Proof Rooftop Lounge

Went to a Swimsuit USA prelim round 10.18.15 where I had plans to cover the event where out-​take footage was destined for social media use — as a mixed race Asian American I was wrongfully deported out of the club (a few weeks after the Gaslamp incident made the news) by an African American bouncer where it is known that they usually profile anyone with an Asian/​Pacific American face and trumping up infractions where one racial group is to be discriminated against. I have covered Swimsuit USA events since 2009 where some venues usually have their douchebaggery (one of which back on 7.2.09 was The Tavern West Gray where the doorman (who looks like a scarred up Dwayne Johnson and a known artist (Micah Simmons) pulled an Uncle Ruckus denying yours truly into The Tavern when the phrase systematic racial discrimination was not coined yet (its the term that DeAndre Upshaw used when he was denied entrance into the Kung Fu Saloon in Dallas, TX where the City of Dallas and the U.S. Department of Justice found the Kung Fu Saloon guilty of violating 42 USC 2000 under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).
At the time I was booted out of Proof the Houston Unites! Campaign vowed 2 save the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance where it failed — I voted for Proposition One which failed (if the Gaslamp incident made the headlines and my isolated incident with Proof Bar was the same as the Gaslamp Three (Brandon Ball, Ken Piggee, Dan Scarborough) who were charged a race tax there are other businesses in the City of Houston which gets away with its douchebaggery — what I faced with the black bouncer while being in official capacity as a contributing Swimsuit USA photographer and not doing a thing which im mindin my own business — if your business establishment engages in this form of systematic racial discrimination where one does their artwork as if its a 5-​star service on a grassroots budget, Proof personnel including its proprietary ownership should have their views on transparency where getting away with a culture practiced in Apartheid-​era South Africa and/​or the 1960s-​era Deep South where African Americans marched the streets of Selma, AL for the right to vote — this is 2016, not the mid-​1960s and its time 4 racist establishments 2 be shut down and those who run their events e.g. model searches, a breast cancer awareness fundraiser @ a racist establishment should be more transparent in hand-​pickin the businesses that they do business with, NOT just a phone call where the racist establishment uses the event in question 2 gain revenue and in return practice systematic racial discrimination. As a photographer who has been ejected (when this occurs one is not given a second chance) I have no hard feelings with the Proof management since the 4^th largest city is 73.5% majority-​minority (black, latino, and Asians combined) — I have no plans of steppin foot inside Proof Bar again, EVER since my racial discrimination experience has made my photoshoots become an export service in Austin, TX or the DFW Metroplex (I have done photography in these TX metropolitan areas where its more hospitable (save for Plush Lounge Dallas which does the same as some H-​town nightlife establishment) — the H-​town I reside in where one’s race or ethnicity is being within the crosshairs 4 racial discrimination has no place with my photography service which has a strict nondiscrimination policy (racism still exists on social media — have over 350+ blocked Facebook profiles when dealing with cyberracism)

Very disappointed by this place. The music is not good (nobody, s dancing but the dj doesn’t matter), the Staff is not friendly even if you spend money (they just want you to spend and literally push you out to free the table for other clients… even if there is no other clients !) and seriously the view is not fantastic for a roof top… You’d better spend your money in another place who worth it and treat clients as clients.

Very cool bar, atmosphere is nice and there’s plenty of room to have fun. Highly recommend coming here if you’d like to have a great time with a small or big group. There’s valet parking offered but I would try to find street parking if available.

Girls night out! We self parked our cars in the street and the valet guys ran over and told us to pay them. They said it was for them to guarantee our cars wouldn’t get towed. What a lame excuse to hustle us of our money.
It wasn’t difficult to get in, but I wasn’t feeling the vibe here. There weren’t many people and my girls and I wanted to chill before we hopped to another bar so we got a few drinks. The bartender was friendly and fast. no problems there.
We tried to find a place to grab a seat and noticed that every seating area had a reserved sign. No one was sitting there so we sat down, but was immediately asked to remove ourselves. No one came for a good hour! Those tables were just vacant! Calm down. We don’t have infectious viruses on our butts. We just wanted to sit and enjoy our drinks instead of standing the whole time.
The only good things about this place are the bartenders and the «I love you» sign. Other than that, you’re not missing out if you’ve never been here.

This place is on the edge of south downtown and east side of midtown. Its a trendy place. You may or may not have to pay cover, ($ 5 last time I went.) Expect to pay $ 5 per beer, and $ 8 up for cocktails. Parties and bottle service available. Bar is open-​air concept and they have a few un-​entertaining games on the third level. Bath room attendants are present on the weekends. A lot of eye candy in here. Dont have to dress up much, but this is not the place to be a slob. Midnight-​1am is the climax with 10pm being a good time to get there before the crowds. (On the weekend.) Valet is available. DJs and dancing may be involved. This place is more of a go-​with-​your-​friends place as the place gets packed and everyone is in their own little circles until late when the alcohol starts kicking in. Security was odd. We got kicked out of an area where no one was sitting however security and two HPD cops at the door were no where to be found when two wildebeest sized guys were in a prolonged fist fight in the middle of the place. Overall the place is ok. I’d go back for the eye candy and music. $ 5 cover charge is a bit lame but if it goes to the DJ then its all good.

Proof is confused. Trying to create a Vegas-​like concept without Vegas-​level service and a Vegas-​like atmosphere makes it hard to justify a night here.
Before our table opened up, I got a shot of Crown at the bar. A 1 oz free pour was $ 9 (I left $ 3 on top of that, but still… not even one-​and-​a-​quarter?) Later my friends ordered 4 bottles, and there was no service after the initial round was poured.
Chill outdoor vibe with small fire pits and lights strung everywhere. Very nice if you want to just chill. If you want to turn up, this place probably isn’t where you want to go on Saturday as the music is kept low. (Thus: «lounge.») Sunday would be the day you want to go for an energetic set.
4 female stalls total with bathroom attendants. Tons of bouncers.
You should probably dress like you’re going to prom if you wanna make sure you get in without problems. Online there is no listed dress code for guidance. A black friend in jeans and a button down was wearing «boots,» so they denied him entry… even though they look nothing like boots. The Asian friend with him wearing white converses and a baseball tee got in without problems. Beats the hell out of me how they go around picking and choosing.
Probably the most bland valet I’ve seen in Houston. I’m not gonna hold it against them, but I gave the valet my car key with my motorcycle key and fob on it, and they only gave half of my keys back to my friend who drove us home. They did have my keys when my brother went back the next day to check, but I’m still not entirely sure why I’m tipping 25% to have half of my keys returned without a «thank you» or «good night.»
Service here needs to step its game up to be a premium concept.
If we wanna talk about «proof,» put this place on the same level as a shot of Watermelon Pucker: weak and not my first choice for a night out.

This place is the go to place for my events. I like to host events here. The staff is really helpful and positive and the management is very accommodating. The layout is awesome and intimate. You can have a party or have an intimate conversation. The outside deck is beautiful. Drinks are just right!

Worst roof top bar in Houston. The dj’s are awful! They play music with no creativity not to mention AWFUL SERVICE!!! The bar tenders can’t make a decent drink and they expect great tips for terrible service! Save yourself some time and $$ and avoid this terrible bar!

This place sucks! Drinks are way to over priced, the DJ was mehh, the black bouncer guy is a complete ass hole, and their bar tenders are horrible. The ambient is not all that, never coming back here again

Came to check out Proof on my last trip to TX with my sis, and must say it was a pretty cool place, the outside area is awesome!

Stay away from this shit hole. Big fuck you to the Asian guy at the door. Probably was bullied in high school so he decides to chug protein and become a bouncer so he can redeem himself.

Went here Thursday night for Steak night and to watch the games. The ribeye steak was good but I asked for medium and belive it was cooked longer, probably bc my friend likes her well done. The potato was good too but could have been cooked a little longer. I will come back as what can you expect from a bar. Nice place for friends too as there are plenty of seats.

Do not put money in the jukebox, it’s on but it never plays. The door girl will tell you it’s on but it isn’t. Also, when you tell the manager he will be a HUGE ASSHOLE about it. And make you feel stupid for thinking a jukebox is on, even though the girl told you it was on.
Once again, manager with blond hair on top, short chubby guy is an ASSHAT.
Drinks though are solid, and everyone else is nice. Hence two stars.

I’m new to the Houston area so I really don’t have other bars to compare this one to, but my experience there was pretty good.
We got there at around 10:30pm so there was no line to get int, it has indoor and outdoor seating, we stayed outside and ordered hookah. The drinks were nothing out of the ordinary but the service was fast even when it got super crowded later.
What I really enjoyed about this place is that outside you can just enjoy your drinks and talk to your friends since it is not particularly loud. However, inside the music is louder and there’s a dance floor so you can go in. It’s a good balance.

Proof is a great concept. But unfortunately over the past 2 years it’s gotten pretty wack.
The crowd is a lot of young people and the servers seem to all be in a bad mood. The hookah is an absolute JOKE. The guy who runs the hookah is nice and he tries to help, but the pipes and hoses are cheap shit and you get no clouds. Also, the flavors are weak. Don’t waste your time going here, too many other enjoyable places in Houston.

Have mixed feelings about this place.
Went on a Saturday night before the line got too long.
Drinks were inconsistent. Sometimes super weak, and sometimes strong.
There are only TWO bathrooms?! Even at 10:30 pm there was a long line. It’s a poor oversight for a club this size to have only two bathrooms.
Things I like: It’s spacious, huge outdoor rooftop area, has large bar space, and plenty of seating.
Things I didn’t like: The music seemed to be fine for most people but it was still too «untz untz» clubby for me.
The people here… some are here to just have a good time and have fun, and others it seems they want to make a scene.
I wanted to make a request to the DJ and the Bouncer gave me a realllly hard time and threatened to escort me out. I don’t think that was necessary.
It’s a fairly pretentious place, so just take it into consideration if you want a night out without drama.
Also I heard that guys have to pay $ 20. egh!

This place is the worse!!! The «I love you» sign is the only thing nice about this place… but that’s about all.
Bouncer expects guys to tip him. Says it’s crowded inside, so guys would have to buy a bottle or tip. Let’s be serious, it was not crowded…
THEIR VALET SERVICE IS THE WORSE!!! They damaged my sister’s car, and didn’t want to pay for it! If you decide to valet your car, best bet is to take a picture of it before. I hate this place so much that I would NOT be returning, EVER!

Came here with my bf and some gal pals on a Friday night. We didn’t have a problem getting in and we came around 10:30pm, there was no line. I was not aware about the complaints about this bar being racist and what not. I’ve experienced the positive
And negative at Gaslamp, but did not experience that here at Proof.
We smoked the hookah and ordered some food. As the night went on the bar gotten more packed. We stayed outside the entire time. It was really hot, but it was better than being inside. I really enjoyed the hookah, since I don’t smoke it often. I also enjoyed their Moscow mule. They even went around offering free shots. Well it was more like a sample of a mixed drink using Bacardi rum. And the guy also took our photo with the shots. Haha. Anyway towards the end of the night my group was having a blast. We all danced and enjoyed ourselves. There was one thing or person that bothered me and it was this young looking black guy that asked if he can sit at our table. Of course we were like… uh ok. Whatever, we were all having fun, but he crossed the line when he grabbed the hookah out of my bfs hand. Like we do not know you and you’re acting like we’re close friends. It was pretty rude of him taking advantage of us. And he left after smoking our hookah and said he will be back, but never did. He probably was harassing other random people. Other than that I will definitely be coming back!

I hate going to places where the entry requirements are not set in stone. Places that would deny you because you’re not wearing the right type of shoes, the right type of shirt, or wearing the right type of skin color. You know those places. Well, Proof lounge will not deny you based on your race, and I don’t know what will allow you to get in or or get denied at the door at any given night. My guess is if you’re driving a car that cost north of $ 40k, valet at the lot, and wearing some shirt showing off your Gucci belt and your LV wallet, you’ll always get in. But for guys like me who love wearing his (nice) t-​shirts, it’s really a hit or miss.
The last time I was here, I was initially denied entry because supposedly they didn’t allow anyone with a t-​shirt in. At the time I was wearing a nice t-​shirt, dress shoes, and a pair of premium jeans. My friend whom I was with was wearing a nice dress shirt and also a pair of dress shoes. However, as we walked away the bouncer flashed his flashlight toward us and allowed us in anyway. Cover charge was $ 10 (There’s always a cover charge to get in here and hence, this is not one of my favorite places to go in midtown), and guess what? TONS of guys were wearing T-​shirts. I even saw a couple of guys who wore t-​shirt, SHORTS and FLIP FLOPS! For a place that tries to be «upscale» and denied entry to someone dressing decent, why would you allow someone in shorts and flip flops in? What criteria do they use to determine who gets in and who doesn’t? Race? I doubt it. I’m Asian, and for anyone who’s been here, there’s always tons of Asians frequenting this place. Looks? Obviously premium jeans and dress shoes are better than shorts and flip flops. Whatever the bouncer feels like? Most probably.
If you manage to get in and don’t mind paying the cover charge, you could probably have a good time here. They do offer hookah, a pretty good vibe, and lots of people dressing nicely for people watching. But personally, I hate not being sure about whether or not I could get in to anywhere. Especially places that would require me to pay to get in.
Unless my friends want to celebrate something at Proof lounge, I think I’ll hang out somewhere else. There’s plenty of places that are much less pretentious around.

pre·ten·tious
prten (t)SHs/
adjective: pretentious
:attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.
example:
«Proof is so pretentious that the valet driver asked us for $ 10 after we self-​parked our own car «
It all went downhill from there.

This place is garbage. Such a cool
Idea screwed up by staff. Selling tickets to get into the bar for «express entry» then puts you in a long line with people who don’t buy tickets… Worst entry ever. Thank god for good Houston bars cause this place sucks.

I have never been so disrespected and upset as I have been in this place. This random girl wanted to take a shot– so we go to the bar and the bartender literally says «your people don’t tip so you can’t have the drink unless you pay» it became a huge deal and she kept referring to «my people» yet me and my boyfriends tab was not even closed at this
Time. Literally I will never go back here. I don’t care what others do, you cannot judge meeee based on that. I was previously a waitress, and now a nurse! and I tip waaaay over 25% so to just judge me due to my color and my «friends» is unacceptable. Super sad. Used to like this place. The «manger» came over to talk to us and apologize yet that rude women still works there I’m sure. I can’t. Bye.

Proof isn’t really my thing. Too crowded, too clubby, just too much. Off nights are not as bad, especially when the weather is nice. Most of the time, I just pop by to say hello since I’m already around the corner karaōke-​ing :)
If you like the huge patio, see and be seen atmosphere, then hop in line on the weekends and check it out.
Tip: Valet is $ 20

This is perhaps the coolest lounge I have been because of its multi-​dimensional structure. Do you dance the night away on a loud dance floor? Or do you want to get away from the sound and just engage in a pool game with your friends? Proof can fulfill your needs however you want to spend your night at a lounge with its many rooms that have different functions.
Coming here with the whole senior class to celebrate our impeding graduation, I was expecting a super crowded setting on a rooftop lounge, but I was surprised at how spacious it was. Proof has both an outdoors section filled with coaches and chairs and an indoor section that includes a dance floor, small lounge enclave, and an upstairs pool room. Both sections have a bar (the indoor one is much bigger) so you don’t have to wait too long to get a drink. The staff also constantly cleans the area so the setting isn’t trashed by the drunk patrons unlike some lounges and bars. Perhaps the most impressive part for me is that despite the large amount of people, there are always seats and maneuvering rooms thanks to the lounge’s smart organization and furniture placements!
The only downside is the expensive drinks ($ 6 even for group special) but isn’t that an issue with most drink places? Proof is certainly a great nightlife stop especially if you are partying with a large group!

Oh, my.
This place is PROOF that ratchet or ghetto activity can occur within ANY race! See, what I did there? :-)
Now, that I have your attention, let me say this: I’m educated enough not to attribute the behavior of individuals enjoying themselves on a random night out to an entire race of people. I’m tired of reading reviews about venues being labeled ‘ghetto’ if the audience is predominantly black, etc., or if a few outliers choose to act up. Yelling, cursing, fighting and falling down drunk (on the stairs and on the dance floor) can occur anywhere and at any time if a person is inebriated enough. And Proof Lounge on a Saturday night proved this. I had heard this place catered to an upscale {that word itself is subjective} crowd, so I was surprised to see so many people acting a fool! So, please let’s put the stereotypes to rest.
On the flip side, both the music and the view (s) on the rooftop were great. Surprisingly, the line to get in wasn’t long and we had no issues from the doormen about our attire, which was nice, but casual. There is plenty of seating on the rooftop and if the alcohol doesn’t warm you up enough, the heat lamps will. The designated dance floor is small and crowded, but you can pretty much groove anywhere that your party is sitting. The line for the restroom was ridiculously long on the rooftop level, but the top/​3^rd level had bathrooms and couches that were completely scarce. If I return, I’d probably stay up there away from all the madness.
All in all, if you’re in the Midtown area, and you want to be entertained by guys pouring water on drunk women who can barely stand up, then grab a seat, order a drink and let the shenanigans begin…

So the bouncer didn’t let one of my guy friends in because he had on a crew maroon neck shirt that said banana republic… but he said that V neck shirt is okay… wtf. Luckily he had back up shirts in his car.
Once we got inside, it was bunk! Furthermore, the dj sucks because he kept playing techno/​house music. This is a club not an edm concert. And when he does play a decent song he has to freaking remix it!
The only thing I like is the décor and that it’s spacious.

Food truck on the roof of a 3 story bar? You’ll find that at Proof. Came here Saturday night with a few friends, and I must say it was FUN! There was a good mix of people there, and it got really crowded so we did bottle service (a bit expensive). The waitress was pretty much non existent when she dropped off our bottle, too bad for her since we could have done 2 bottles if she cared enough to pay attention to us.
The DJ was great! He worked the crowd very well and had me dancing all night. Overall it was a great experience to be out and about!