TX, Houston, State Bar and Lounge

The State Bar and Lounge, 909 Texas, Suite 2a, Houston, TX 77002 (713)229-8888

An unobtrusive sign on Travis Street and a door 20 or 30 yards from the corner of Texas and Travis past the open air seating for the Sambuca restaurant opens to an entrance hall and a wide staircase. Climb the red-carpeted stairs and enter into a lounge with a long mahogany bar and comfortable seats both inside and outside on a patio overlooking Texas Avenue.

The State Bar and Lounge web site http://www.thestatebar.com/table.html says:
The State Bar & Lounge is an upscale, classic lounge at the corner of Travis and Texas on the second floor of the Rice Lofts. Considered by many as one of the cornerstones of the Houston Downtown renaissance, it is also tribute to the glory days of the city's oil boom. Much of the furniture and memorabilia are from the old Rice Hotel's Capitol Club, a legendary locale from the turn of the century that witnessed such historic milestones as the first electrical lights and air conditioners of the city, prominent judges and oil men cementing the success of Southern Texas, and the last place where President Kennedy ate before traveling to Dallas in 1963. The State Bar & Lounge has resurrected the Capitol Club's atmosphere and honed it to the times with the chic artwork of Houston artist, Alisson Stewart, a mahogany bar, high-arched windows, a private and distinct lounge, and a grand veranda overlooking much of downtown's virgin growth and ambiance.

The bar offers a good selection of draft beers including Breckonridge IPA, Bass, Fat Tire, Anchor Steam, Shiner Bock and St Arnold’s Amber and a nice selection of wines by the glass, single malt scotch and specialty Martinis. Most nights the bar is relatively quiet after the happy hour crowd leave and go home and it is very pleasant to sit outside on a spring or fall evening with a companion or two sipping a glass of wine and nibbling at the cheese or antipasto plate. Sometimes the service is a little erratic and the staff occasionally seem to be in a bad mood and this detracts from the ambiance when it happens. The prices are reasonable, $5.50 for Breckridge IPA, $5.75 for a Bacardi and Coke, $4.00 for a (small) serving of house Chardonnay and $10.00 for an Absolute Martini, shaken not stirred.