The Top 100 Places to Drink Near Grand Prize Bar
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Rank 2. Light Years
Wine Bar
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- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops in Houston
- Houstonia The Official 50 Hottest Bars in Houston
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Rank 8. Little’s Oyster Bar
Gulf Coast Seafood
- Esquire 2023 · Golden Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Texas Monthly 2024 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 9. Augustine Lounge
Hotel
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- Houstonia The Official 50 Hottest Bars in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Sara Stayer and Martin Stayer
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Rank 12. Lee's
Cocktails
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Bars
- Houstonia The Official 50 Hottest Bars in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
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Rank 13. Bar No. 3
Cocktails
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Rank 14. Mercantile
Café
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Rank 15. Winnie's
Cocktails
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Rank 17. Catbirds
Dive
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Rank 19. Bandista
Latin-Inspired Cocktail Bar
- The Pinnacle Guide 2026 · 1 Pin
- 50 Best 2026 · #47 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
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Rank 20. Blacksmith
Café
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Rank 23. Agora
Mediterranean
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Rank 25. West Alabama Ice House
Outdoor Patio, Dog-Friendly
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Rank 26. Julep
Global
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Winner · Outstanding Bar Program
- 50 Best 2026 · #84 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. Central
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Rank 27. Un Caffe
Coffee Shop
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Rank 29. Two Headed Dog
Cocktails
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- Spirited Awards 2025 · Top 10 U.S. Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Houstonia The Official 50 Hottest Bars in Houston
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Rank 32. 13 Celsius
Wine Bar
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Rank 33. Koffeteria
Bakeries
Koffeteria is the kind of bakery-cafe that makes you wonder why everyone else is doing it so plain. Chef Vanarin Kuch won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery by mashing together Cambodian, French, Mexican, and whatever else earns a spot on the menu that day. The pastry case pulls in creative locals who very much have opinions about croissants. Order the Salty Cambodian latte and figure out why sourdough butter belongs in coffee.
- The Infatuation Our Favorite Bakeries In The Country Right Now
- The New York Times 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
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- Air Canada 2019 · Top 10 · Best New Restaurants
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
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Rank 37. Baileson Brewing Co.
Brew Pub, Pub/Brewery, Beer
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Rank 38. The Coffee House at West End
Coffee Shop
A coffee shop that actually earns the Instagram moment without trying. This bustling spot occupies a gorgeous old church building, with soaring ceilings, plush sofas, and a rooftop deck where you can stare at the Houston skyline and feel like you have your life together. The crowd is a mix of laptop regulars and people meeting for a first date who both ordered lattes to seem low-key. The coffee is solid and the vibe is genuinely worth the trip.
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Rank 39. Brass Tacks
Café, Bar
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Rank 40. Rudyard's
Beer
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. Central
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. Central
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Rank 44. Kefita Coffee
Ethiopian Coffee
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Boomtown is a craft coffee shop that takes its beans seriously without making you feel underdressed for ordering a latte. The 19th Street original has a loyal crowd of laptop regulars and weekend brunchers who know the menu by heart. Small-batch roasts, a handful of creative espresso drinks, and genuinely good pastries make it easy to stay longer than you planned. There's a second outpost downtown if that's more your speed.
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Rank 48. Bludorn
American/New American
Bludorn is the kind of polished American restaurant that makes Houston feel like a proper dining city. The room is good-looking, with royal blue booths and an open kitchen, and the crowd dresses up just enough without taking itself too seriously. The menu swings wide, from seafood towers to hearty cioppino, and the service is genuinely attentive. Save room for the baked Alaska, which arrives on fire and earns every bit of the theater.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Houstonia The Best Brunch Restaurants in Houston
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. Central
- Houstonia The Official 50 Hottest Bars in Houston
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Rank 51. 8th Wonder Brewery
Sports Bar, Outdoor Patio, Beer
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Rank 52. East End Hardware
Outdoor Patio, Beer
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Rank 53. Sunny's Bar
Dive
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Rank 55. Notsuoh
Dive
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Rank 60. Eden Plant Co.
Coffee
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Maven is a coffee shop and cocktail bar that decided the boundary between the two was a suggestion. Parked in Sawyer Yards, it draws the kind of crowd that shows up in nice athleisure and somehow looks right. On weekends, brunch runs from oysters and Caesar cups to chilaquiles and lobster rolls, and when you can't choose between coffee and a drink, a carajillo made with their cold brew settles that debate nicely.
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Rank 63. Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Pub/Brewery
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Rank 64. Equal Parts Brewing
Pub/Brewery
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Rank 65. Fifth Vessel Coffee
Coffee Shop
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Rank 69. Moon Tower Inn
Beer, Outdoor Patio
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Rank 70. Better Luck Tomorrow
Cocktails
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Rank 71. Bad Astronaut Brewing Co.
Pub/Brewery, Brew Pub
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Rank 72. Cariño Coffee
Mexican Coffee Shop
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Rank 74. Gristworkz
Pub/Brewery, Cocktails
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Rank 78. Kanpai Club
Cocktails
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Rank 79. Mijo's Mezcal Bar
Cocktails
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Rank 80. Heights & Co
Outdoor Patio
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Rank 81. Sunday Press
Café, Restaurant
Sunday Press is an all-day café that actually looks as good as its Instagram suggests, with a light-filled interior and a drive-through for when you need coffee without the production. The drink menu runs from honey sea salt lattes to nitro cold brew, and there are açai bowls and sandwiches if you're hungry. Come nightfall it quietly flips into a cocktail lounge, which is a genuinely clever trick for a coffee shop to pull off.
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Rank 84. Trash Panda Drinking Club
Cocktails
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Rank 85. Casaema
Mexican/Tex-Mex
A daytime Mexican cafe in Houston Heights with a Bib Gourmand and the kind of menu that makes you wish you had two stomachs. The team elevated a bakery pop-up into something genuinely special, with heirloom corn taking center stage and coffee that holds its own. The horchata cream doughnut sells out early, so either arrive hungry or make dessert your opening move. The crowd skews weekend-brunch-regulars who knew about this place before you did.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly 2025 · #6 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle #3 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 86. New Magnolia Brewing Co
Pub/Brewery
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Rank 87. Eureka Heights Brew Co
Pub/Brewery
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Rank 88. Big Star Bar
Outdoor Patio, Dive
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Rank 89. Wild
Café, Bar
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Rank 90. Lei Low
Cocktails
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Rank 92. Monkey's Tail
Cocktails
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Rank 95. Karbach Brewing Co.
American/New American, Pub/Brewery
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Rank 96. The Library
Wine Bar
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Rank 97. City Acre Brewing
Brew Pub, Pub/Brewery
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Rank 99. Cafetales Specialty Coffee
Columbian
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Rank 100. Kohiko Coffee House
Japanese Coffee Shop