The Best Restaurant Bars in Houston

This restaurant from storied husband-and-wife team Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught focuses on coastal Mexican cuisine. In keeping, the group's longtime sommelier Sean Beck has curated a white-heavy wine list with plenty of interesting sparkling. The cocktail list is agave-focused including a list of Palomas, Margaritas and seasonal Sangrias.  

Down House is one of those wonderful places that wears many hats, and wears them well. From mid-morning coffee to family dinner to a first date, Down House's simple but well executed cooking and thoughtful bar program make this one of the most well-rounded destinations in the city. Newly appointed beverage director Travis Hinkle has created a thoughtful wine list focused on approachability and value. Cocktails are quirky riffs on classics, and are served morning until the wee hours.

The restaurants in husband-and-wife team Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught's empire are among the most consistently excellent experiences in town. Key to that success are the intimately tailored beverage programs managed by sommelier Sean Beck, who's been with the group for more than a decade. Hugo’s has a strong focus on agave-based drinks, a perfect complement to the hearty regional Mexican cuisine, and presents diners with some of the city’s most adventurous opportunities for wine pairing. Beck explains with impressive detail what wines to pair (and not pair) with the menu's trickiest dishes, like mole, cochinita pibil ...

One of Houston's old-guard steakhouses, Pappas Bros. is not only a temple of meat, but a drinking mecca too. Just about as old school and big money as you can get, the restaurant's wine list is, unquestionably, the largest in the state. When you rob a bank at gunpoint, this is where to spend the money. But if you're on a budget, the markups are also some of the city's lowest. Alongside the excellent floor somms, is young gun cocktail bartender Matt Tanner who cut his teeth at Anvil Bar & Refuge. When he revamped the outdated bar, Tanner integrated homemade ingredients and house drinks, while updating the classics for ...

As the boozy half of an avant-garde restaurant outfit, drinks at the Provision's bar often take unexpected turns. Seasonal produce and spices usually reserved for a chef's hand all find their way into a mixing glass, resulting in drinks as thought-provoking as the food. 

Triniti is one of Houston's culinary gems, and its newly refocused bar, Sanctuari, is a destination in its own right. With its cool, two-tone floor, pale Nordic chairs and modern architectural lighting, Triniti is charming, but never veers into preciousness. The women directing the bar, Leslie Ross and Laurie Sheddan, have created a classical, elegant beverage program with knowing whimsy dashed throughout, particularly in their tendency to riff on the old standards with housemade ingredients like spicy orgeat, homemade cream soda and seasonal tinctures.