Grand Prize Bar

Stopped by Grand Prize Bar for a drink post-​dinner around 8 PM on a Saturday night. I don’t go out in the museum district much but I had heard good things about Grand Prize Bar and it didn’t disappoint. No parking lot but it’s in a residential neighborhood so parking on the street is pretty easy. Grand Prize has a sister vibe to it. The first floor has one pool table along with a few arcade games. I was really impressed with their menu as they have a good beer selection, craft beer menu, and several specials i.e. punches and jello shots.
Once the sun goes down, they turn on a bunch of multi-​colored Christmas lights which are a cool touch. Definitely puts you in the cheerful spirit! Upstairs has more of a speakeasy vibe to it with low light, lounge chairs, and another bar. I imagine it’s the place people come to make out during a date. Back to the first floor, they have a window where you can order food. Five or so selections but interesting ones including pimento grilled cheese etc. We ended up not getting any food. Grand Prize is a no-​frills type of place but it has a cool vibe, good prices, and drink selection.

Laid back and grungy but inviting in a weird way. I had the Weekend at Bernie Sanders cocktail and it was amazing. The patio upstairs is nice and trees surround it. Nice to see some green so close to downtown.

Loving all their new decorative lighting and Dj sets. Definitely gives it a one up from that «dirty divey» feel it once had. The revamp on their cocktail menu is also so awesome. My favorite is the «Uncomfortably Numb» cocktail and you will always win if you get whatever their frozen special cocktail is!

Creative cocktail menu, excellent atmosphere, friendly patrons, and pleasant staff. Absolutely will return the next time I’m in town. It gets pretty crowded downstairs, so grab your drink and head up the stairs to a playfully lit lounge area. (Might be a good idea to open up a second bar upstairs to thin out the downstairs crowd!) Really fun bar.

Love their whiskey mule! The place is small and chill place to hang out and chat with friends.

I like coming here for a breakfast, because their breakfast fries are something that I would die for! This spot has become my favorite one by far on my way home from work. Their service is impeccable. I am going to get married this fall and I am sure these guys will be catering this event! A friend of mine, who actually referred me to this spot, told me once that trying food from Grand Prize Bar was his mouth orgasm and you know he didn’t lie! It really is!!!

great bar to go to with a few friends and have drinks. Really like the balcony. Drinks are good and they have a good variety of beer to choose from.

This bar has a very chill vibe. I came here on a Monday with some friends to try out a pop up food truck’s food that was hosted here. But besides the food, we ordered drinks at the bar and was able to find a booth after some waiting. They offer a good variety of beers and cocktails. So even though it’s more of a hipster/​dive bar, the drink options are solid. The bartenders are friendly and service is quick.
Downstairs looks pretty dive bar-​y with a pool table, juke box, and booths to sit in. There’s Christmas lights of various colors and shapes hanging on the big window that faces the street. Very relaxing area to hangout with friends.
There’s an upstairs that’s more quiet and a little darker with big booth couches, It’s a great place for large groups of people to sit around and chat. They also have an upstairs patio area, and the weather was pretty good that night so we sat outside for a few hours.
The only issue with this place is that it’s in a residential area in Montrose, so parking is a pain. Just beware of the parking signs to make sure you won’t get towed!

I live in the neighborhood and regularly walk with my neighbors here. They have pretty delicious drinks and the staff were pretty cool. I always see someone I know!

Superb service. Great vibes. I think any type of crowd could enjoy drinks at this establishment. It’s a very care-​free environment that obviously values individuality! Love it.

Great strong drinks… attentive bar staff. Affordable drinks… chill… tv food n drinks.

Grand Prize Bar, oh Grand Prize Bar, how I wish you were closed to my home. A wonderful selection of beer on tap, a staff that knows their beer, a bottle selection that is great. It’s a beer lovers paradise. But wait, beef Jerry with bacon jam? Escargot on chibatta bread, are the also some of my favorite things. Yes they are. The place is small, and most night you will wait for a table. It’s worth it. Wait, stay, and enjoy.

It’s like a house party erryday.
I love GP; they have a house feel, taps and a kitchen hidden in the back. House patio up and bumpin bar down stairs.
This review is dedicated to the new Hunger Games movie… Which I have not seen. But I’ve totally experienced some Catt-​ness. Big town chef making big waves now with her tasty creations, Catt is on fire.
Get it?
It’s pretty pun-​tacular.
Her menu is divine. I usually hate falafel, not because of the whole earth friendly vibe but because most of the time. Cough. Niko Niko’s market square. It tastes like crap and has the consistency of dirt (dry and cakey). This did not, the sliders were on point and moist/​rich enough to really enjoy the earthy flavor that you want. There was this other thing… This girl put a sausage in a bear claw. Wtf? My date muffled profanities to me between bites about how he’d need to run it off but it was so worth it. Do-​not underestimate your appetite coming here.
Get it?
I’m super punny.
I love the atmosphere here. It’s dark and dingy and a place you wear your chucks and old volunteer shirt from 2005 to get a cold one and some eats.
Parking is street but due to their beaten path and quasi hidden local it’s not an issue, even on a bustling Saturday.
Stay thirsty my friends… and just a little hungry.

So just off the falafel Alone, I would become A vegetarian. The breakfast fries are tooooo die for. This is by far my favorite spot to eat at on the way home. The service is absolutely amazing. I will never eat at another bar again. Catt smear is by far the most underrated Chef in this city. My weeding will be catered by Catt. If your an idiot don’t eat here. If your an asshole don’t eat here because you don’t deserve these mouth orgasm. If you want to walk on the wild side please eat here.

Had never heard of this bar, and now I’ve gone 3 times in the past week.
The drinks are good, the staff is friendly, and it’s close to my house.
Let’s be honest though, the real reason I come here is because this guy I’m stalking is a regular.

They’ve got a bit of a loose cannon on staff in their tiny, curly-​haired brunette bartender. I didn’t catch his name as he was too busy yelling profanities at our group. He seems to be having a bad year, or life, but either way, it was definitely amusing. I wouldn’t waste money or time at this average hipster bar, but he DID yell at us to «f**king Unilocal about it» when he stormed off, so I’m just doing as I was asked.

Such a cool bar!
So it’s a total dive, but totally awesome — dark, two bars (one upstairs, one downstairs), a huge patio upstairs, a small patio on the first floor, and great retro seating. And it’s just a house on Banks Street! Street parking, but we didn’t have a hard time!
Great beers on tap, even more bottled and canned, two cocktails on tap (!), some great cocktail options on the menu, and a full bar! Something for everyone for sure!
Also — they have a kitchen. Cool Ranch Doritos-​fried green tomatoes with a side of pimiento cheese? It exists. And they have it at Grand Prize Bar. And it’s as awesome as it sounds.
This is a huge bar — would be a great place to hang out with a group of friends! They also have a juke box and a pool table downstairs!
I’ll definitely be back!

The environment was definitely laid back as advertised. It was probably a little more «dead» than what I would prefer for a Saturday, but it did the job. The beer was tasty (considering the lack of tap options) and most people were friendly.
I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to go here.

This is definitely a bar I would recommend everyone to check it out as I always have a good time when I’m there. Reviews say this is a hipster bar but I feel like it’s definitely a mixed crowd of people who want to have a good time with decent priced drinks. First of all, the bar is pretty dark on the inside. It can also get very noisy where you can’t hear any conversation with your friends unless you move out onto the downstairs and/​or upstairs patio.
There’s also not much seatings so be prepared to stand around in the walk ways as many people do it. The drink price is very fair and they make it pretty swell as well. This is one of the other place that I like their Old Fashion. Grand Prize Bar also have a kitchen but it’s a separate business entity so I won’t be reviewing anything about the food here but I do have to say is that the tacos are very good.
The people at this bar are friendly and if you sit on the upstairs patio, you can simply strike up a conversation with anyone there and have a good time. Whenever I am near the museum district, I will try to get everyone I’m with to stop by here for a drink before heading elsewhere.

If there was a local flavor between Montrose and Museum District it would in fact be Grand Prize. It’s a little hipster, a little alternative, a dash of yuppie and the upstairs is all kinds of romantic if you want that loungy deep conversation kind of thing.
The patio and balcony stand out specifically because you have that slight feel of being at your friends place chilling on their patio. The upstairs balcony has a great gregarious hang out feel. I wish they used that upstairs bar more of often. Though I’m sure when they do its wall to wall people (which will add to their charm)
Beer selection is awesome. Lots of local brews at a reasonable price. Did I mention a photo booth? If not I am now. Throwback to an 80s montage of that quintessential date photo booth moment.
TIP: You can park at the Goodyear station next door when it closes! Gimme a high five for helping the parking problem inner loop Houston has!

I will give Grand Prize Bar 4 stars because every time I go there, I truly enjoy it. The drinks are the highlight for me. They’re always good and they’re very customizable (let’s say that’s a word). I’ve told bartenders at GPB what kind of flavors I was in the mood for… and then they create something delicious. The cocktails on the menu are also really good.
The atmosphere is nice: I would call it dive-​y, yet cozy. Lots of seating, comfy couches and booths. I always prefer the upstairs, including the patio. The space is large, so there’s not as much of that elbow-​to-​elbow crowding that happens at other local bars. I also like that GPB is located in a neighborhood and not a more trendy and busy part of town. It makes it feel more low-​key.
Parking can be slightly annoying because it’s on the street and you sometimes have to park far away, but I’m sure it’s much more annoying to the people who actually live in that neighborhood.
I’ve heard the bathrooms are disgusting, but I’ve never actually seen them for myself.