notsuoH

Let’s be absolutely clear here: This is not a bar for everyone.
Don’t let the address fool you, this is not a trendy cocktail bar. This is a strange, dark little chaotic spot where weird people go to be weird. It’s also one of my favorite bars in Houston.
The bartenders are generally really chill people who have a lot of interesting stuff to talk about on slower nights. The drinks are cheap and strong. The entertainment is usually very interesting.
Go expecting a ‘dive bar on psychedelics’ and you should be fine. Don’t be a brat, don’t expect the fancy trendiness that’s common in the area, and just embrace the strangeness.

No one word can really describe notsuoH. First of all, it’s pronounced as Not-​Su-​Oh and if you haven’t realize it, it’s just Houston backward. Don’t let the décor and the crowd scare you away as notsuoH is less formal than all the bars that’s in the area. I mean, yes, there’s a Terra Cotta warrior right there by the door, yes, all the furnitures are most likely salvaged benches, chairs, tables, etc. and yes, the price is pretty cheap for well drinks here in the heart of downtown bar.
The weekends are usually will have live music performance on their stage. There isn’t much of a sitting area let alone a dancing area since that’s where everyone walks back and forth from the bar to the front smoking area. But everyone there is pretty much chill and are willing to share some space with you. You can see the list of bands that’s coming up in the next few weeks or just take a gamble and go in on a whim to see who’s playing. For example, a few weeks ago I was showing my friend who doesn’t go to downtown much on how much it has changed in the past few years. We saw a band from Austin that really rocked the house down and they made 2 new fans that night. I was even bought a free shot from the band as they said whoever dance the best gets a shot and turns out I was the best dancer that night.
There aren’t any fancy cocktails here nor fancy craft beers, just get yourself some sort of spirit + soda and you should be set for the night and enjoy the music while dance away. As I have said, everyone there is friendly (or at least should be) so you can strike up a conversation without feeling awkward. Now some of the reviews have mention about the ‘after hours’, this review is solely the normal notsuoH that you get to go into between 6−2AM. There’s also other events that happens at this bar during the weekdays but since I don’t live in the area, I am not sure the full schedule.
Never less, this is always a bar that I would stop by every now and then just to show people the different bar scenes of downtown Houston and see if we come in on a night with great live music or not. I feel like everyone who lives in Houston or comes to Houston for a visit should step foot into this bar just to say, «Yeah, I went into notsuoH!»

¹⁰⁄₁₀ great vibe. I’m curious to know who did the shibari on the display mannequins at the front. Cute Asian bartender would definitely go back.

$ 5 cover to have your sh*t thrown away right in front of you… f the barkeep especially the dude with the mutton chops. Asian kat was cool though.
Hold on to your beer and drink all tight man. the dbag barkeep walks out twice in a row and throws my f***ing beer out right in front of me… no questions asked, when confronted given no apologies whatsoever, and with an attitude as big as the Cjase tower in his own words: oh dude I throw full beers out all the time… fellas hang tight to your beers here. or better yet dont go here unless u know the band playin and want to support them.

Eff this place. I love dive bar/​hole in the wall places… absolutely my favorite type of bar to go to. And the bar itself is great — totally fits the bill. But my experience with some of the staff this past weekend really sucked and I won’t be returning because of it. My friends and I went for after hours and had to prove our worthiness to the bouncer, which felt terrible. Then the bartender overcharged for Lone Stars, and when I handed him a 20, he pretended to forget that I just paid him about 30 seconds later. «I just gave you that 20.» «No you didn’t…I’m sober. I think I would remember.» I was so taken aback… who does that?! He tried to do it to another friend of mine later. NOPE. Bye Felicia!

Great service at the bar, thank you Bonnie! Smart clientele at least they can play chess. I hadn’t been on the premises since it was a coffee shop 15 years ago and I was thrilled to see it’s evolution.

You just never know what to expect here and I love it! I’ve come here a couple of times, the last time being Valentine’s Day of all days. It’s definitely a hipster spot. What I really like about it is the vibe. It’s so open, friendly and just chill. It’s not the neatest space and it gets kinda cluttered and the bathroom is kinda like a war zone, but Notsuoh just seems comfy. Though I gotta say then when I first get there even I’m out of comfort zone so I’d say If you’re really conventional, traditional, conservative or anything of the like then Notsuoh is probably not for you.

It’s hit or miss I’ve been here and seen great live music and also come and been the only person in the room. If your looking for a good hole in the wall dive bar then your in the right spot. Douche bags don’t tend to be very comfortable here for vehey allow smoking inside (highly illegal in Houston), have a bar cat that is always on site, the furnishings and décor make it look like flop house, and you feel like you need a tetanus shot after you use the bathroom. It’s a good neighborhood spot that weeds out the assholes by being just uncomfortable enough but still offers good drinks at good prices with good service… plus they tend to loos track of time around 2 am as long as you have cash and are staying out of trouble.

The epitome of eclectic Houston.
I stopped at this bar at the end of a long night, and I definitely couldn’t match the energy, so be sure this is one of your first bar visits of the evening. This could be a great bar for friends looking for a fun night out, but I wouldn’t come here for a super classy or romantic outing.
There’s tons of dancing (think less clubby, more hipstery?), but I was more impressed by the live band killing it on a Friday night. Also, there are tons of strange things like mannequin body parts around the bar, so there’s always something to look at. Any bar that has a chess table people were actually using was chill enough for me.
I didn’t end up ordering anything here, but I’m curious to see what their menu is about.

Went here with 2 of my gfs based off a recommendation– we were looking for an after-​hours spot. While in line, the bouncer asked me what I did for a living while he considered admitting my friends and me. You can understand my bewilderment at his question. He was black and I’m half asian/​half white and I couldn’t determine if he was racist or merely discriminating based on my apparel (that wasn’t from Buffalo Exchange). We obviously didn’t want to go in and won’t be back.
Aside from my experience, I’ve heard good things about this bar from the ppl that have gone in– which I obviously cannot attest to since I’ve never actually been inside! Haha I just don’t personally recommend going when the same guy is bouncing. If you’ve heard of Kung Fu’s reputation regarding bouncers only letting white people in, consider this the hipster version.

Went here once for a CD release party of one of my friends. It was cute and cozy. The drinks were a little pricey but it is downtown.

Stopped in on week night during a trip through Texas. It was pretty empty but we decided to check it out anyway. It’s a very interesting place with lots to look at and they must play live music sometimes because they have a stage. The staff was super chill and cool but also attentive. We were hungry and asked the bartender about food and he said that he could order a pizza from next door for us. There was also a cat that I guess lives at the bar and was really sweet.

Positives: unique decoration, live music is excellent, bottled beer is served in the right temperature.
Opportunity areas: while decoration is interesting, there are too many signs of carelessness on the way stuff is piled up all around the place. Smoking is allowed inside, therefore smells awfully. This place has the potential to be trendy and hipsters, but as it is now it looks more like and old hippie spot.
Would I come back: No
Recommended drink: bottled beer

Doorman asked me where I worked and upon my response he said, «I don’t like you, back of the line.»

Where do i start…
Do you like groping half naked mannequins?
BOOM! You’re in luck.
If you’ve spent far too much time in your parents’ basement and need to get out, you will love this place.
It smells like a combination of mothballs and grandparents.
Our bartender was pregnant and smoking. She was nice though. And made good drinks. Super pregnant though.
K.
This place is bad.

I had never heard of this place until my friends took me there on a recent visit to Houston. OMG!!! I had a blast. I love the architecture of the building. I could have spent hours just looking at the way it was built, playing with all the «artifacts» they have up there, and just in general having a great time.
I would love to have a building just like this some day.

I love this place so much. It gave me several pictures to upload to my ‘bathroom’ tumblr page from its graffiti filled bathroom, it gave me a great beer, it gave me creative and intellectual inspiration. I wanted to crawl into their dark, low ceiling back room and read Bukowski and write poetry. This place can best be described as «quirky» and «weird» and therefore «amazing».
notshoH is «Houston» spelled backwards. It is a true dive bar. The inside looks like a storage building for forgotten relics in eras gone by. It has tall ceilings and exposed walls. They have a mid century piano randomly sitting outside the front door with faded jewels long ago glued to its surface. They have a collage of Keds shoes hung up on the wall. There is a skeleton with no head wearing a dress. Random furniture like plush couches and small wooden tables are scattered around along with mismatched lamps. They have a stage for live music. The night I went was for the inaugural Nerd Nite in Houston, and notsuoH will be the home for Houston’s Nerd Nite until they outgrow the space which is likely to be soon based on almost max capacity opening night. My understanding is that they have had other speaking engagements on their stage like spoken poetry.
Personal touches of notsuoH: chess boards and a resident cat. Cheap drinks.
Note: Snobs and normal people would hate this place.

There are rarely times when I walk into a bar and don’t know what to expect… but this place knocked my socks off, and not in a good way. The bar is weird… from the entrance, to the décor, to the patrons. Which honestly, I am okay with. A little personality never hurt anyone.
However, when you walk into a bar, downtown of all places, where there is a huge movement towards revitalization and craft cocktails, and you order a basic Manhattan cocktail while the bartender stares at you with a blank face… that’s not a good thing, at all!
Thus the paradox of this great city in which I now call home. There really is something for everyone… but honestly, who is this place for, bar wise? Everything else… cool as BALLS!

Just like Dean’s, this place tries to be way to hip for its own good. I really do want Houston to have a vibrant music seen, though these two places are not it. A dive with cheap drinks, that wishes it was in Austin or New Orleans. Basically the same thing as Dean’s, just through the door in the next building. If you want to see some great music go to Fitzgerald’s, Cezanne, Ovations. The Meridian, Rudz, or Mucky Duck.

Great Dive! What a crazy scene… It’s a bit surreal, i felt like i had gone back in time… to a time where drinks were cheap, you can smoke in bars and music sounds feedbacky and delicious…
We popped in for a drink and ended up closing the bar down. There was a decent band playing — though they didn’t look old enough to even be in there — HA! Must be that effect that the older you get the younger the kids look, right? uh-​oh… am i getting old? what was i? oh right, the review…
anywho… great atmosphere, great drinks, sinfully divey… and if it’s too rough around the edges for ya, there’s a more shiny bar next door…