Zimm’s Bar

from what I remember, quaint and comfortable– with a great patio.

This is the «real deal» of cocktail craftsmanship. Higher end liquors, fresh squeezed fruit, every apéritif needed to make authentic old and new school cocktails.
I started with a Planters Punch, and this was not the sugar loaded crap you would get at a Beach bar… all top shelf ingredients, properly garnished, and actually beautiful to see the separation of the layers of ingredients. I never knew what a Planters Punch actually tasted like until I had this one.
Next, I ordered a Margarita. Why? You ask? Well, I figured «maybe they have the real deal Margarita»… And they really do! The bartender, Winston, juiced the limes, strained the pulp, used Cointreau (absolutely correct) and 100% de Agave Tequila. Absolutely fantastic.
So, if you are anywhere near Montrose Blvd, and you’re just plain dry, this is the bar for you.
At happy hour today, 5÷18÷2016, each of these perfectly crafted drinks were $ 7 on the happy hour menu. Enjoy! I did, and I will be back every time I am in Houston.

A friend brought me here, and I’m so glad she did. I have always heard of this place, but never stopped in. They have a good wine list and plenty of craft cocktails that looked interesting, but I had margaritas at dinner, and I like to stick with the same drink/​liquor if at all possible to avoid getting sick. I’m a lightweight. So I had a couple of margaritas here, really fresh and delicious, just the right amount of alcohol too, I’m probably the only person alive who sends back drinks because they’re too strong. No problem with that here. Can’t wait to go back with my husband for a date night! Very classy atmosphere! I don’t do dive bars, lol

The days of the old Zimms with the dim lighting, dance floor, great drinks, fun crowds and awesome house dj’s are long gone. Now it has become just like every other wannabe ‘trendy’ bar. A haven for douchebags and hipsters with uncomfortable bar stools and bland décor, oh but the game is on the tv :/​Not a large drink selection either. Bar staff is friendly when they aren’t in a bad mood and I never really had an issue with them.

Zimm’s has been a long time favorite of mine for many years. I would frequent Zimm’s back in ’09 during my college days for chill nights out, but for some reason I thought it had shut down. Luckily, I thought wrong.
Over the holiday’s, I was hired to shoot a Christmas Party and rekindled my old flame with the beloved Zimm’s. When I walked in, I was instantly reminded why I loved this place: Intimate, relaxing, comfortable… everything you want in a lounge.
The party exceeded the numbers by close to 100 people, so the bar was slow that night, but when I addressed it with the manager, he was eager to help. I’ll definitely be back in the near future to give a more detailed review. However, if you’re looking for a nice lounge to take a date for cocktails/​wine, this is your place.

They have nice comfortable seating and a warm comfy atmosphere. There wasn’t anyone here when we came after work so it was wide open. The drinks are $ 9 – 10. Pricier side if you want to stay and have multiples but the drinks are good and very well made. I had a Moscow mule and it was delicious. My friend had the grape something with vodka in it and said she loved it as well. It’s a mixology so you know the drinks are crafted well. Nice place to sit and chat on a date. I would come back.

Zimm’s was once the place to go if you wanted a well made martini and just about every version possible.
Recently, they’ve changed their theme to reflect the popular mixology cocktail centric bars popping up across Houston/​America/​pop culture. It’s a bummer to see something that made them very specific and special fall to the wayside, but they still make a great drink and can shake or stir up plenty of martinis if you ask.
Interior is very comfortable with intimate seating options in various chairs couches and table tops. It’s a great place for a slow strong drink and a good conversation under low lights.
Service in our recent visits has been great. Each time the bartender has been very quick to jump on your needs and very knowledgeable of a myriad of options.
Price point is comparable to Anvil, Stones Throw, Julep, etc. that is to say, they’re matching the other mixology places with complicated drinks and slightly raised prices to match those complications.
Bring your friend for a stiff drink and a long convo in some plush chairs. Should be a good enough time.

Perfect drinking/​water hole. Slid by after dinner at Del Friscos with a friend. The handcrafted cocktails were awesome. They used real egg foam in my whiskey smash :) way to a girls heart! The bartender was cool & attentive too. Chris I think was his name. I think. I like that type of service though. Where you don’t have to give them a wild Wild West death stare down for attention to get a drink. Now that the weather is cooling down I’d come back to check out the patio scene.

Overall a very good experience. I will point out that they are very proud of their drinks as I came across some of the most expensive cocktails I’ve had to pay for but they tasted good and they aren’t stingy with the alcohol. I really enjoyed the atmosphere as well. As I was there to catch up with a few friends, it was a good environment for that. They have plenty of seating at the long bar, surrounding tables or even on the patio outside. Besides the list of drinks on the menu, if you ask the bartender to get creative, he/​she will mix up something that fits what you are looking for. I would definitely recommend this location.

Was a nice hide-​a-​way. The DJ was great and me and my friends had an amazing time.

I used to frequent this place years ago and I always liked the vibe. Went fairly early on a Saturday for some after dinner drinks. The bartenders they have are what true mixologist. The attention to detail and knowledge they have is refreshing. Good selection of wines and a plethora of liquor.

This used to be a martini bar, focused on the more modern vodka based drinks that girls love to grab at clubs. Apparently that image changed a couple of years ago, and Zimms now aims to be a craft cocktail venue a la Anvil or Prohibition. They’ve got the atmosphere and the bar for it, and apparently the talent behind the bar, but they’ve definitely lost a bit of uniqueness that they had as a martini bar.
I went with a friend a couple of years ago and had a great time. We each went through a couple of martinis and she was more than buzzed by the end of the second one. I brought my girlfriend by recently, expecting more of the same, and was a bit disappointed.
The bar manager was exceptional, though. He went out of his way to craft something to my girlfriend’s taste, and provided an entire back story to the Vesper I ordered that gave me insights that I didn’t know despite doing a bit of research on it myself. You could tell that this was his passion and that he thoroughly enjoyed his job. I’d go back just to have a drink and chat with him some more about cocktails.

I feel it was my duty to write a review. After going to Pax and being forced to go to CVS to buy Off to deal with mosquito bug bites, long story, my boyfriend took me here thinking it was still a martini bar. It wasn’t. That’s okay.
Sort of.
I won’t lie, I checked in, saw the low reviews and was instantly wary. I was expecting for the bartender to overcharge me and yell at me like a lunatic, but I didn’t experience that at all, I also paid attention to the other patrons to see if anyone else was having that kind of, «You overcharged me,» fit. From what I observed, no one did.
When we first trekked in the space was empty and I thought maybe it was a result of the Unilocal reviews, but as the night wore on, more people showed up. The bartender was a pretty nice guy and had a nifty mustache to boot. If you’ve read my other reviews you know about my citrus allergy. The main reason we came here was hoping to find a martini bar with cocktail drinks that cater to my anti citrus ways.
The bartender knew instantly, I was going to be a rough sell as most of the cocktail drinks had orange/​lime/​etc and I am not a whiskey/​scotch fan. Or maybe, I’ve only had gross whiskey/​scotch. One day, I’ll order scotch on the rocks like a rich person after a rough day, to see if that makes a difference. It’s what the rich people did in soap operas all the time when I was younger. That has to mean something…
Anyways, the staff was attentive, and my boyfriend apparently got the most amazing Vesper on the face of the planet. Even though it had lime, he made me taste it and all I tasted was poisonous lime. However, I’ll take his word that it was good. The drink the bartender made for me a fusion of coconut and some pineapple (about the only citrus that doesn’t upset me) was ok, but not the fruity, club mess I was going for. By the time I finished the drink it was better than I expected. The drinks here are STRONG. I mean that poisonous lime Vesper thing tasted like ¼ allergy, ¾ alcohol. My tip for folks would be to keep that in mind as I can see how if you keep going, you’ll lose track of the drinks you ordered.
I’ll probably come back. This seems like a legit cocktail bar and you can tell the bartender was proud of what he offered, I just wasn’t in the mood for the hardcore liquor stuff. I might bring in a coke in my purse and order rum next time, just in case they don’t have coke. A girl’s gotta be prepared now. Or I can just be classy and order a wine. We’ll see.

Bar staff scares clients off– just not a nice customer service environment for the prices they are charging– nice try!

Oh where has the vibe of Zimm’s gone? We had our first date at Zimm’s and returned last night. First order of business was to get my husband a chocolate martini. We were quickly and matter-​of-​factly told that Zimm’s was no longer that kind of bar and they don’t make chocolate martinis. WHAT!!!
He settled for a White Russian, but the bartender had to send the barback across the street to the drug store to buy some cream — WOW!!!
The whole vibe of the place has changed and not in a good direction — it is now a bourbon/​whiskey kind of place — guess they are trying to lure hippsters and the like. Thanks, but we will pass.

Patrons Beware!
What started out as a great start to the night at sister restaurant Pax Americana, turned out to be a disaster at Zimms. Aesthetically, the bar is quaint with dim lighting which created a romantic flare. Seating was ample so instead of sitting directly at the bar, my party of three sat in a corner location. Everything appeared to be going very well, that was until, we received the check and noticed we were overcharged for drinks we did not order. This is where things took a turn for the worst. I approached the bar and informed Michael, the bartender, about the mistake. Instantly, his semi-​pleasant demeanor changed. He became enraged that we were questioning the tab and began a condescending rant about how we should pay the bill and leave. He never took the time to hear us explain the issue or make amends for what clearly was a mistake. I explained to him that I simply wasn’t going to sign a receipt and pay for drinks I didn’t order. I urged him to reprint the drink order so that I can have an itemized breakdown of what I was paying for. Despite his reluctance and continued deluge of disrespectful comments, he reprinted it and commented ‘I comped the drinks, so just go’. Meaning, he comped the two drinks that were in dispute. At that point, we signed and left, NEVER to return. Prospective patrons, I write this review so that you are aware of what you may possibly encounter here. Patrons beware!

I regret coming here. We came from Pax Americana after dinner and decided to try this place out. What a terrible decision.
Our tab had duplicate charges for 2 drinks that we did not order. However, the bartender on duty did not want to hear this and pushed these 2 drinks on us. We debated this and paid for what was just. He was still upset after the fact and he escorted us out the establishment after we paid for what we consumed. This approach to me was just unprofessional and disrespectful. I have never been treated like such in all my years.
There was evidence on our table from what we ordered because of the lack of service. Mind you, our tab exceeded $ 100. Money was not an issue. It was just a matter of what was right and wrong. He went too far as to escort us out the establishment and to try to force the 2 additional drinks on us. This is not how you remediate a problem. Be very careful and double check your tabs with this guy Michael.

Great drinks and selection. Enjoyed the atmosphere and appropriately entertaining bartenders. Best part is that they are creative in making drinks that aren’t on the menu for special occasions. Definitely worth it. Great for dates.

This bar is in a great location and has a nice ambiance, but there is really nothing special about it. The service was slow, the drinks were expensive and the place was pretty dead on a Saturday night. With so many trendy/​hip/​unique bars in Houston to choose from, I won’t be going back here.

Met up with a friend yesterday at Zimms Bar, previously Zimm’s Martini & Wine Bar. Never been here before, but have seen the bright pink neon sign driving by on Montrose, You cant miss it.
Valet & street parking available and can be accessed through road off of Montrose. Walking in, I was immediately comforted by the dim chandelier lights and warm colors of the place.
Bartender did a great job with his old fashioned and I didn’t sample any other cocktail, but there must have been 10 or so on the list. There is also a great scotch collection! The patrons seemed yuppy & mature, not the college crowd you see in midtown.
The owner stopped by and said hello & welcomed us, nice touch. I totally forgot to see the appetizer menu, but I will certainly go back in near future, and sample more.
Overall cool, chill & hip place with good service!