{"id":145127,"date":"2025-06-11T16:09:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/the-houston-dive-bars-we-love-the-most\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T16:09:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:09:35","slug":"the-houston-dive-bars-we-love-the-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/the-houston-dive-bars-we-love-the-most\/","title":{"rendered":"The Houston Dive Bars We Love the Most"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Big Star Bar is positioned within the Heights.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the inflow<\/span>\u00a0of new locations<\/a> opening each week in Houston, it might appear as if well-worn dive bars<\/a> are a rarity, however there are nonetheless loads of watering holes that emulate that eclectic but easy neighborhood vibe many people crave. Read on for a few of our favorites.<\/p>\n\n

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Big Star Bar<\/a><\/h3>\n

HEIGHTS<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

Dimmed crimson lights.\u00a0A few ZZ Top posters. Lived-in couches. Box televisions. A year-round Christmas tree. Pinball machines. A pool desk. And a hung-up assortment of outdated skateboards. It isn\u2019t hoarding, it\u2019s gathering\u2014or at the very least that\u2019s what Arian Owens, supervisor and associate at Big Star Bar, tells himself.<\/p>\n

Owens, who has labored on the Heights<\/a> staple for 17 years, says the concept for the decor is to usher in quirky gadgets that will not be of use to another person and provides them a brand new life. And he\u2019s at all times including issues.<\/p>\n

If an merchandise works for the area, that\u2019s cool. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t work,\u201d he says, \u201cstill kind of cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Owens jokes that it\u2019s a good suggestion to maintain your expectations low should you\u2019re new to the bar, so that you gained\u2019t be disenchanted. But in our opinion, Big Star Bar is ideal for anybody searching for a match of nostalgia, fairly priced beer and cocktails, and a terrific sense of neighborhood.<\/p>\n

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Get your musical groove on at Dan Electro’s.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Dan Electro\u2019s<\/a><\/h3>\n

heights<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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While some homeowners shrink back from it, Shaun Brennan of Dan Electro\u2019s embraces the \u201cdive bar\u201d label\u2014although he jokes that his place\u2019s loos are most likely too clear for the time period. \u201cWe\u2019re a neighborhood watering hole dive bar slash music venue,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Dan Electro\u2019s has taken dwell music very severely since opening its doorways in 1988. Names like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Gere, and the Allman Brothers Band have performed on its stage. The venue retains this dedication alive each day of the week by inviting bands of all genres to carry out. On Saturday and Sunday, it\u2019s double the enjoyable with two bands enjoying matinee and night live shows. The expansive outside patio can also be nice for escaping the tunes to talk with your pals or play a sport of cornhole.<\/p>\n

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Test your pinball abilities with Little Dipper Bar.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Little Dipper Bar<\/a><\/h3>\n

Downtown<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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Put your arcade <\/strong>abilities to the check at Houston\u2019s personal pinball haven. Little Dipper has 13 pinball machines with totally different themes, together with Star Trek, Foo Fighters, Batman, and Jurassic Park.<\/p>\n

The bar additionally options tons of mirrors for the useless drinkers, globes for the vacationers, and books for the intellects. Fun reality: The employees brings books of all genres from their very own libraries,\u00a0so that you may simply be studying your bartender\u2019s favourite guide. You may even take it house and are available again with your individual (although an alternate will not be required).<\/p>\n

When baseball season is in full swing, it\u2019s the final word laid-back spot to wind down after an amped-up sport at Daikin Park (we all know, it doesn\u2019t have that very same ring as Minute Maid). And if the liquor is speaking an excessive amount of, seize your finest associates and strike a pose in Little Dipper\u2019s picture sales space to recollect the second.<\/p>\n

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Lil’ Danny Speedo’s Go Fly a Kite Lounge is an East End gem.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\nLil\u2019 Danny Speedo\u2019s Go Fly a Kite Lounge<\/a>*<\/h3>\n

east finish<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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This purple constructing has defied the chances of gentrification in Houston\u2019s East End neighborhood<\/a>. A pool desk greets you as you stroll in, adopted by a wall of colourful lights, neon signage, and a bar filled with bizarre decorations\u2014skeletons are a year-round factor right here. With its outdated arcade video games and sparkly cubicles that seem like a diner is looking their title, this rad joint will make you are feeling such as you\u2019ve entered one other period.<\/p>\n

One common, Alfonso \u201cFonz\u201d Pe\u00f1a, says his favourite factor in regards to the bar is that it attracts in folks from all totally different walks of life. You can strike up a dialog with somebody who lives within the surrounding blocks or an industrial employee seeking to loosen up after an extended day of exhausting labor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love this place,\u201d he says, including that patrons \u201cdon\u2019t get glammed up, because you feel right at home here.\u201d<\/p>\n

*Yeah, it\u2019s a mouthful. Just name it Lil\u2019 Danny Speedo\u2019s.<\/em><\/p>\n

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You by no means know what kind of quirky merchandise you may discover throughout a go to to Notsuoh.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Notsuoh<\/a><\/h3>\n

Downtown<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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Notsuoh<\/a> will not be a lot of a neighborhood bar with its Main Street location, however its eccentric decor has earned it recognition as an artwork bar. The dimly lit multistory area is house to tons of oddities, together with taxidermy (even an ostrich and a giraffe head), creepy mannequins, bizarre work, bookshelves with dusty books and outdated footwear, and different relics. Carve out a while for a have a look at the wood sales space on the primary flooring, whose desk shows a New York Times<\/em> entrance web page from the Thirties.<\/p>\n

The venue, working in numerous codecs since 1996, has stored up with the occasions greater than its curio assortment or creaky floorboards counsel, so that you gained\u2019t discover a plain outdated beer menu right here. Sip on a cocktail whilst you discover all of the random gadgets. Some highlights embody the hibiscus mule, a jalape\u00f1o paloma, and the Bees Knees. And with three flooring to discover, Notsuoh is the present that retains on giving. Don\u2019t skip a go to contained in the trippy dome on the third flooring, the place sound and artwork mix (and actually bend) collectively.<\/p>\n

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Distressed wooden, bar video games, and neon lights lends a dive-bar air to Little Woodrow’s Rice Village location.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Little Woodrow\u2019s<\/a><\/h3>\n

rice village<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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The 10 Little Woodrow\u2019s bars throughout the metro space are tried and true for us, however nothing compares to the vibe of the Rice Village<\/a> outpost. It\u2019s additionally one of many oldest areas in operation right this moment\u2014subsequent 12 months will mark its twenty fifth birthday. Bob Wilson, CEO of Little Woodrow\u2019s, says his purpose is to at all times make bar goers really feel comfy. The inside is timeless, with distressed wooden, bar video games, and neon lights. Wilson says not a lot has modified since opening, apart from the introduction of liquor to the menu and an expanded patio area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re part of the fabric, we\u2019re part of the neighborhood,\u201d Wilson says.<\/p>\n

Sports followers may catch a glimpse of a Houston Texans participant\u2014some don\u2019t even conceal beneath a disguise. Formers Astros supervisor Dusty Baker used to frequent this Rice Village spot, too.<\/p>\n

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Poison Girl is a enjoyable hole-in-the-wall in Montrose.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Poison Girl<\/a><\/h3>\n

montrose<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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This hole-in-the-wall on Westheimer has been serving Houstonians since 2004, and has gathered some superior eye sweet by means of the years. Our favourite is the Kool-Aid Man on the again patio.<\/p>\n

According to move bartender Jonas Thompson, it was created by a daily who used to frequent Poison Girl within the bar\u2019s early years. He\u2019d constructed it as an set up, and when he was achieved with it he requested the crew in the event that they\u2019d prefer to have it. Of course, they stated sure. Thompson says they rented a cherry picker to move the Kool-Aid Man. But as a result of there wasn\u2019t a means for it to suit by means of the gates, they positioned it on the roof subsequent door. One evening, a large windstorm got here by means of, and the set up flew off the roof (doing completely no harm) and landed upright in its present place in Poison Girl\u2019s yard. The universe knew it was meant to discover a house there.<\/p>\n

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West Alabama Ice House is an OG spot.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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West Alabama Ice House<\/a><\/h3>\n

montrose<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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There\u2019s nothing like visiting a traditional neighborhood bar after an extended, demanding day at work, particularly this one on West Alabama. It first opened in 1928<\/a> as an precise icehouse. The Markantonis household took over within the Nineteen Eighties and breathed new life into it\u2026however not an excessive amount of. The white-and-red shack has a country, old-timey vibe, and its expansive outside area with picnic tables and TVs that stream sports activities video games have made it a go-to gathering place.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll by no means discover any frills right here. But West Alabama has made some menu additions in recent times. Now, you’ll be able to order ciders, exhausting seltzers, nonalcoholic choices that transcend Topo Chico, and, after all, craft beer, together with area of interest kinds like sours. But truthful warning: There\u2019s no liquor. Owner\u00a0Petros Markantonis says he respects the\u00a0undeniable fact that this icehouse has at all times been a\u00a0beer joint.<\/p>\n

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Five Notable Mentions<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

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Ladybird\u2019s Bar<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Washington Corridor\u00a0<\/p>\n

This neighborhood bar off TC Jester is in strolling distance of Washington Avenue, however with its pool desk, cozy patio, TVs, and cheap costs, the vibe is 10 occasions higher for anybody searching for a low-key evening.<\/p>\n

Sunny\u2019s<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Downtown<\/p>\n

With its iconic $1 Jell-O pictures and low-cost drinks, this bar on Capitol Street is helpful should you\u2019re balling on a finances\u2014and on this financial system, these offers can\u2019t be beat.<\/p>\n

La Carafe<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Downtown<\/p>\n

This bar is in Houston\u2019s oldest industrial constructing, and rumors declare it\u2019s haunted. Whether or not that\u2019s true, we nonetheless prefer to sip some wine and take within the moody atmosphere.<\/p>\n

The Den<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Third Ward<\/p>\n

Located on the University of Houston\u2019s campus, the Den at all times has drink specials, is nice for sport days (go Coogs!), and affords a basket o\u2019 fries that\u2019s a should for drunk munchies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

D&W Lounge<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Second Ward<\/p>\n

This East End spot is the epitome of a neighborhood dive bar with its unassuming entrance, weird decor, and historical past that stretches to the Nineteen Forties.<\/p>\n

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