Houston comes alive at night, with dives, cocktail bars, and nightclubs dotting the city. In our Houston Nightlife: Best Bars, we’ll cover the best night owl watering holes in each neighborhood.
One of Houston’s unofficial party ‘hoods, this vibrant district houses mixed-use development and has a fantastic restaurant, bar, and arts scene, so it’s no surprise that it draws a hip crowd ready to imbibe.
Note: For this list, Midtown is defined by this map.
The Best Bars in Midtown
Axelrad Beer Garden
When the weather is right, there’s nowhere better to hang out than in the sprawling yard at Axelrad Beer Garden, a buzzy craft beer garden that boasts hammocks, communal tables, board games, and a next-door pizza joint in addition to a solid roster of brews, wines by the bottle, and craft cocktails.
Look out for fun happenings from live jazz and monthly cumbia to free movie nights.
13 Celsius
Vino enthusiasts should check out 13 Celsius, an impressive European-style wine bar with a knowledgeable, friendly staff and a smartly curated list of dynamic wines from around the globe.
Wines are stored in a custom-built, climate-controlled, above-ground cellar at a constant temperature of 13 degrees Celsius, offered by the bottle and glass, and poured alongside eats like cheese and charcuterie, marinated anchovies, and mortadella panino.
The Dogwood
Hit the rooftop patio at Midtown standby The Dogwood, which can get rowdy or super chill depending on the night.
Either way, you can sip Deep Eddy Sweet Tea cocktails, try your hand at the ring game, and nosh on eats from fried pickles to bacon-jalapeño burgers.
Jethro’s Cocktail Lounge
New to the scene and sitting on the cusp of Montrose and Midtown, Jethro’s Cocktail Lounge brings an equal-parts swanky and relaxed vibe to town, featuring an expansive bar, lounge seating, and an airy patio to showcase its curated cocktail menu (and damn good smashburger).
Enjoy riffs on classics like the Backyard Sour with bourbon, aquafaba, mango puree, and lemon; Not Your Dad’s Old Fashioned with hibiscus-infused rye whiskey, fernet, luxardo, simple syrup, and angostura; and Mezcalada with mezcal, michelada, tamarindo, cilantro, and lager.
Little Woodrow’s
You’ll find one of Midtown’s best patio spaces (with misting fans, shaded seating, TVs, swings, games and more) at the Midtown location of laidback watering hole and sports bar, Little Woodrow’s.
You’ll also find beer buckets, fun events like happy hour, seasonal Turtle Racing and crawfish boils, whiskey, scotch, and beer flights, game and fight nights, and steak and trivia.
Join the “Big 50” club to work your way through 50 beers and earn a spot on the “Big 50 Wall of Fame.”
Wooster’s Garden
Brews run from the hoppy and bitter to the tart and alluring at the trendy Wooster’s Garden, while 42 impressive house cocktails—which pack things like bitters, syrups, and flames—are refreshing and spicy, tropical and tiki, and spirit-forward.
Quench your thirst alongside elevated bar snacks, including edamame hummus, pepperoni pizza dip, and grass-fed burgers.
More Great Bar Options in Midtown
Hit the dance floor at poppin’ nightclubs Barbarella, The Encore (formerly Clé), Reset, and Vida Garden; get your fill of beers and sports at Christian’s Tailgate and The Maple Leaf Pub; hit up steak night at spots like Community Bar, Front Porch, and On the Kirb; sing your heart out at Glitter Karaoke or take in live music at Continental Club and Warehouse Live Midtown; chill out at low-key bar Komodo Pub; go wild at fun nightlife spots Shot Bar and Belle Station; and hit the rooftop at 77 Degrees.
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