The Usual

The parking is sketchy. Be careful with your tab. I’ve been over charged twice. The crowd is fine. The wide beer selection is this dive’s biggest selling point. Always something new which is a pleasure to look forward to. I don’t plan on going any time soon.

I like this area and location. parking lot is tiny however you can park on the side. Air hockey table inside. sectioned lounge areas throughout. LBGT friendly.

You preach equality, yet if you are a newcomer (and straight, accompanied by your boyfriend) to «The Usual» you will not even be served a drink within 30 minutes (at least). We waited patiently at the front of the bar, while it was still not very crowded, waiting for the bartender, but to no avail. First time there, and DEFINITELY will NOT be back! My boyfriend and I came in just to check it out, due to passing by. We sat for over 30 minutes making eye contact with the bartender, not being rude or belligerent, but still never served. After watching people that have walked in after us be served immediately. While we were there, an event was ongoing that was celebrating equality. When I first walked in and saw this I was excited to be in an establishment that would respect the fact that everyone lives differently, and these differences should be embraced. Unfortunately, because I am heterosexual, I’m not to be treated equally, at least not at The Usual. Entirely frustrating. Needless to say, we left after we were not treated EQUALLY!

Dingy, dark lesbian bar. Same crowd of lesbians. (Cargo shows, Converse, Vests, Bow-​ties, and Fedoras) The mixed-​drinks taste like hand-​sanitizer. All of them… Even top shelf. Only order a beer if you are desperate enough to go.

Eek! Methinks not. A gal pal and I came here on a Saturday night having heard great things about the place, that there were no boys and girls hit on you left and right. Easily any girls dream who wants to veer away (even for one night!) from the world of gross guys and pick up lines.
So we show up and there’s a girl on stage playing guitar and singing. She was the one good thing about this place that is making me give this place 1 star instead of zer0. The amount of people outside was okay, not too many so we went inside to get drinks and scope out the scene.
There was literally maybe MAYBE 10 people in there on this Saturday night. We made a bee-​line to the bathrooms, which weren’t THAT bad. Its cool that there’s a chalk bucket and you can draw on the walls.
We went to the bar after drawing a few things on the walls and even though we were the ONLY people at the bar (literally the ONLY people) it took a long time for anyone to serve us. The drinks were expensive and really small.
The main problem I had with this place is, among the 10 people that were inside, at least 4 – 5 of them were guys.
BOYS!!! Exactly what I wanted to avoid and more, here at The Usual.

Is this a dive bar, a lesbian bar, a craft beer bar, or a laid back joint to hang out at? The answer is all the above. I have been coming here since they opened. I love the craft beer selection, a handful of local beers on tap, and a ton of canned craft options (thats right, good beer in cans). Kind of a dark pub, with a bar along the right, and another bar that has just been made on the left. A large outdoor patio area, and the place is very dog friendly. The service is always friendly and prompt, even for the, ehm, other persuasion like me :)
Anyway, that is not important, this is just a laid back, chile vibe. They occasionally have bands and food trucks. I always have a fun time here, and can easily say this is a usual stop of mine.

Our first visit here was fine. Ecta was bartending and she sampled a couple of different beers for my husband since they were out of Makers Mark. We had just moved to the neighborhood and so she was very friendly to explain the different bars around town. She mentioned that The Usual was primarily a lesbian bar but that we were always welcome there anytime. We were pleasantly surprised because coincidentally enough our regular spot where we had moved from is a gay bar where I myself had bartended. With this in mind, we thought that we may have found a new little place to hang out at besides the trendy spots on Washington Avenue. However, this was not the case at all.: (
About two months later, our second visit here was not as pleasant. Ecta was not working on this particular day (Sunday). They were out of Makers Mark again and also out of Corona. Our drinks came to $ 12 and my husband had never received his change after paying $ 20. Being a local bar owner himself he is always a generous tipper but felt that it was bad business to not give a customer their change back.
When he used the men’s restroom he discovered that someone had written above the urinal «you are not welcome here.» Really? Well, this is not what we thought or else we wouldn’t have ever come back. For a group of people who are always seeking equal rights and demanding acceptance, this sure is a disheartening message to leave up on a bathroom wall. Perhaps the establishment itself did not actually write the sexist message for male patrons to see, but by all means, remove it!
We have both been very supportive of the gay community as many of our closest friends are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. This experience truly offended us and we will not be back. Respect should always go both ways.

I went to the Usual because I have a friend that lives nearby and we could walk home. I could see how the strange setup would be inviting during the winter months with cubbyhole like rooms everywhere, but during the summer, without air conditioning, it is impossible to be inside longer than it takes to order a drink. I went with a couple of guys and it took way longer than it should have to even get service at the bar and I was sweating when I headed outside.
The patio would be greatly improved with some fans or something to move the air around inside the fencing surrounding it and to remove the stale smoke.

I live walking distance from The Usual but only recently bothered to go. Went with my brother and a friend one afternoon thinking we’d check it out for a quick beer or two. Four hours and multiple drinks later, we stumbled out of the place loudly proclaiming this was the new favorite place.
Fancy it’s not. But I loved the neighborhood-​y feel and felt totally welcome. Some folks mentioned it’s not particularly inviting and the regular patrons sort of run the place. I can just say that it wasn’t a problem for us, and having been a few times now, we’re beginning to feel like regulars ourselves. If you dislike cheap beer and a casual environment, oh yeah, and a fairly prominent gay/​lesbian crowd, then yea maybe the atmosphere will be «uncomfortable» for you. If that’s not the case, then check it out.

A great place to hang if you are a lesbian. My boyfriend and I went with another couple and our guys were the only testosterone in the place. Management informed us that since the other lesbian bar in town had closed down, this had become the new hang-​out.
Now, with that being said, the bartender was attentive, nice selection of beers on tap (as well as a cool retro can collection over the pool table), and great outdoor seating. When we were there, they were having a $ 10 cover which included live music (a little female angst, anyone?), some 420 paraphernalia vendors, and water volleyball in a portable swimming pool.
Everyone was really laid back, nice and appeared to be enjoying themselves. If I ever decide to switch teams– I’ll be back!

This place is only fun if you bring a massive group of people!
Karaōke is okay, but it seems like there is a regular crowd that monopolizes the karaōke, and the bar in general.
It’s weird because it isn’t an exclusive place, but it is in no way inviting. You really have to bring the party.

When The Usual opened in our neighborhood (in a shady shack that used to be a «massage parlor» and a «game room» among other things), we rejoiced. It’s super casual, 2 steps above a dive bar, and one of the owners is a total beerhead, so the taps & bottles are always fun and interesting. They have always maintained an interesting selection of microbrews in cans as well, and their newest thing seems to be all Texas-​made craft brews on draft (Real Ale Brewhouse Brown! 512 Pecan Porter! Yay!!).
Unlike the trendy hot spot bars on Washington, this is more of a neighborhood joint for the «real people». There is always an eclectic and alternative crowd here, and generally more ladies than gents (if you know what I mean ;-). Everyone is super friendly, if often quite a bit inebriated, and I always seem to want to stop here for a nightcap on our way home.
Oh, and the place gets crazy packed on certain night for karaōke and live bands, and parking becomes a challenge. I tend to avoid it then, but they have continued to build on to their deck area to allow for lots of outdoor seating to accomodate the crowds. Long live The Usual!

This place would rock… if it wasn’t weird.
The «bar» is set up funny and small, and the place that we sat at the bar seemed to lend itself to being forgotten about and ignored. My flask kept me company in between paid for drinks.
Apparently they have changed their beer taps, and now you cannot really see their selection which made it hard for my buddy to decide what to drink.
For what I know in the area, there are other places I would rather give my money to.

A friend of ours, who lives nowhere near here, has become a big fan of The Usual and invited us to come out for Karaōke night on Thursday. We live in the area, we were free, so why not?
The interior of the bar is small, but with several little rooms to pick from. The bar itself has a bunch of craft brews in cans (?) and, at least when I was there, helpful bartenders to help you choose. The karaōke is well run, showing the next five people in line to sing, so you can drink without worrying about missing your spot. You can even see the monitors from the spacious patio, which also features free ping pong. Free ping pong! My girlfriend and I had a great time. So why the hate, Unilocalers? Sure, some of the people singing were awful. Its karaōke.
We will probably be back to see if our first impression holds up. Finally, at least the night we were there, there seemed to be lots of gay and lesbian patrons. So if that bothers you, best to go somewhere else.

If you support this place and live near there, your property value will go down, it’s just trashy.
I’ve checked this place out since it is 4 streets away from my house.
Nothing fancy and neat about this place.
There is not much parking so you will have to park next to the railroad tracks.
The place is dirty, I see the servers/​cooks boil crawfish and just throw the bags on the ground, wipe their hands on their shirts and pants … they cook crawfish in the back of bar with no sink to wash their hands and the crawfish is not very clean either. Trash and beer bottles are everywhere around the building. The crawfish bags are not thrown in the trash but just thrown on the streets.
I cannot support a place that litters in my neighborhood.
If it was a nice bar that cleans after themselves than I do not mind, but all that littering bothers me. They need to hire someone to pick up their trash.

I checked the reviews on this spot and its within half mile of mi casa so I said I have to check it out for myself.
Well when we got there we found out it was Thursday Karaōke night and a bunch of drunk girls with no voices were all over it. I know they were having a great time and I was happy for them but it doesn’t do much for anyone else within an ear shot and if you are inside you are within ear shot. Its good for a laugh but after 5 minutes it gets really old. I think plenty of people agreed with us because everyone else was outside with the exception of a couple of dudes looking to hook it up.
So we decided to order a few cold beers and head outside. The special «Breckenridge Draft» was all out — sorry no can do. So I had to settle for a Coors light instead. The drinks were reasonably priced especially for WA Heights area. The bartender was nice but it took awhile to take our drink order.
So we headed outside to sit at one of the park benches except they were all full. We realized that we would have to finish our drink inside and listen to girls sing Sir Mix a-​lot «Baby Got Back» if we wanted a seat. This pretty much sucked so after one beer we headed out. However, because this place is so damn close and convenient and sounds good from the other reviewers we may give is a 2^nd chance but for now I am not impressed. I hate writting negative reviews I really wanted this place to be a good one but I have to be true to the Unilocal Community. PEACE…

Other than what has already been stated, The Usual is just a nice change from the wine bars and Benjy’s-Soma-Catalan joints that are springing up all over Washington.
I too live within a few stumbles and a roll from The Usual and it’s just nice to see something different. The train crossing TC Jester is actually a plus — it reminds me of the Roll-​In or the Little Woodrow’s in Bellaire — the jello shots were $ 1 by the way (and tasty).
I’m not the bohemian that might make The Usual my usual, but I was quite impressed with the craft draught beer selection, the more well known high-​end bottled beer, the HDTVs for sports, and the friendly and knowledgeable staff.
I also saw that they were doing crawfish boils on Sundays in addition to karaōke 2x per week, so this place is trying to get your business by doing something different. I wish them luck and I’ll try to help.

I suspect a lot of people might come here and rue the loss of the Adult «Modeling» Studio that used to be here. The void, however, is easily filled the fact that the friendly face behind the counter tells you you may sample anything on draft. Julie, behind the counter, must have a lot of people fall in love with her.
The interior feels labyrinth-​like with its multiple rooms and varying heights of seating choices. The vibe is laid back, with a nice jukebox and a stage for live music. There seems to be a game room in the works. Darts and arcade games; this will only add to the coolness of the place no doubt. No adult «modeling» though – but the wide array of beers will surely more than compensate for the demise of the former shady studio. Cheers!

I went to The Usual last night to meet up with a few acquaintances and check out this new place in the 007. I was going with a friend and he knew it was off T. C. Jester, but not much else. He called his friend and couldn’t hear her over the noise of the live music happening inside – she kept saying something that sounded like «The Yu-​Gi-​Oh.» I was expecting some sort of Pokemon duel once I showed up, but once we passed the illuminated sign I let out an «ooooooh» of recognition.
We parked across T. C. Jester in Pothole City, I mean, the Usual’s parking lot. It’s dark, it’s dangerous, it’s full of loose rocks and shells, and we ended up backing into a pile of plastic and metal crap just sitting in the middle of the lot. After we had finished cursing loudly, we parked elsewhere and walked across the street to check the place out.
I can definitely see vestiges of its massage parlor-​slash-​illegal gambling past. You can tell where there used to be hallways and closed-​off rooms, though it’s relatively open now. The bartenders are friendly and the booze flows freely, but as a venue, it just ain’t cuttin’ it. Houston has a sad lack of small and mid-​sized spaces for live music, and I would welcome a newcomer to the club if it was any good. But the arches and nooks and crannies of this place ensure for obstructed sight lines and crowding around the stage. The sound was turned up way too loud for the space – even standing outside it was hard to hold a conversation. After the band took a break, we started chatting inside, but the ambient level of noise is very high. I would think that its low ceilings and intimate nooks would prevent a lot of background noise, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.
The saving grace of The Usual is their large selection of unusual and hard-​to-​find beers. I had a Left Hand Milk Stout, which prompted a lively discussion of which was better, this or Shiner Black. I also heard rumors about 25-​cent shots when the train rattles the walls and passes by, which made my ears prick up when it was mentioned.
I’d like to check The Usual out on a night when there wasn’t live music, since I think the band playing brought in a different crowd than what’s «usually» here (har har). Their fans were frankly annoying. I haven’t seen so many striped shirts outside of Midtown in a while. All in all, not a bad place, though not really my favorite either.

I am reluctantly writing this review. Have you ever not Unilocaled an establishment hoping it would stay yours and their little secret. You really want to be the FTR but you are also selfish and hope the neighborhood could keep it afloat. Well for me one of those places was The Usual.
I have been coming to The Usual since it opened in the first week of December ’08. It is on TC Jester despite the address being on Allen. It’s located just south of the train tracks on TC Jester. This place is literally a block from my house. This is very good for me, walk to a bar then walk home. Nice! This also has potential to be disastrous, can anyone say divorce. I’ve been in the area for 7 years and I’ve seen this building be transformed to several shady businesses, Anna’s Spa, Penthouse Thai Message and finally some private gambling club. So a few months back I saw a TABC license request sign with the name of the establishment «The Usual», and I thought, oh great I hope it’s not the usual. Luckily for me it was not.
They have built out a small patio with some picnic tables. The inside is painted in a dark color with arches through out the bar. It gives it a cozy cuby hole feel to it. They have an Internet jukebox, darts and a couple of lounge areas with comfortable chairs and sofas. The best part about The Usual is the time they put into selecting their beer. They have the usual and they have some really good micro brewery’s. Their wine selection is small but better than most bars, and they have the hard stuff.
The Usual gets 5 stars because I can walk to it, everything else is just a bonus. I hope to get to the point at The Usual where they don’t have to ask me «the usual?» and have my drink ready for me as soon as I sit on that bar stool.