Get your Derby on—including the biggest, grandest, most genteel hat you can find—at one of our Kentucky Derby Day picks around Houston on Saturday, May 1, 2021.
The celebrations may look a little different this year, but the Kentucky Derby is back and it brings with it a slate of restaurants and reopening bars that are ready to host you and your most elegant hats with drink and food specials.
You’ll find a chance to catch the Kentucky Derby, broadcast live from Churchill Downs, at our picks for Derby Day watch parties, along with delish drinks and savory eats.
Kentucky Derby Day Viewing Parties Around Houston 2021
- Kentucky Derby Day Celebration with Maker’s Mark at Backstreet Cafe – Celebrate the fun of Derby with a 3-course, cocktail-paired special menu that includes a wide array of choices, and a keepsake Julep glass. Some menu items include steak and eggs benedict, shrimp and pimento cheese grits, Nutella-chocolate banana pudding, and Makers Mark cocktails. $45 per person. To-go packages, which include different food options, are available for $60. 10am to 4pm.
- Kentucky Derby Party at Little Woodrow’s EaDo | No Cover – Watch the Kentucky Derby on multiple TVs while enjoying $7 Mint Julep specials all day at Little Woodrow’s EaDo. 11am.
- Derby Day at Little Woodrow’s Midtown | No Cover – Head to Midtown and cheer on Kentucky Derby races at Little Woodrow’s in Midtown, along with all-day $7 Juleps and drink shot specials. 11am.
- Derby Day Party at Julep – Southern cocktailery Julep is ready to reopen, and it’s kicking things off with its annual Derby Party. The al fresco party will feature multiple bars, mint julep carts, a spirit-free cocktail bar, Topo Chico station, boozy popsicles, and eats like bbq and smoked oysters by Blood Brothers BBQ and Feges BBQ, plus lawn games, a live DJ, livestream of the race, and t-shirt pop-up by Vinyl Ranch. Tickets are $10 presale; $15 at the door. Noon to 6pm (bar open to 2am).
- Kentucky Derby Day at Sam Houston Race Park – Place your bets on throroughbreds as you watch a livestream of the Kentucky Derby, followed by live Quarter Horse racing. $8; $5 for ages 5 to 8 and over 62. 1pm.
- Kentucky Derby Patio Party at B.B. Lemon | No Cover – Don your fancy hats and enjoy tunes by DJ Mohawk Steve, Derby-inspired cocktails by Four Roses Bourbon with dishes to match, a hat contest with prizes, a photo booth, and more at B.B. Lemon. Reservations are recommended. 2pm to 6pm.
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