The 10 Best Restaurants And Bars For Watching Live Music In Houston - Houston - The Infatuation (2024)

photo credit: Jenn Duncan

Finding a live music venue in Houston is as easy as landing in traffic on the 610 loop. Musicians consistently pack out arenas that seat thousands and fill open mic nights at unassuming cafes. This guide can help you sift through the best venues around the city to grab a bite while you discover your next Spotify artist.

THE SPOTS

McGonigel’s Mucky Duck Pub has been around since 1990 and remains one of the best listening venues in Houston. The low-lit, intimate den with great acoustics is open until midnight most nights, and the plush curtains draping the stage add to the “shh, we’re listening to music” vibe. But it’s not all about live performances. Mucky Duck’s Irish bar food is worth the price of admission alone. The scotch egg wrapped with perfectly seasoned breadcrumbs has the perfect crunch. Just don't forget to purchase your tickets online because they don’t sell tickets at the door.

You never know what kind of local band you’ll stumble upon at Bohemeo’s. The East End cafe hosts everything from rowdy punk shows to experimental electronic music, all while serving coffee, vegan tacos, and pressed paninis. Most folks at Bohemeo’s are either sizing up each other's recent at-home hair dye experiment over on-tap kombucha, meeting on the patio for online marketplace transactions, or pretending to do homework while noodling around on a guitar theory brought from home.

Urban Smoke is for people who consider themselves “grown and sexy.” The Upper Kirby restaurant feels exclusive—there are only a handful of tables, and each one is dedicated to people eating fried catfish while listening to a live band. But when the band isn't playing, expect the DJ to spin smooth ‘90s R&B loud enough to make you sway in your seat but quiet enough to hear your thoughts. Come here when you want to experience Jodeci over a Cuban or just need an Old Fashioned with a fried catfish plate.

Phil & Derek’s in Midtown doubles as part Cajun-Creole joint and part silky-smooth jazz lounge. With the tables all pointed toward the stage, you can spot guests nodding to soulful covers of Toni Braxton's songs. Order the creamy seafood fondue or blackened catfish with delicate collard greens, and you’ll get the best Creole food this spot offers. Phil & Derek’s makes a perfect date night for music lovers, so snag a reservation for a weekend.

Modeled after a Cuban cafe, the Uptown speakeasy Emilia’s Havana always has a live band and serves potent rum-based co*cktails. And while there's a $50 entertainment fee and a $100 minimum spend, the Celia Cruz songs and mini duck cubanos are worth their weight in gold, so the triple-digit price tag feels reasonable. Emilia's Havana is for when you want to salsa dance with someone you kiss regularly, or when you want unlimited access to a rum fountain.

The Liv’n Room packs a lot of talent in a space the width of a railway car. The Third Ward bar has a Cheers energy, where even newcomers get treated like regulars. On Wednesday nights, the resident band performs on the elevated stage. Occasionally, people who seem like audience members will come to the stage and sing their portion of a Whitney Houston power ballad. Then, the main performer will wow the crowd by doing a live remix of the song they’re singing. The Liv’n Room gets crowded, so take a break on their patio or refuel at one of the food trucks parked outside.

Despite its name, there isn’t much jazz playing at Empire Jazz Cafe in Briar Forest. But the Cajun-Creole restaurant does have its fair share of ‘90s R&B and a few Quiet Storm nods. On Fridays and Saturdays, the stage fills with performances by a live band covering Erykah Badu songs. Meanwhile, plates of blackened salmon and bowls of gumbo get delivered to your table, where sound levels are closer to a full-blown concert than a small jazz cafe. So come solo or with someone you can practice telepathic communication with.

Going to Club No Minors means traveling through the door of a Tex-Mex restaurant into a small side room. The adults-only bar is made up of a few tables, and the “band” usually consists of an excited man with a mobile speaker and electric guitar. The one-man show is a perfectly chaotic experience, which is fitting because people dining here are either having a silly birthday celebration or secret super-fans of the man performing. Grab a plate of enchiladas and a blue margarita as you try to keep up with an energetic cover of “Hotel California.”

You can hear Sambuca’s music playing from outside and might even hit a shimmy before you walk through the front door. Most people dining at the classic downtown American restaurant are here for the bands that take the stage almost every night. The dance floor has a steady stream of work buddies performing complicated line dances and silver-haired couples slow dancing to “Sweet Thing.” Keep your meal light (like with a salad) because the songs might inspire you to stop mid-bite and rush to the dancefloor.

If a dusty old honky tonk underwent an extreme home makeover, we imagine it would look something like Armadillo Palace. The massive venue near Rice Village has indoor and outdoor stages for two-stepping and country singing sidled up next to a full-on restaurant from the folks behind Goode Company Seafood. Load up on bright yellow queso or spicy green chile empanadas before working up a sweat trying to keep up with your dance partner.