LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JUNE 2016 | Page 22

CLUB•ICE HOUSE•LOUNGE

By Mike Cook
Photography by Daniel Ortiz

KIRBY ICE HOUSE A NEIGHBORHOOD PEARL
HOW DO YOU IMPROVE ON SOME OF THE BEST BARS IN THE CITY?
START WITH ALL THE GOOD FROM LITTLE WOODROW’S, FIND A
HUGE LOT AND BUILD NEW FROM THE GROUND UP, SECURE TONS
OF PARKING, INSERT MASSIVE OUTDOOR SPACE, ADD THE EL
CAMINO FROM THE DEFUNCT THE EL CANTINA SUPERIOR RESTAURANT AS OUTDOOR DECOR, TURN THE DIAL UP TO 11 ON EVERYTHING ELSE (SERVICE, DRINKS, ATMOSPHERE, LANDSCAPING, INTERIOR) AND YOU GET … THE KIRBY ICE HOUSE.
First off, daaaaamn, this lot is huge. How do you even acquire this much
land, in Upper Kirby? We digress. The new building is split by two long
bars lined with stools and topped with granite. The rest of the vast interior
proudly displays plenty of reclaimed wood, concrete floors, an arm
chair/couch area, Beer Pong Master (a game we didn’t even know existed), TVs and vintage portraits of old movie stars (because why not, we
guess). There is also a ton of staff here. Like far more than most bars in
town have. Most of them seem friendly, and you get your drink quickly too.
And a mansion’s worth of ceiling fans, a necessity with the whole
inside/outside design. Those roll-up doors are going to get a lot of use.
And the “backyard” they open up to – massive. We can’t stress that
enough. Tons of space, crushed granite and lawn furniture galore. There is
enough room for your entire office to party here. Or all your friends. Or
your whole family. (Just don’t bring the kids; it’s 21 and up. Dogs, however,
are welcome in the “best backyard in Texas.”)

3333 Eastside St. | 713.524.2752
www.facebook.com/kirbyicehouse
M–F 2pm–2am | Sat 10am–2am | Sun 12pm–2am

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L O C A L

| june 16

IF YOU’RE WONDERING: Yes, the 50+ beers on tap are the same at both the
front and back bars and, yes, the frozen citrus cooler is as good as any
frozen screwdriver in town. There are also plenty of spirits, wine, and regular and draft cocktails but honestly most of the crowds (which we mean
literally as this place seems to be slammed all the time since its recent opening) may not even care that much about what they are drinking; they are
just having a good time. Hard to argue with that.