La Carafe

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813 Congress Houston, TX 77002

713-229-9399

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7 User reviews Write A Review

Best Downtown Bar
Award Winner 2009

Hours: Sun,Sat 1pm-2am, Mon-Fri 12pm-2am
Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining

Description

Housed in the oldest commercial building in town, La Carafe exudes history. The jukebox plays no small part in this process, stocked as it is with Benny Goodman and Lady Day, and so do the candles behind the bar resting atop mountains of their own melted wax. The brick walls are covered with photos and paintings of the city in bygone days and even one of the city's namesake. The museum-worthy collection is dominated by a huge portrait of Sam Houston himself. A weekend afternoon here taking in the downtown scenes will really make you fall in love with Houston all over again.

2009 | Best Downtown Bar

La Carafe or Warren's, Warren's or La Carafe That is the question. That anything other than one of Carolyn Wenglar's two venerable Market Square bars is the downtown's best is a fool's proposition. Right now we are in a La Carafe mood. We love the candlelight and the stalagmite-like wax formations, the amazing lore accreted on the brick walls, the wine and the beer. We love it that it is housed in the oldest public building in Houston, an edifice in which merchants once traded with local... More »
2008 | Best Place to Smoke and Drink

Since the nicotine-loving set has been literally kicked to the curb, those who also enjoy a tipple with their tobacco have been on the lookout for prime public spots in which to indulge their twin vices. While many bars have simply roped off a couple of cheap picnic tables in their parking lot, venerable La Carafe fully cashes in on its prime location. The handful of tables out front offer a prime view of the skyline, and an outside speaker bathes patrons in sweet sounds of the bar's... More »
2005 | Best Downtown Bar

Housed in Houston's oldest commercial building (it used to be a freaking Pony Express station), La Carafe is a barroom-lover's bar. We're not talking a Bud Light-clock, gigantic-TV, supermodel-poster barroom, but a grown-up, no-bullshit place to sit down with a close group of friends and do some serious drinking. The candles that appear to give the bar its only light seem to have been burning for more than 100 years, perched as they are upon mountains of congealed wax. Nestled in the corner... More »
2001 | Best Bar Decor

In a city in which most bar owners' decorative aesthetic runs toward merely plastering the walls and ceilings with garish beer and liquor ads, the 141-year-old La Carafe (which over the decades has been an Indian trading post, a steam bakery and a Pony Express stop) stands out like a Vermeer among velvet Elvises. The walls there have not been festooned with art as much as they have simply accreted tangible history. The old portraits of luminaries like Jack Yates and Sam Houston, the ancient... More »

Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 8 Jukeboxes

By William Michael Smith | Wed, May 2, 2012

Along with pickled pig's feet and a steady supply of Slim Jims, a good jukebox is a prime element for any great bar. But, like dinosaurs, jukeboxes are a vanishing breed. Unlike digital jukes, iPods o... More »
Bartender Chat: John Rittman of La Carafe

By Ginny Braud | Fri, September 2, 2011

As a toast to Houston on her 175th birthday, I wanted to pay a visit to one of her oldest establishments. A Houston Press (not THIS Houston Press, the other one) article from 1962 called La Carafe "a ... More »
Happy Hour Scene: La Carafe

By Glenn Livet | Fri, June 24, 2011

The Place: La Carafe 813 Congress 713-229-9399 The Deals: $.50 off all drinks The Hours: 4 to 7 p.m. The Scene: The water dripping off La Carafe's awning onto the Congress Street curb was one of th... More »
Hangover W(h)ine

By J.W. Crooker | Thu, January 09, 2003

"No liquor, no limes," said the bartender at the downtown wine bar La Carafe (813 Congress, 713-229-9399). The joint has always been one of my favorites, but what's a poor cocktail columnist supposed to do here? I settled for a weird variation of ... More »
Wild Turkeys Can Fly

By J.W. Crooker | Thu, May 09, 2002

Around the corner from the city's oldest bar, La Carafe, sits the city's second-oldest building, constructed around 1820. The first thing you notice about the Twelve Spot (218 Travis, 713-222-1962) is how far up the brick walls go before they fina... More »

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ragazza0071 | Houston, TX | 13 Reviews

| Tue, June 9, 2009

I first visited La Carafe 13 yrs ago and I completely fell in love with this cozy candle-lit wine bar! Cozy atmosphere, superb jukebox, knowledgeable & friendly staff, great wine selection and eclectic clientele! 13 yrs have passed, and I am still in love with the oldest bar in Houston!
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MJ51 | Houston, TX | 2 Reviews

| Fri, July 24, 2009

This is a great spot. One of the oldest bars in Houston I believe, and supposedly haunted. I attended a seance there. Great atmosphere.
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Chef Bridgette Coleman | Houston, TX | 7 Reviews

| Sun, April 26, 2009

i have only been once to this place, but the vibe was amazing,staff friendly and great fun locals
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La Carafe

813 Congress Houston, TX 77002

713-229-9399

Description

2009 | Best Downtown Bar

2008 | Best Place to Smoke and Drink

2005 | Best Downtown Bar

2001 | Best Bar Decor

By William Michael Smith | Wed, May 2, 2012

By Ginny Braud | Fri, September 2, 2011

By Glenn Livet | Fri, June 24, 2011

By J.W. Crooker | Thu, January 09, 2003

By J.W. Crooker | Thu, May 09, 2002

ragazza0071 | Houston, TX | 13 Reviews

MJ51 | Houston, TX | 2 Reviews

Chef Bridgette Coleman | Houston, TX | 7 Reviews