreto Lounge is one of Houston's best secrets in the Galleria…read more Delicious cocktails mixed with either live music or ambient upbeat house tunes help make this a premier hang out spot after dinner or if you want to have a relaxing moment with your crew. As for drinks, they are pricy due to the atmosphere/setting but they are quite tasty. Bartenders put a lot of love and detail into concocting them and it shows. Once you pick up your drink, you can either sit at the bar or one of the tables and lounge around; or (if you're adventurous) come up to the front and get your dance on. One thing I enjoyed about this spot was how my girlfriend and I could have a conversation with one another and not have to shout due to the volume. They serve food here too if you're hungry but I'm mainly here for the adult beverages, music, and vibes!

Food, service, ambiance, and management are all 10 out of 10! Best experience I've had in sometime…read morewhen fine dining.

After hearing non stop great things about Credence from friends and on social media, we finally…read morewent for dinner the other night to celebrate my birthday with some friends. The dining room is chic and feels very upscale but comfortable with a large open fire kitchen that was really fun to watch while dining. They were very on top of service with both our dining captain and waiter checking on us throughout the evening. For appetizers we ordered the deviled crabs, tuna tostada and wood roasted carrots. All were great but I especially loved the carrots which were cooked and seasoned perfectly. For my main course I had the chicken and dumplings, husband got the NY strip, our friends shared the whole fish and we had the cabbage and crab rice as sides. Everyone was very happy with both their main courses and the side dishes. We were too stuffed to order dessert but they sent out a s'mores inspired sunday for my birthday which was both thoughtful and sublime. Overall we were very impressed with our meal. Food was delicious but veeeery indulgent. We will be back.

My daughter and I went to Off The Record on a Thursday night to have a drink, and it happened to be…read moreR&B night. The female DJ was amazing and kept the energy going all night. We loved the decor, especially the area leading to the bathroom which is beautifully designed, although we were not allowed to take pictures. It was really fun seeing which records made the wall and reminiscing about the songs I grew up with. The venue has a lot of open dance floor space but limited seating. We were not able to see the upstairs area since it was closed that night. It can get a little loud, but we still enjoyed the vibes, the crowd, and of course the music. Just a heads up, they do add a service charge to your bill. Overall, Off The Record is a stylish spot with great music, a lively atmosphere, and a cool R&B night experience.

We had such an amazing night out in the city at Off The Record. My friends and I arrived around…read more10:30pm after walking through downtown Houston. The vibes were perfect right away, white a giant poster wall at the front entrance, but it gets even better after walking into the main area. There was various vinyl decor on the walls, which was beautifully curated to compliment each other. The dj was playing a mix of R&B and Hiphop, both current and a 2000s throwback vibe. I ordered a Cosmopolitan at the bar while my friend ordered a Lemon Drop Martini, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our drinks. I also ordered a couple green tea shots since my friend never had one before. The only thing that was a bummer is the automatic 20% gratuity added, but that didn't dampen our night. We stayed until a little after 12am just dancing, enjoying the music, and appreciating this gem in downtown Houston.

I've wanted to check this place out for a while so I was so excited to stop by! Speakeasies always…read morehave the best, most creative drinks. We went to the upstairs area which was dimly lit and played 80s/90s hip hop. We tried few drinks. Lion's mane tail, brown butter washed whisky, mushroom (which I found so unique). It was quite strong and was nice to switch up from the usual old fashions we try. Second drink was sharp turn. It was super fresh and crisp. Clear as water but I definitely felt it. Service was really good here too. I like that the bartenders all create their signature seasonal drinks so they genuinely are so well versed when describing the drink menu.

Refuge is such a high quality bar. You can tell that they put immense care into the quality of…read moretheir drinks and service. I ordered 2 mocktails and my husband ordered two drinks. I thought that the catch 22 ( mocktail) would be too sweet or vinegar forward but it was tangy and light. My husband actually said he liked my mocktail more than he liked his cocktail which was good but a bit sweeter than he likes. The second mocktail I ordered was off the menu. I asked for something tropical and not too sweet. It was pretty good but not as complex as the catch 22. My husband liked the jaded merchant better than the dew drop. He also was sipping far too much of my mocktail which speaks volumes about how good it was. Love the moody vibes, drinks, and service. I've only visited three times but should make it one of the places we come to more often.