Zanzibar Houston

As another Unilocaler wrote, the keyword here is BAR. This is a local dive, not an upscale establishment. The exterior is very unassuming. It doesn’t look like much. In fact, I think I drove past it twice during my first visit. However, the inside has apparently been redone within the past year and it actually looks nice: hardwood floors, mirrors, plenty of space (by dive standards).
It’s never packed, but there are always people in here. I don’t know if they are locals or friends of the owners. Whatever the case, they must bring in enough business for this place to stay afloat. I recommend bringing your own crowd. This is a cool ‘starter spot’ for a bar hop or night of lounging with friends. I’ve also had several friends host private and semi-​private events here so the rates must be decent. There’s also an artist who uses this place to host her paint and sip events, which was a lot of fun. It was kind of early (7:30/8ish), so the DJ was setting up in another section while we painted in the main area with the bar.
My advice: 1) Again, bring your crew. This isn’t the spot to meet new people, especially if you’re visiting Houston. 2) Order the basics from the bar (e.g., rum and Coke, etc.), or whatever is on special… and just hope that whomever is behind the bar can do it justice. The young lady who waited on us was sweet, but just awful at mixing. At least the price will be decent for a mediocre drink. 3) Like most places, weekends are best, though the crowd can still be hit-​or-​miss. Which brings me back to tip #1. Lol.

Afrobeat club, with the occasional hip hop/​rap infuse. $ 20 parking, and $ 20 cover on a Saturday night. Really small venue, and it was super hot. Bathroom stalls were clean. The bartender didn’t know how much a fireball and coke, so he just pulled up a $ 7 charge. The thing that made this a total bad experience was the music. The dj was just bad. I mean it’s 2015, and he was playing songs from 2010 like it was supposed to get the dance floor grooving. The few times he played good and current songs, they only lasted 30 secs. Imagine hearing your current favorite song come on, and everyone yells «ayyy» and you’re about to make your way to the dance floor to let loose, and the music just cuts out to some old overplayed and out of place jam. Seriously, the dj has to do better. Hopefully, this is not how it is in all of Houston.

We tried to go there last Saturday night about 9 pm. Looked like there was no one there except for some valet guys who wanted to hit us up for. $ 10 valet parking fee and said if we parked anywhere in the whole center we would be towed if we didn’t valet. We had about 10 people with about 6 vehicles so we decided to go to a more friendly establishment. Don’t get this place, just wanted to check it out.

I will like to acknowledge the owners of Zanzibar for their kindness. There was a miscommunication that was resolved swiftly and with the upmost respect. I thank you for responding and tonight was enjoyable. Again, thank you to the owners.
Update June 2015: Although I thought things were a little better in my last visit, that changed. I am not sure who to blame, but I think the issue should be fixed. Usually, most customers, on Saturday nights, park next door free of charge. Now, they charge ten dollars to park there, if one parks directly in front of the club, one has to pay valet, then 20 – 25 dollars to go inside plus buy drinks. Wow, before you enjoy yourselves, one has spent close to sixty bucks, before entering the establishment. What a great way to treat customers! FYI the guys collecting the money in the parking lot said the owner of Zanzibar told them to charge people. Well, you guys can decide for yourselves, but I think I will have to find another location.
Therefore, they will lose stars.

I use to attend poetry night here. It was great until an incident sort of turned my group away from it. I was looking for something fun to do tonight so I checked out their website. So glad I did! The «conversation party» was a lot of fun and the hosts were awesome! Drinks are always reasonably priced which is great but I wish the bartender was more friendly. Or at least more friendly to female patrons. She seemed to smile a lot when the guys ordered Female money is green too honey!
But I digress. The host, Lisa Luv was beautiful and classy, entertaining and friendly. I don’t recall her male counterparts’ name but he was pretty awesome too. They did a great job keeping the conversation going and making everyone feel welcome.
Since the last time I visited they’ve expanded the place. Bigger bar, more lounge seating, bigger dance floor/​standing space. The photographers take great professional photos all night.
I appreciate the effort they put into this place. Though I wish them great prosperity, I hope they are able to keep the intimate feel of the space as they grow.
Will definitely be back!

Cool lil spot. The further in you go the hotter it gets! Lots of rude ass Africans, but they jam good soca. Drinks aren’t over priced.

If you are looking for a nice place to dance and have good drinks, this is the place! They have lots of happy hour specials for $ 5. I recommend the Green Monkey! They also serve food and the wings are the bomb! Good music and the staff is nice and friendly. I highly recommend Zanzibar!

Terrible service. Took over an hr for our hookah to come out, only after requesting over 5+ times from multiple people who work here. The LQ tastes watered down. The space is trying to be too many things. Not coming back here.

This place sucks. Asked for a hookah five plus times… it’s 150 for a section and no bottle which is unheard of (visiting from out of town).The waitress (Sade f.) had a terrible attitude and had a scarf on her head which is just tacky. I would never come back

Drinks and music were great. Bad part about this place, when I left, some jerk was sitting on the hood of my car. Claims he worked there and thought it was his coworkers car. Either way, its not your car so DONT sit on it. Some people dont respect other peoples property. Anyways, back to the bartender… lets say she gave herself her own tip. My drink $ 3 and I gave a $ 20 bill. My change was $ 16. Basic math I should have gotten $ 17 back. I brought it to her attention and she tells me plus tax it came to an amount with change, and asked if I wanted my 75 cents back? Ummm yea, give me my change and let me decide how much tip I want to leave. I told her no keep it. She probably needed it more than I did so I brushed it off. Wont be back for awhile. Smh.

Good drinks bad service. I liked the zanzicake drink. The bar girl does not know how to smile nor acknowledge your order. She seemed to be in a bad mood. $ 3 bottled water. Otherwise good drink deals. It appears to be a hole I’m the wall but the private area looks decent. The bathroom was clean but small. 2 stalls 2 sinks but clean.

If you’re going for nightlife/​African nightlife on Saturday, do NOT go. All the door girls are rude as hell. I was lied to and charged $ 60 for 4 minutes of being there. They will disrespect you and the promoters will not care at all. This place is trash on Saturdays. I just can’t.

Nice Bar and Lounge. Might need to upgrade to a more powerful A/​C but the place was fun, lively, and very well decorated. I was quite impressed. I see this club moving into a bigger, better facility in the future if they keep it up!

Went on Tuesday night. Drinks goood — drink prices better! Décor— well done. Kararoke was entertaining. Plenty of honies to look at. Staff very friendly. VIP area — well done. Outside of place needs redoing and it is a bit small inside but overall I would recommend it.

Zanzibar I must say was a first for me. Who’d of thought to combine a bar with an option to canvas paint by booking. Well it turned out to be a winner. Let me start by saying how organized the painting session was. I had the opportunity of observing set up BC I arrived early. Yes, I said early…
The outside appearance of the blding. is a lil shady but once I entered I was totally comfortable. The bar area is set up like an island in a kitchen, lots of finish seating through out the facility. I particularly like all the mirrors on the walls and that nice dainty seating in the back of the blding. I took some nice pictures there. Anyway back to canvas painting. The seats are set up to accommodate the number of ppl. in your party. Each seating area had their own supplies, that was a plus in my book. They even had some cute aprons to use if you prefered. How thoughtful was that. The instructor I had is teacher and does painting classes has a hobby of hers. She explained all the utensils and their purpose, cool. She was also very patient and kind, she even made cupcakes for the session, how thoughtful was that, very. She was very open to answer questions and she made sure no one got left behind or stuck through out the session. In between canvassing, eating, and drinks we played games. It was a lot of fun. So the next time your thinking about doing something different for your Bday or whatever look em up. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy! }|{

I came here with a bunch of my Nigerian friends one night (yes, I was the only white girl in the crowd. Yes, you can laugh at that. haha). I was expecting a real sleek and sexy lounge, something more quiet, but it was actually more. intense. haha. The music was LOUD (in a good way, there’s no way you CAN’T dance to Afrobeat, reggae, etc). All the women were pretty much models — very drunk, fun models who can dance their ass off. Yep, every single person in the place was gorgeous, WASTED and dancing. I had a really good time but I’d like to know — did I go on a wild night or is it always like that? The website gives a completely different impression.
And yes, tucked away in a strip mall (I’m starting to understand that this is Houston’s style so I look past that). I’ve yet to go back but they’re always putting out really unique events, so I’d go again if there’s anyone out there willing to take me! ;) haha… Come to think of it, I think I went for a fashion show after-​party, so that might explain everything… So if that’s the case — this is probably what you can expect of the event nights.

I am always down to support the little guy, the under dog, the misunderstood or the misinterpreted… (Except, of course, when it comes to football… only one team receives my unwavering support and devotion… and that is the most prolific team to ever don pads, the very epitome of all that is good and wholesome in the sport, that’s right; the 5X World Championship Dallas Cowboys…)
But I digress.
Zanzibar has the potential to be one of those places where people wish they were cool enough to be. It’s the place that you start seeking a few days after your 28^th birthday. A place that eloquently marries the eclecticism of Thelonius Monk and the sustaining coolness of Bob Marley. Modern leather couches flank the well-​stocked bar and a small dance floor provides plenty of room for dancing to the rhythmic, cultural sounds of the live DJ or band. Even the wall art entices you to pass on the beer and order something in a glass because «you’re a grown-​ass man.» Zanzibar pulls the chic (chic not chick) out of you whether you like it or not. I mean seriously, it just makes you want to smoke a cigarette from a cigarette holder, sip cognac from a snifter, while providing «snap applause» to a local poet.
Here’s the only «problem.» Zanzibar is tucked away in the recesses of the perpetually busy Westheimer Boulevard retail scene. I’ve actually walked in and been the only person in the room not on the payroll. I like the fact that it’s a hidden gem but I think it may be too hidden. I’d like for more people to enjoy this quintessential lounge and the cultural character it espouses. (Having said that, I will be the first to be PISSED that the place is packed. I know… my contradictions are sickening.)
I give Zanzibar 3 stars with the expectation that I’ll walk in on the right night and have my mind blown. On that day (or the day after… or the day after that) I will update this little review to reflect what I truly believe is the proper assessment of this establishment. You dig that baby… yeah… (Miles Davis playing softly in the background…)

This place is tucked away on Westheimer in a strip mall. Have been here for Karaōke two or three times. The atmosphere is casual chic.
They have a full bar and cool lounge areas and the karaōke is a good time-​especially when the bar staff gets up there!
My fav drink here is the Watermelon Long Island. It’s delicious and potent.
The crowd here is fairly diverse. Mostly 20 – 30 somethings with some older sprinkled in from time to time. I like this place.