Select Country
Are you looking to visit Houston Check out our listings or call 1-844-BOOK-OYO to find available rooms today.
We love a good speakeasy vibe, a tucked-away, dimly-lit watering hole, or an unmarked spot. Can barely find the door? Even better. Here are our picks for a few secret Houston bars that deliver on libations, vibe, and intrigue.
2006 Peden Street
Houston, TX 77019
(281) 630-6248
Beyond a nondescript and unmarked blue door lies a quiet spot with a subdued, intimate atmosphere. Marfreless has been serving up hidden romance since 1972, and it has a reputation for being known as “the make-out bar.” Socializing stays professional on the main floor, but we hear the cozy corners upstairs are perfectly suited for a post-cocktail canoodling session.
1403 Nance Street
Houston 77002, TX
(713) 226 8563
Houstonians have been knocking on the nondescript red door here since the 1940s. (You know it’s a real secret Houston bar when you do actually have to knock twice and wait for an answer.) Inside, you’ll find a brightly-colored, funky, and utterly unpretentious mood, homemade Tex-Mex food, a back patio with live music, and of course plenty of margaritas and other tasty libations.
310 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
(enter through The Pastry War)
(713) 321-8242
This 25-seat Houston bar is only accessible by an unmarked door through the back of The Pastry War, a downtown mezcaleria. Here, lounge on leather sofas by the fire and take in the refined ambiance. The experience begins with warm hand towels, continues with perfectly crafted classic cocktails like a Pimms Spritz or French 75, and rounds out with jazz on a vintage sound system. This is a sophisticated, bespoke bar experience worth savoring.
6412 N. Main Street
Houston, TX 77009
(713) 380-2968
Nothing says fun hideaway like a good tiki bar, and at Lei Low, you can, well, literally lay low while sipping a rum-infused cocktail from your tiki mug, coconut, or flaming punch bowl. Soak up the island vibes amidst kitschy Polynesian decor, and wear your Hawaiian shirt if you dare. To find this hidden tropical gem, look for the “Aloha” graffiti outside and neon sign that says “Rum.”
108 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
MR@COTTONMOUTHHOUSTON.COMThis eclectic, warm spot promises “cocktails, badass music, and pleasant conversation.” Word has it, The Cottonmouth Club is the place where managers and bartenders from other bars come when everything else is closed down. But unless you know it’s there, you might miss out on one of the best new bars in Houston. While you’re here, have a pickleback. What’s a pickleback, you say? Well, here they hollow out the end of a pickle, turn it into a little cup for the brine, and serve with a shot of whiskey. You drink the whiskey first, then the brine, and finally bite into the pickle cup. Weird, wonderful, and you’ll probably score major points with the bartender.
2626 White Oak Street
Houston, Texas 77009
(832) 582-5323
Ready Room is one secret Houston bar steeped in history and a throwback to an era of jazz and blues. Each category of the cocktail menu is named for one of Houston’s Wards, and there’s weekly live music. From the outside, it appears as just an unremarkable, small, brick building. If you don’t know it’s there, you may never find it. But step inside, and you enter a swanky spot with chandeliers, marble-topped tables, and vintage decor that harkens back to a bygone era. Order a Jungle Bird (black rum, Campari, Demerara, lime, and pineapple), and let yourself be transported to a dark 1940s bar filled with the sounds of Blue Note jazz.
So when you want to keep your evening of drinking decidedly more down-low, check out any of these hidden Houston gems.
Please go back to portrait mode for the best experience
April 3, 2024 
