Eight Row Flint

First and foremost let me say that the cocktails are crafted quite well here. The tacos are fresh and worth the wait.
But, I will say that the first come first served /​tacos ordered at the bar and delivered wherever you may be seated causes friction in what otherwise is a very promising venue that could withstand the ‘cool and hip’ timestamp if it was able to overturn the chaotic nature of its food to table delivery.

Forced valet parking now, and apparently the rest of Houston has figured this place is open. Crowded from the moment the doors open, and service has gone way down hill. Impossible to flag a bartender down, and table service can be painfully slow. The place has been slammed packed for a few weeks now, so that is to be expected. They do have the bourbon barrel taps up and running, but because of the crowds and service I was not able to order anything, and ended up leaving. While I do really want to try that, and think this is a nice place, just to much of a hassle right now. I left and went to Johnny’s. Had the same bourbon I would have had here but for a way better price. Which was Elmer T Lee Single Barrel (a fantastic bourbon), I believe $ 16 here, only $ 10 at Johnny’s. Maybe when the crowds calm down I will be back, but a down grade for now…

You know that old gas station on Yale and 11^th that was being converted… well it’s finally opened! I got a chance to try Eight Row Flint and I really liked it! It’s got 4 tacos on the menu, Brussel Sprouts, Chicken, Pork and Beef. They also have chips with salsa, guac, or queso. And of course they sell whiskey, lots of it, beer, and other mixed cocktails.
It’s a really nice atmosphere. Super open and casual and looks like they’re drawing a great crowd, a nice mixed crowd, which is nice. Sasha and I sat at the bar, she ordered a mixed drink with orange peels, I wasn’t in the mood to drink so I just ordered chips, salsa, and the guac. On food, we enlist the bartender’s help and she says she’s only been there a week but she says the Brussel Sprouts Taco is the most popular, but she likes the Pork best, and since I’m not a huge pork fan I ordered the Brussel Sprouts and the Chicken Taco and… the Brussel Sprouts was sooooo good! So good that I ordered another one and made Sasha try it and she thought it was sooooo good too! The chips and salsa were great too. I loved the thick chips. I definitely want to come back and have that Brussel Sprouts Taco again.
The kitchen is located in the food truck in the back of the lot. Interesting idea. Those big barrels contain whiskey, which is kind of neat. You can see the tubes neatly organized along the barrels around the walls and onto the pouring spouts. Really nice décor, cozy, fun, casual, really cool place.
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The queso was awesome! There was definitely a lack of wait staff, but it’s a bar. You should expect to need to go to the bar for things. Bartenders were awesome and everyone there was friendly and helpful. The pork and chicken tacos were awesome! Definitely getting the other two next time.

Last Friday was our second time here. This is a great spot. I love their cocktails, beers and tacos (not a huge bourbon fan)!
The location is awesome, I really would like to love this place. But… They are under staffed. It was a Friday night and I only saw 2 waiters for the patio. It took the waitress forever to find us at our table.
We ordered two beers, after 20 minutes she comes back with one beer and a whiskey??? It took her another 10 minutes to get the other beer.
She told us it was her 2^nd day so, ok I’ll give her some slack.
Same with the tacos. It took a while for them to bring them over and I saw another server running around with our food on the patio. He had no clue where he had to deliver the food until he asked one of the two waitresses.
Ok, so we order the second round of drinks at the bar. The bar clearly is under staffed as well. They were stressing, didn’t look happy and the barlady was not so friendly…
I’m guessing they need more staff and more structure. I don’t think we will be back soon, but I hope that the experience will be better when we do go back.

So much hype and no delivery! The wait staff were the rudest people I’ve ever encountered and for what you get the ridiculous line isn’t worth it. So many other superior restaurants with staff that actually want you to be there. Don’t waste your time!!!

I was very excited about this place opening since I love good bourbon and good tacos. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with both.
The Positives: great patio and location. Good salsa, queso and guac with fresh chips.
The Negatives: they don’t have all the custom barrels or the Pappy that’s on the menu. While both of the single barrels they had were good, at $ 18 a full pour they weren’t really worth it. On top of that, it wasn’t a true full pour and if they are going to be serving it neat, it needs to be served in a proper neat glass and not a shot glass.
The tacos were okay but not worth the $ 5.5-$ 7 a piece.
They have a great selection of bourbon but it isn’t properly priced for the short pours we received.
The worst part is that it’s a smokers paradise as pretty much all the seating is outside and ashtrays are in abundance.

The food and drinks itself was good, but overpriced and the service left something more to be desired. The servers seemed spread thin and distracted. I ordered a water with my drink and never received it. Thank goodness I wasn’t driving. I had to FLAG DOWN the waitress or a server on multiple locations AND we waited 20 min before anybody attended to us, even though I specifically asked the wait staff what the process was. Poorly managed facility with improper training of waitstaff.

Actually I’d give this place 3.5 stars for now. Its a cool little set up built out from an old gas station, reminds me of a similar idea on lower Washington, but more open. Nice unisex bathrooms with a common wash area, probably the standard for all new builds. Good sized patio with a limited food options from their truck.
Good bourbon/​rye selection which includes some special house blends in casks (not all of them were in casks yet though). They also have a couple frozen drinks and some custom cocktails… on tap. I can’t vouch for the quality of those, but haven’t seen anyone complain.
I liked the mini flights of bourbon & ryes, I think they were $ 9 for 3 half pours. On one occasion I had three of the house blends (full pours), which I enjoyed, but it was $ 57. The place is not cheap, but maybe that will keep the backwards hat crowd away.

My complaint… the god-​awful chairs at the bar. They are essentially wooden circles on a swing arm from the bar. Getting on and off of the chairs would not be the easiest thing to do after a few cocktails. I noted that I was not the only one struggling with this endeavor. Let alone the arm is a fixed distance from the bar, so if you are larger than 6’0″, 200# it may be an uncomfortable fit, you will literally ‘belly up to the bar’. If I’m going to spend north of $ 60 for three drinks I better have a comfortable chair. Fix that to get another star.

We finally made our pilgrimage to Eight Row Flint to see if they deserve all the hype and the traffic jams! Well, in my humble opinion they do. There are so many great new places opening up, it takes allot to stand out, and Eight Row does it with the bourbon theme and taco truck menu. It is in fact Bourbon Heaven! The house blends are AMAZING and the vast selection of brands is daunting, including the impossible to find Pappy Van Winkle 20($ 85 a shot). Generally the prices are fair, Jefferson’s Ocean for $ 18 is a great example. This is a great place to cultivate a bourbon vice. They also have an impressive selection of draught beers that will keep any beer snob happy. Their ‘Bracer’ cocktails, made with high octane booze, are really interesting. The food truck offerings are limited, four tacos, guacamole, queso, and salsa, all fresh made. We tried all of the tacos and I rank them, beef cheek, Berkshire pork, flash fried Brussels sprouts, then the chicken. The sprout taco is getting allot of attention, but I’m a meat guy. I didn’t post any food pics because they are not that pretty. There are plenty of pics on Unilocal for the visually motivated. Speaking of Unilocal,they are getting some bad press about the service. They are brand new and smoking hot, there will be growing pains. They are well aware of the issues and seem to be committed to improving the inconsistent service. Our server, Laura, was bright, fun, and was VERY familiar with the product. She navigated the complexities of the difficult booze menu with ease. In a bar like this, servers like Laura are essential for survival. Beer and bourbon snobs have no patience for dumbness when paying $ 85 a shot! They were in and out if the weeds, and there were some delays. I think they are struggling with tons of separate checks (Hipsters) while trying to make designer cocktails that take allot if time to create. Hopefully they will find their rhythm. The final huge plus is they are cigar friendly on the patio. If this turns you off, you shouldn’t be hanging in a bourbon bar. As a matter of fact, they should really consider putting a small humidor in the bar.
Lastly, the cons:
Parking can be challenging.
Dogs on the patio
Kids under foot
The last two are my problem, I’m just a mean guy.
Really long winded! In short, another home run in The Heights!

I thought the place was overpriced and parking was bad. The atmosphere seemed friendly but the building itself seems plain and lacks character in my opinion. Also, you have to give them your drivers license so that they can scan you into the system to be a member because of it being in the «dry part of the heights», which I know it exists and has been in place since 1912 but it just seems to me a hassle in order to enjoy a drink.
As a final note, my wife didn’t really care for the mixed gender area of the restroom. I didn’t use the restroom while I was there so I don’t have an opinion about it.

I really didn’t like this establishment at all. I am in no way shape or form cheap but I don’t want to feel like I have been held up. My hubby likes scotch… Either didn’t have it the 3 servers who all together had a hard time with our order didn’t know. Anyway I didn’t want canned wine so ordered a terrible margarita. I just wanted to flee after 10 minutes. Dive bar feel and astronomically high pricing. I live only blocks away and don’t want to try again.

I would say I 100% agree with the review from Leslie T. The place is nice and all but way over priced. You can get the same selection elsewhere in the neighborhood or close enough at a lot less money. Their full shot of Basil Hayden bourbon was $ 14 and this was just a standard shot. Half shots are $ 8. I understand the need to mark up but I can get that same shot elsewhere for $ 8. Beers where also smaller than a full pint.
Also bourbon list was almost all mass market brands. Only saw one craft distiller on their list. Did not see any locals like Yellow Rose.
Staff was so so with at least 2 of the servers being short and inattentive. Had asked for a bourbon over ice and they never brought the ice after asking 3 times I had to go to get it myself. This happend on 3 more orders.
Hopefully they will get the hit that the neighborhood does not appreciate overpriced drinks

Diagonally across from Lola. Parking can be limited but there was an empty lot across the street. Personally didn’t park there myself but several cars were there the whole time with no problem.
There were no brussels sprout tacos available so opted for the chips and queso. The chips were thicker than you’re typical tortilla chip and a little greasy. The queso itself was pretty good. White cheese, not too thick, not too thin. Slight heat from fresh chopped jalapeños and sweetness from caramelized onions. A good item to share. The Bloody Mary was average but did its job. It was a little too tomatoey for me.
Reason for the 3 stars was inconsistent service. Our main server was sweet and attentive. One red head with a mole by her left eye was completely short when taking our order and rude. Please don’t attempt to help if your attitude is sour. I was glad not to see her the rest of our stay. Good patio area when the weather permits.

This place gets 3 stars for one and one reason only! The. Brussel. Sprout. Taco. This taco is da bomb!!! Better than its meatier counterparts. Queso fresco, Brussels that are crunchy, yet juicy, and the satisfying corn tortillas that make every taco there worth while.
The beer selection is pretty good and prices are competitive.
Scenery is on point. Nice lighting, huge crowd with younger scene. Fun for a weekend get out when you don’t want to leave the heights.
I’d come back here!

Disclaimer: it’s new
Negatives:
1) garbage service
2) expensive ($ 11 well vodka soda /​$ 10 old grandad)
3) parking sucks
4) style feels too cute — they are trying too hard to be trendy
Positives:
1) good whiskey selection
Not coming back.

Two reasons for three instead of four stars:
1. Their pours for the price are really tiny.
2. They have on the menu but do not yet have the casks ready to pour.
So you basically get the same bourbon you can get at a lot of other places. Only you get less for more cash. And the beers aren’t a full pint. In fact, I ordered a couple different ones and they came in two different sizes. So I am not sure how they decide what you get of each. But the selection is nice with Karbach, 8^th Wonder and a few other craft beers I have not heard of yet. But intend to try. I ordered the Brash Brewery Pussy Wagon just because I wanted to say it!
They have a few signature cocktails. I wanted to try bourbons. I should have gotten the bourbon flights. I might have gotten a little more bang for my buck. But the flights are set with certain selections and none were what I wanted to try,
The building looks great. Lots of outside seating with TVs inside and out. A few long tables, a cozy couch area, smaller tables all around. Fast, super friendly service.
The bar stools suck. What the hell? They swing out from the bar and are almost impossible to get comfy on.
The tacos come from a truck and the Brussels sprout taco is terrific. We had two each and some queso (white cheese) and chips. They are proud of the tacos too.
Bathrooms are unisex and very clean. The place was spotless overall. Parking was pretty limited.
Sure I would meet friends here again for a few drinks., But for this middle aged gal on a «get your drink on» kinda night I will certainly find a place that pours me a big strong drink and doesn’t clean out my bank account.

I usually hesitate to review new places right away because they’re usually still working out the kinks. But I’m pleased to report that ERF seems to have all the pieces in place already! My boyfriend and I went on a crowded Thursday night and the service, food, and drinks were all excellent and speedy. Sometimes places like this have terrible service where you’re seemingly waiting forever for someone to come over (lookin’ at you, Cottonwood…) but we were helped promptly. Additionally, throughout the evening waitstaff who weren’t our waitress were checking in/​removing dishes. If you’re coming here looking for an expensive menu you’re out of luck. It’s mainly a bar with a few tacos and apps. But oh boy the tacos were delicious! The roasted chicken with guajillo was so tasty I’m still thinking about it! And my boyfriend really enjoyed the Brussels sprout taco. We both loved the chips and quest – they have those incredible made-​in-​house corn tortilla chips. We even got a bag to go they were so good. The cocktails were also top notch. We loved the «firewater» in particular – went down incredibly smooth. To top the night off they sent over a flan since it was my boyfriend’s birthday and it too was to die for!
All in all this place has a great atmosphere, quick service, smooth whiskey drinks, and really tasty tacos so if you’re in the Heights you’d be silly not to stop by!

It is like a whiskey bar got into a steam/​industrial kinda trend and did it in a classy way. I heard about this place in early November. I love the concept of a whiskey bar. The last couple places to open felt too complicated. What if I just wanted a nice neat glass of the good stuff? I don’t want it all churched up and fancy sometimes you know?
— Spacious patio with lots of room for seating and standing
— A very very good selection and a few good cocktails that aren’t of the weak variety.
— The bathrooms are solid. Which is important. This isn’t a college hangout!!!
— Tacos are good but seriously If you are there to eat you are doing it wrong. Grazing would be the way to go… Grazing on chips and guac or queso… or BOTH!!!
The stools are weird inside because they swing out from the table and I am overweight and feel weird sitting in them. This is the only issue I have. But, I am more than willing to stand.
TIP: Try the flights… because a series of shots are not just shots but a tasting… and tastings are classy. Be Classy.

We’ve been waiting weeks for this spot to open and finally we drove by to see the lights on. The much talked about whiskey/​bourbon list did not disappoint; their 6 page menu even goes into detail about the tasting notes of their barreled whiskey. They have servers and bar service so feel free to sit anywhere. The area inside is way bigger than it looks outside there’s 20 or so tables lining the wall and plenty of standing room.
Don’t worry if you’re not a whiskey nut, they have half shots, and flights available for your tasting pleasure and some excellent tequila cocktails too. We tried one of every taco and their queso. Queso was big enough for 3 – 4. Everything was really tasty and impressive considering it all comes from a food truck. As far as desserts go according to my flan hating boyfreind– «that’s some damn good flan» as he ate half of mine.
Looking forward to coming back and seeing everything in full swing.