In our Where to Happy Hour series, we search Houston’s vast array of neighborhoods for the very best libations.
Just southwest of Downtown, the Museum District is a beautiful section of town that plays home to an organization of 20 museums, galleries, cultural centers, and community organizations.
With so much culture and beauty, there’s no shortage of entertainment here, including plenty of thirst-quenching happy hours.
Note: For the purposes of this list, the Museum District is defined as the area bordered by Richmond/Wheeler to the north, Montrose/Main to the west, Holcombe to the south and 288 to the east, plus the Menil Campus.
Where to Happy Hour in the Museum District
Bistro Menil
Set on the beautiful Menil Campus and next to Menil Park, the European-inspired Bistro Menil offers an elegant way to escape and unwind at its Afternoon Tea Menu.
Tea service begins with a coupe of champagne or Italian soda followed by selections of savory and sweet bites like Smoked Scottish Salmon Finger Sandwiches and Vanilla Crème Brûlée, and is capped off with a soothing cup of tea for $70 per person (includes tax and gratuity) with a two-person minimum.
Other specials include the Thursday Night Wine Tasting, with five selections of wine for $29 per person (3-ounce pours each) on Thursdays from 4pm to close.
Wednesday through Sunday, 2pm to 5pm.
Cafe Leonelli
Over at the stunning Kinder Building on the Museum of Fine Arts Houston campus, Cafe Leonelli rocks Wednesday through Friday happy hour and a reverse happy hour on Sundays.
Grab a seat inside or outside to sip on $5 wines and $3 beers while snacking on freshly baked $5 focaccia, topped with things like prosciutto cotto and roasted mushrooms or sausage, broccoli rabe, and Calabrian chili.
Wednesday and Friday 4pm to 6pm; Thursday 4pm to 8pm; Sunday noon to 2pm.
Davis Street at Hermann Park
Held in the bar area, the happy hour at Chef Mark Holley’s Davis Street at Hermann Park features $1 Gulf oysters, half-off East Coast oysters and $10 to $16 bites, from Jamaican coconut curry mussels to Black Angus sliders with beer mustard and bourbon ketchup.
Pair your bites with $10 cocktails like the jalapeño-infused tequila.
Tuesday through Friday 4pm to 6:30pm.
Grand Prize Bar
One of Houston’s coolest hangouts is cocktail-driven dive Grand Prize Bar.
An industry favorite, head here to sip $3 wells, $5 drafts, and a selection of $8 to $10 happy hour–priced cocktails like the Pimms Cup or Paloma.
There are also adult “Happy Meals,” featuring choices like a Lone Star with a Fireball chaser or a Schlitz and Campari.
Daily 4pm to 8pm.
Lucille’s
It’s all about Southern comfort at charming neighborhood favorite Lucille’s, which offers an excellent happy hour at the bar.
Get half-off signature cocktails like the Texas Hold’em, a pineapple agave margarita with reposado tequila; plus $5 to $10 bar bites from butcher burgers and fried green tomatoes to its famous chili biscuits—based off a recipe from chef-owner Chris Williams’ great-grandmother and the restaurant’s namesake, African American culinary pioneer Lucille B. Smith.
Tuesday through Thursday 4pm to 7pm.
More Great Happy Hours near the Museum District
Jam to records, grab drinks and nosh at super cool restaurant and lounge 93-Til; check out specials from live DJs to steak night at Bar 5015; and unwind with cocktails and bites at Hotel ZaZa’s sultry lounge and restaurant, Monarch Bistro.
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