Union Bar Lounge

haha oh union bar… my ghetto mistress. I always end up having a good time. Mainly because they have 50 cent wells before 11p and the dance area is open and a/​c feels great! If you’re looking for a fun place to pre-​game this would be it.

If you are looking for douchebags with spiked hair and barb tattoos, this is the place to go. In addition, Ed Hardy and Affliction are also rampant here.
Service is rude, it’s very loud and crowded and good luck getting a drink.

This is one of those hybrid patio bar/​club type places where they have the bouncer at the door /​valet, a small dance floor and then a place outside where you can sit and watch the smokers. I was there on a Friday with a group where to my surprise, they had 50 cent drinks. As might be expected, this attracts a very sophisticated crowd which people in New Jersey might be familiar with — but more racially diverse.
A couple of people in our group mentioned that they go there ALL the time and it was like the greatest place on the planet which made me ask myself whether I’m getting old and grumpy or those people don’t get out much. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the place (well ok, the sound system is weak so they have to turn up the volume to compensate and it sounds bad), but nothing particularly impressive about it either — the music is pretty vanilla (you got your «Call me Maybe» and «Gotye» remixes and such). It’s not too urban, not too suburban, not too edgy…
Parking? At this end of mid-​town you should find something on the street, but as Ellen pointed out there might be someone walking up to you and asking for money and promising to «keep an eye» on your car.

Stopped by for a law school fraternity social. It’s an alright place. Friendly staff and what? $ 0.50 drinks on a Friday? Definitely the place to pregame if you’re around the area. It’s kind of at the edge of midtown away from the other bars but for $ 0.50 Jack and cokes, I don’t mind the drive. It’s a small place with wooden interior décor and a medium patio. Just another typical bar.

The place’s atmosphere is only slightly less than desirable. The crowd wears your typical black shirt with white tribal/​angel wing/​sugar skull designs. The music blasting overhead can either make you want to dance or slam your head against the counter, it depends on whether or not you like wearing black shirts with generic designs.
The bartenders aren’t as friendly or fun as I would like, but that’s about what you’d expect when the bar is swamped with the aforementioned crowd. But the rushed attitude doesn’t make the place more bearable.
I only walked in here for a friend’s birthday and semi-​related shindig. If I end up here again, it won’t be because I suggested it.

Worst local business ever. Seriously, you don’t believe? Search for the «UNION BAR HOUSTON — WE WILL NOT GO THERE» group on facebook and it STILL has 897 members right now, after a lot dropped out since the original incident. I have obliquely mentioned how much I hate this place in reviews of La Mexicana since I had never actually been inside here, but I was convinced to come get a drink anyway years later after being denied entry since I was a single male unescorted by some hot chick the bouncer wanted to inappropriately grope and make offensive passes at her since yeah, who wouldn’t want to totally get down with a greasy thug who couldn’t further his station in life more than standing in front of a door, acting like a complete dick to everyone, and commenting on what everyone is wearing like a fashionista née homophobic closet-​case from the suburbs.
So I bit the bullet to come check it out so I could write up a review and continue to rehash the past and why this place seriously offends me by just having their doors open. What do I find when I finally get inside? Exactly what I had expected: a place worse than Fox Hollow in every which way. People less desirable to be around than the Washington strip Ed Hardy flashmob that don’t get how pathetic and ironically amusing they are. The drink was watered down like whoa. Everyone was rude, abrupt, and short with you in the «whaddya want, jerk?» way. The experience was a complete one-​star, even if I was an out of town visitor coming here for the first time and had never done any research on why this place is so awful.
If two years later after the fact you have a facebook group with nearly 900 people openly professing how much they hate you, then you certainly have made an indelible, not an ephemeral impression. Good job!
Just to go back in time again after rating the sub-​par drink; atmosphere; and environment of current — behind the scenes you coerced the irrelevant political talking heads to come to a public agreement and be all warm and fuzzy that «for realsies guys, it was miscommunication, that was all, no discriminatory intent, we promise!» — however as the 897 people on facebook as well as countless other Allies and Friends attest to, you probably should have handled things differently — especially with as many attorneys (*waves*) and law students as you turned away that night.
If you spend any money here, or come here with someone who spends money here, just know that you are supporting a virulently anti-​gay business and you are a terrible person for helping them survive in the free market when so many other progressive local businesses are willing to treat people as simply people.
The internet does not forget :-)

We had a great time but make sure you reserve the lounge area. If you do not have the couches, the main area gets real packed and it’s hard to dance. You can go outside as well but the summer nights will be HOT!!!
All reserved areas have a stripper pole which is nice after a few shots!
Bartenders were awesome and drinks were flowing.
I wish the dress code was more strict. We all had clubbing clothes (as required on the website)…short dresses and the men had button down shirts but some people showed up in shorts.
They do need to redo the décor. Still has 2010 New Years decorations hanging from the ceiling.
Overall, we had a blast and will go back!

I made reservations here for a bachelorette party since it was walking distance from our lingerie party location. When I made the reservation, I was told of the $ 20 bottle service plus $ 20 tip (super cheap!) and that someone will call me Thursday before the event. I was very surprised when I did receive a call as promised!
We paid $ 6 for parking which is reasonable though it was DEAD when we showed up … We had our table as promised with the name of the bachelorette on the sign. There wasn’t enough seating for the 9 of us, so we asked if we could move to the corner table, they obliged!
Like I said, it was pretty dead when we arrived. We were told things picked up at 1030; things didn’t really pick up until 1130.
We nearly left for somewhere else, but they started playing better music, more people started coming in; things picked up.
The only hiccup to night was our table being cleared when we were just all at the bar. Our purses were still there though! One of the girls’ drink was full and taken away as were our penis straws :(the girls were really sad about that. Sam (super awesome btw) tried looking for them, but no luck! He did make it up to us with a round (and a half) of shots for the table.
I actually didn’t catch the name of our waitress, but she was very attentive and checked up on us often. David (the bartender) was also very awesome. I met Nick and George when we showed up and they were still there when we closed down the bar, and I think that says a lot about the place when the owners are present.
We had a very good time here! The stripper pole at the table aided in the fun!
Thanks Union for a good time!

I went on a Saturday night with a mixed group of lady friends. We had no trouble at the door. As far as a dress code, the women had on various formsof «cub clothes» and the guys had on that button down with jeans and gelled hair look.
The music was pretty good. They play top 40 and the music videos correspond with the songs. most everyone was dancing.
They have a ton of crap strung from the ceiling as «décor» I felt like I was in a basement. there are also poles around the dancefloor that are more for «dancing» than any structural support to the building.
The one hint is that they have 2 bars. One main one and one smaller one towards the back by the bathrooms.
All in all, it was a pretty good time as far as these things go. I wouldn’t go all the time.

tells me the definition of «union» is as follows: a number of persons, states, etc., joined or associated together for some common purpose.
This place seems to embody that definition. I’ve never been more confused by the vibe of a place or had so much unexpected fun because of the randomnmess of the vibe. The place looks like a dive bar. The place played dance music. The people were of all races, dress, caliber of looks. If anything, it’s a little trashy. Union bar has no idea what it is except for a place for people to party. I’m not sure I’d ever voluntarily go back, but I had fun letting loose because I could not take the place seriously.
I’m giving it 2 stars because I’ve heard from a number of people that the bar is not gay friendly. I frown upon any sort of intolerance and hope it’s not true but believe my sources.

Union Bar keeps growing on me. It is not as fancy as other clubs/​lounges but there’s something about this place…
Whether with crazy group of party people or with a buddy, I always have a good time here. It has that easygoing atmosphere and everybody’s here to party. Drinks are strong and bartenders are friendly, even when it’s open bar. Valet is super convenient but you could park on the street easily as well. Patio’s awesome if weather’s permitting.
The music is top 40 and from time to time DJ plays those old songs that make everybody nostalgic and dance like there’s no tomorrow. At 2 am, the bright light is on and my ear is ringing, but I still want the party to go on. Then I know it was another great night at Union.

I’ve been disappointed about places my friends and I go to but NEVER in my life have I been this disappointed!
On Oct. 29, 2010, after leaving a UYE hosted by my cousin and I, we decided to head over to Union Bar Lounge to partake in their 9:30 — 10:30PM free well drinks. OF COURSE we invited a few friends to check the place out with us. Unfortunately, this is not my second time experiencing what I am about to tell you. One of the guys that was with me, got turned away once for wearing shoes (?). But instead, this happened to all 3 of my male friends.
We decided to arrive early before lines formed and so we could make it to other places in Midtown-​Downtown vacinity. Upon arrival, there were 3 guys at the door and we decided to get a seat since we were still waiting on 6 other friends. As friendly as I can be, I approached them with a Hi, how are ya’ll?! They replied, «Hey Sweetie, how are ya’ll!?» And then… everything goes sour :(They immediately say that my guy friend couldn’t get in because they had a dress code.
Everything listed was spoken by the guy (Must’ve been the manager, how he was regulating)
Dress Code:
No high-​top shoes
No jordans
No baggy jeans (I don’t think they know what baggy jeans are… I guess someone has to paint the pants on for them to not be baggy)
No medallions
No tennis shoes
To sum it up… «NO URBAN WEAR»
HYPOCRITS! When he told us the dress code, he sounded as if he was just naming everything my friend had on. RUDE! Were you trying to make him feel less than a man for what he decided to wear to your place of business.
First of all, this place set their standard of dresscode by wearing «Tennis shoes» a T-​shirt with the place of business on the front. and JEANS THAT LOOKED LIKE MY FRIEND’S JEANS! The normal straigh-​leg jeans. Was it the medallion he was wearing? My friend wore it because that is his faith and his country! The African medallions! Shortly after leaving, since one of our friends couldn’t get in, Our other friends pulled up, 2 were African-​American guys. They wanted to see if they could get in, or would they be turned away. Both guys were wearing button ups and fitted jeans, one of my friends had Osiris high-​tops on, and the other guy had plain white tennis shoes with a dress jacket. They were both well groomed… wait for it… wait for it… THEY BOTH GOT TURNED AWAY! Ridiculous!
For a outside/​inside booze place! Why such a high standard for «certain» people or in general??? It’s a bar not a fine-​dining establishment, and from the reviews. it doesn’t look like they are winning in the food category! We all drove from far North and two of our friends drove from Huntsville, TX to have a great time with our friends at this place. We all were very upset and frustrated.
As we were leaving, we saw two guys sitting down outside with «Vintage-​looking» tennis shoes and what appeared to be the true «Baggy jeans» look. Oh but wait! There was a girl at the bar getting a drink with «Daisy Dukes» on. is there a dress code for women for «Class». Hmm why didn’t they get turned away? Did we arrive too early? Demographic control? Oh! I get it, just maybe, they didn’t want people to get that famous sour-​impression if they see a bunch of «us» sitting harmlessly at a table. If prejudice is their game, I don’t want to play, or ever recommend this place to anyone. Yes, they have the right to refuse business for what ever reason that they deem necessary. Did we come on another wrong night? If so, where is the humility for even being in business?

My friend’s little sister settled on this venue for her birthday celebration and I was quite pleased as I have been madly curious about Union Bar for a few months now, but never got around to convincing a group of friends to go. All my most trusted Unilocal friends seem to highly favor this bar so I did come here with some pretty lofty expectations.
Parking is navigable along the streets, just be wary of the delirious man demanding a fee to «watch your vehicle for you.» Just like mom always said — just don’t make eye contact and walk briskly.
A «lounge» with a lax entrance policy — praise sweet little baby Jesus! There’s nothing I despise more than Houston venues adapting some sort of New York City-​Lounge-​inspired red rope policy. *cough cough* Nox *cough cough*
Once inside Union Bar my friend and I observed that the crowd was pretty diverse — which I think is pretty awesome. Also awesome — open bar from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. We caught the tail end of that, but free drinks (you call it’s) on a late Friday night? Why thank you, I think I will! Additionally the bartender was quite skilled at processing the orders and there was no attitude in his demeanor. Kudos for that!
The numerous infamous stripper polls were interesting and weren’t being too heavily utilized, but I kind of appreciated having one in near proximity to us for learning up against (i probably shouldn’t have done that, icky?).
There was a fair amount of dancing — perhaps too early for most people to gulp down enough alcohol to get the dancing gears moving. Good enough for me, plenty of room on the dance floor without rubbing up against strangers!
The patio is a decently spacious with stools, tables, chairs — a few sleazeballs here and there, but that’s to be expected.
Union Bar — definitely one of the better bar/​lounges I’ve been to in Houston. The laid back attitude and friendly demeanor might just lure me back here again.

«Whoa whoa whoa, easy there on the stripper pole… erm… guys.» You know your buddies had a little too much to drink, when they start grinding on the metal usually reserved for females. Regretfully, this seems to happen to my group more and more lately, but that is just a testament to how fun this place is. We usually end up here every other weekend.
The bartenders are pretty relaxed and easy going. Good music and great atmosphere. Drink specials are usually written on several dry-​erase boards mounted on the walls. The patio outside is a nice touch for those who want to enjoy a quieter evening or light up a smoke.
During this St. Patrick’s Day, a drunkard was bothering a lady friend and also apparently wanted to fight me. The bouncers saw this and promptly told him to GTFO. A+.

I wanted to love Union Bar, but it didn’t make a good impression on me. Initially, I was absolutely loving them. They offered their free party package, complete with a bottle of champagne, a round of shots, and a reserved table. They called a couple of days in advance to confirm, and just seemed so helpful and friendly. I was excited!
When we got there for the bachelorette party, we let them know we had a reservation and got right in. Since it was still early, we were one of the only ones there. We were escorted right over to our table (complete with balloons, what a nice touch!) and our server came over to take drink orders. As all the girls will attest to, she was incredibly pushy about taking drink orders from us before we started with our bottle of champagne. I was really surprised at how rude she was, basically snapping at me when I asked if we could start with champagne and then move onto mixed drinks. She made us feel like we were just there to generate money for the bar, especially since no one had arrived yet! Thankfully, after I spoke with one of the party promoters, got a different, incredibly friendly and sweet server and she was greatly appreciated!!!
After about 30 minutes, people started arriving and by the time we left, the place was packed! There was some pole dancing, and the crowd (very diverse!) was definitely having a good time. Didn’t love the music, but there were some gems hidden in there. I was glad we had the table and the seating. The section was a bit small for all the girls we had crammed in there, but that gave the girls an excuse to dance on the seats! We ended up having a great time, but I guess I’m just surprised that we got such horrible service at the beginning of the night when the bar was virtually empty, and that it got better as the night wore on (or is that the alcohol talking?).

Union Bar is always in the top 3 places to go out to party on a weekend! Right now they always have open bar Friday nights from 9PM-​10PM. The liquor they serve is on the low end, but hey its free you can’t complain! Also if you reserve a table, they’ll give you a bottle of champagne and a round of shots!
Anyways its not one of those upscale classy bars that you would find on Washington or anything, so its never crazy packed inside, but that was the way I like it! Who needs to stand in line and deal with all the crazy parking, when I can just drive to Union Bar and get right in and have a good time! The music there is a mix of new and old and they have music videos synced to all the TVs along all walls. So if you want to have a good time without all the pretentiousness of Washington, head over here!

OPEN BAR every Friday from 9−10pm!!! Maybe I shouldn’t be screaming this out for the whole world to know or else all of y’all will be in my way for drinks…
I came here because I heard of the open bar promo and thought it’d be nice to grab a drink after dinner for a chill night the evening before Halloween. Well, a power hour later and I stayed at Union Bar all night! The open bar is limited to drinks mixed with Jim Beam whiskey, Cruzan rum, Vox vodka, or Vox raspberry vodka.
Union Bar has just as much outdoor space as indoor space. The tables inside are usually reserved for parties (free to reserve!), but the outdoor seating is open. The music is a mix of everything, hip hop, pop, 80s, 90s, mash up, etc. I didn’t get a pretentious vibe from this place at all, which is a really nice change from the Washington scene lately. I know that Midtown is fading as the hot spot to go out at now, but I’ll definitely be back at Union Bar (particularly on Fridays!).

Union is most definitely Houston’s number one party bar. Why, you ask?
I came here on Sunday after a birthday brunch for a friend. I showed up around 6:45, 20 minutes before everyone else arrived so that I could decorate. I didn’t know Union had the free balloons in their package, so I brought my own. What did surprise me was that they had a helium tank in the back. Soon as I walked in, I introduced myself to the owner George, who came around the bar to give me a sincerely welcoming hug. Too sweet!
He then offered to blow up some balloons, helped me tape up the birthday banner, and introduced me to the cute, blonde bartender. They carried sweet tea vodka, so I mixed that up with lemonade, and I was good to go.
I ran into *a lot* of old friends and acquaintances as I awaited my crew. Some just came back from the Dynamo game, sporting their jerseys and a heavy buzz. Others on the typical Sundae Fundae barhopping schedule dressed to the nines in their summer whites.
For those who don’t know (I sure didn’t), DJ Senega now spins at Union. He’s one of my favorite dance party djs in Houston who plays everything to old skool jams like Bell Biv DeVoe and new releases from the likes LMFAO. When «Thriller» played, a group of guys got up to put on an entertaining show. I asked Senega for a copy of his mixes, and he said that if I came back, he’d have a mixed CD of 100 songs for me. Score.
So what else makes Union five-​star worthy?
For birthdays, bachelor or bachelorette parties…
*Package 1 — FREE
Free Champagne
Free balloons
Free round of shots
Free VIP table with sign
*Package 2 — $ 200
Choice of Vodka: 3 Olives, Absolute, Stoli, Skyy or Tito’s
Includes mixers
And package 1 … What? What?
*Package 3: $ 250
Choice of premium liquor
Includes all mixers
And package 1
*Live music on Thursday
*Free Barbecue Fridays, 4−8pm, with $ 2 drink specials all day and night
*Sunday Fundae: $ 1 fajita tacos and DJ Senega on the ones and twos!
*The most girl-​power inspiring quotes painted on the restroom wall (I can only imagine what the men’s restroom says)
*Dancing poles for your inner stripper. Girls and guys will enjoy this entertaining upper body work out. My arms are still sore.
*Food menu for those with the munchies
*On site ATM
*Huge patio
*And they’re dog-​friendly everyday!

After a recent explosion on a Unilocal talk thread and the large number of pointed reviews that began said talk thread, a large group of Unilocalsters decided to have our own get-​together here. Our UYE (Unofficial Unilocal Event) organizer, Sam, called ahead to make the reservation and we were set. I believe there were roughly forty of us, although it was a bit hard to tell. It was like corralling cats; we were all over the place.
The space itself is nice, new, and a little quirky. Polished concrete floors. For a relatively small space, the interior and exterior had a nice flow to it. The bathroom doors denoted women’s and men’s with «Sit» and «Stand.» I suppose for some boys that could be a bit confusing if they had a situation, but I’ll just leave that subject alone.
There were also a few (perhaps four) «stripper poles.» I suppose technically I shouldn’t call them that as there were no strippers dancing on them. However a couple of Unilocalers were kind enough to demonstrate how the non-​dancing-​for-​money crowd pole dance. (I can hear about five separate bathroom humorists saying something «quippy» in regards to that last bit. To them I collectively say, «Shut your pie hole.»)
I had two minor complaints: the before it’s time closing of my tab and the music.
For some reason, my tab was closed without my request. I happened to be up at the bar ordering a beer from one bartender, while at the same moment another one brought my card and a receipt to me. She seemed a little miffed that she had to re-​ring the tab. My confusion was that I wasn’t leaving just yet, hadn’t asked to be closed out, and was not offered a explanation as to why she felt I was done for the evening.
One note on the music, it’s a bit too young for the over 21 year old set. Perhaps leave the preteen music to the under 14 crowd and their bleeding-​eared parents. Things did seem to pick up when the live band began. It was very Austin, where every bar, restaurant, club, coffee house, newspaper stand, whatever has a stage for a band. It makes the place a little refreshing as that concept isn’t that prevalent in Houston.
To explain the ambivalent three stars, it’s a great place, but I’m not really into clubs. It’s certainly not your average cheesy club, but there was the Jonas Brothers and Justin Timberlake aspect. Also, the closing of my tab really irked me.

«A woman’s rule of thumb: If it has tires or testicles you’re going to have trouble with it» hahaha! that’s one of the quotes you can find written on the walls in the women’s bathroom! There are many more, but I choose to let you go see them yourself. If you are a guy, make sure no women are there when you go in!
I loved Union Bar. I had a great time last night and since it wasn’t the weekend we didn’t have to wait in line or suffer looking for parking. The first thing I saw was the patio. Definitely cool with the tikki lights, umbrellas and metal tables. We sat outside for a while and enjoyed the somewhat chilly night.
Inside it’s a pretty typical lounge. Open set up, TVs, sofas, tables in the middle, VIP area to the right and the bar on the left. Where the hell were these stripper poles people are talking about?! I didn’t see them. I have to admit my vision was impaired as I’m trying to build tolerance to alcohol and tried to drink. My first drink was a fuzzy navel, and since I had it as soon as I got there my review is the review of a person under the influence.
I was trying to shake my booty to Justin Timberlake but no one would join me, where is Adam O. when you need him?! lol I loved the videos playing on the flat screens, the sports, the music… well lets say I was one happy camper. Unlike Clinton, I am not going to complain about the music. I liked the main stream pop they played. as Eva K. explained in her own review, all the girls were mesmerized the Beyonce’s «single ladies» video. Dang, that made me want to shake my booty a little more! Why don’t Unilocalers like to dance?!
George made me my second drink, which I will name «the monster» because that drink was so good, but oh so strong! I loved it though. After that drink I became a different person. At that point you could find me dancing by myself next to the TV. There was no going back. The party was awesome. I got to chat with Unilocalers, have a few drinks, and even hang out with the rest of my friends who showed up at Union.
The bar food was ok, I tasted the cheese sticks and the mini burgers and they were good. The fries were great though. I didn’t bother to taste the wings, they smelled spicy! I did love the green bean fries, they were awesome!
I would also like to mention that you get a free bottle of champagne if you go with a group of five or more on a Thursday. I also enjoyed the live music. Union is A-​ok for me. I don’t know what went on there with the gay activists, but the bar is great!