World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Houston  - Nightlife
Nightlife

Downtown Houston is a vibrant area that is buzzing day and night with restaurants, bars, clubs, cinemas and theatres. Richmond Avenue, on the west side of the city adjacent to the Galleria, is a fun place to be. Many bars and clubs generally charge around US$10 and drinks cost US$3-5. Check the free city listings paper, The Houston Press, which is published on Thursdays and has an extensive list of which bars and clubs to go to and what's on where. Smart dress is expected in most of the clubs and bars, although venues that are more like pubs are fairly casual. Bars are generally open from lunchtime until 0200 in the morning. The minimum drinking age is 21 years.

Bars:
La Carafe, 813 Congress Street, is a friendly neighbourhood bar, while the Brewery Tap, Franklin Street, boasts 36 kinds of beer on tap. The State Bar on Texas Street is a popular place for a drink. The Ginger Man on Morningside Drive has a very relaxed atmosphere and a good selection of beers from around the world. Every city has an Irish bar and Houston is no exception with Slainte Irish Pub on Main Street.

Casinos:
These are not permitted in Texas and the nearest ones are in New Orleans, around seven hours' drive away.

Clubs:
Retro disco is alive and well at Polly Esther's on Richmond Avenue. Along the same street is the Outback Pub, a popular spot for rock'n'roll. A popular latino club is Elvia's Cantina Club on Fondren, which has a live salsa band every night. There are a number of dance halls in the Houston area, including Texas Longhorn Saloon at Northwest Mall. One venue but four clubs is City Streets on Richmond Avenue, with disco, country and western, piano bar and karaoke rooms.

Live music:
McGonigel's Mucky Duck, on Norfolk Street near Shepherd Drive, is one of the best acoustic music venues around, featuring a variety of folk acts. The Mercury Room, on Prairie Street, is rather upmarket with a wide selection of music played. Jazz lovers are drawn to the Sambuca Jazz Café, Texas Street. Great views of the city can be enjoyed from the top floor Sky Bar, on Montrose Boulevard at Hawthorne, while enjoying the dance music on offer there. Bayou Blues in the Bayou Place entertainment complex features live blues music, very popular downtown.



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