Two Nights in Houston. We came. We saw. We Were Humbled.
We came to Houston with confidence. We left with wisdom. Let’s begin.
Night One
I only thought Baton Rouge traffic was rough, then Houston said “hold my beer.” By the time we finally arrived at the Royal Soneta Hotel by the Galleria at 8:00 p.m., dinner wasn’t happening. We had tickets to see Drunk Shakespeare at 9:00 p.m., so we hurriedly checked in, brushed our hair, did a quick change, and jetted out the hotel.
I cannot say enough good things about Drunk Shakespeare. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, Drunk Shakespeare has one actor take six shots of tequila before acting out a popular Shakespeare play. Let me warn you, it is chaotic, vulgar, and absolutely hilarious. This is actually my third time to go. I went to the show two times in New York, so when I heard the show was in Houston, I immediately bought tickets. This show was the whole reason for the trip, and it didn’t disappoint!
We came to Houston with no itenerary other than Drunk Shakespeare, so after the show, we were lost as a goose. So with no plan in mind, we did what any two optimic women would do….we Googled nightlife in Houston. After a quick search, we were certain we made the right choice of ubering to The Heights. The music was good. The vibe was ….young. Like turn and look “who invited their mom?” young. And honestly? It was hilarious. We made the best of it and bar hopped up and down 19th Street. If you are in your 20s, this is the spot on Friday nights. If you are in your 30s (like us), drinking helps. After drinking upteen cocktails and a brief drunken emergency with a lost cell phone, we finally headed back to our hotel at 2 a.m. No food. No shower. Very little dignity.
Night Two
We woke up the next morning hungover and determined to make the second night count. We rushed to the hotel restaurant for coffee and breakfast (we were starved), then we headed out to go shopping at the Galleria. Now I won’t bore you with a detailed recap of our shopping trip, but let me just say, the Galleria has everything. If you can’t find it there, it doesn’t exist.
We shopped from around 10 a.m. until lunch, before deciding it was time for something equally important: a Bloody Mary. Luckily, the Galleria also has a Cheesecake Factory. We grabbed a Bloody Mary and a light lunch, and if you’ve never been before, I highly recommend the lettuce wraps. Delicious, light, and exactly what we needed before round two of Houston. Afterwards, back to the hotel we went, slightly buzzed and happy with ourselves.
For dinner the second night, we decided to make reservations at Moxie’s (recommended by a friend). We took our time getting ready, detemined to look hot! Moxie’s was definitely the right choice. The atmosphere was amazing and lively, and the drinks were AMAZING! My friend doesn’t like burbon but was obsessed with their Blackberry Bramble drink. For dinner, we ordered a bunch of appetizers to share: potstickers, calamari, and Thai chili chicken. All were delicious. We also had a fabulous waiter that gave us recommendations on where to go that night. Per their suggestions, we headed to H-Bar and Sante’s.
H-Bar was lovely. Very swaggy cocktail lounge. It’s not a social bar - everyone is seated at a table sipping drinks. We ordered two very strong dirty martini’s and enjoyed the atmosphere before leaving for Sante’s. Now….Sante’s was a vibe. Equipped with a live DJ and dancers on the bar top, it was a sight to be seen. The bartender, Adrian, was fantastic and only added to the experience. However, we were once again in a crowd significantly younger than us. Naturally, we spent the night making “Yo, Adrian!” jokes to the bartender, and being that he was about 10 years our junior, he did not get the reference. But Adrian saved the night. When we asked him where we should actually go if we wanted a more “30s” crowd and a fun atmosphere, he recommended Melrose. Thank goodness.
From the moment we walked in, we knew Adrian had sent us to the right place. The energy at Melrose was fun, and the crowd was a little older. Finally, we found our people. We both looked at each other and said “We should’ve come here first”. But sometimes the night has to take a few wrong turns before it lands in the right place. We stayed for a while and enjoyed the atmosphere. My friend even met her very own Jacob Elordi look-a-like that kept calling her “princessa” all night. Houston nightlife had officially redeemed itself.
The Next Morning
The next morning, we decided to stop for brunch before heading back home. We landed on Ojo De Agua in the River Oaks District - and it was AMAZING! We sipped on our bottomless mimosas, and then ate the best breakfast burritos I’ve ever had in my life! We will definitely be returning to this place in the near future. It might be worth the 2 hour drive. With our bellies full and dignity redeemed, we headed back to good ole Louisiana.
