Flying Saucer Draught Emporium

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Good news, bohemians: There's a place to drink downtown without tripping over a velvet rope.. The Scene
More like a trendy San Francisco pub than a Houston hang, it exudes aggressive-yet-genuine cool. Belly up to a long bar, nuzzle against a table, nestle on a comfy couch or perch upstairs in the Pub of Love. Pierced and dreadlocked bohemians recline comfortably upon weathered sofas, while buttoned-down frat alumni take to the tables, all in peaceful coexistence.

The Draw
The 85 taps come from faraway lands and just down the road. Not only are there St. Arnold's and the usual Texas brews, there are also several from the obscure Real Ale brewery in Blanco. Try the Pale Rye Ale; it's a hoot. There's a full-bodied root beer on tap, as well as a modest but thoughtful selection of wines.

Doesn't Recommend

stand4something

Joined 6 years ago

Sexist and Socially Challenged, Let the People KNOW!. Christian the Diversity Challenged Manager-Has come to slaughter what little diversity The Flying Saucer the Saucer attempted to entertain. Have you noticed that there a 1 to zero people of color employed at the Saucer. Once they tried to hire women of color, but what happened? There was a very nice black girl, who treated everyone very well-Extremely personalble service and a beautiful smile. I ran into her the other day and she shared her story with me. She was FIRED!!! After she returned from court-a divorce and custody battle in tears distraught. She was fired right there on the spot after enduring a life changing event; reminds me of something of the 60's.She explained that there were 2 set of rules for the employees. One set for the white girls and another set for the black girls. Which side do you think had the advantage? I KNOW THIS WILL NOT STRIKE A NERVE FOR ANYONE EVEN IN 2007. As for me, I have spread the word to my friends and they to their friends. And trashed our UFO cards. You think this was over the top? NOT! Let me explain, she went back to gather a few friends. She was greeted with hostility by management and Christian the Diversity Challenged Manager, intimidated her in such a way that he upsetf the regulars. The Diversity Challenged Manager Christian called the police on a 120 lb. woman. Why? Pass the word! No Flying Saucer!!!!!!

Doesn't Recommend

theman008

Joined 6 years ago

Worst Service, Cold Food, Beer is Beer. Great Selection of Beer. Inside, Flying Saucer Draught EmporiumFlying SaucFlying Saucer Draught Emporiumer Draught Emporium

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sparkle_motion

Joined 6 years ago

great food, great beers, worst service. my friends and i go often on mondays when the pints are 1.50! there are tons of beer choices, and the food menu is great. you can order late and everything is delicious. i would give it 4 stars if it were not for the service. the girls are cute, but not attentive and a bit ditzy. dont except to get your drinks quickly. most of the time, the waiters are busy sitting down with customers and friends and forget to get your orders. ive seen some who just sit there while customers buy them drinks. but i keep going back due to the food and beers... that shows how good it is.

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smalpree

Joined 8 years ago

The Beer Bar for the Beer Enthusiast.. I am a huge fan of the Flying Saucer chain and I have been to many of it?s locations.

The food has definitely jumped up in quality recently with the new menu. The Bratzle is freaking awesome! A sliced up Bratwurst on top of a giant doughy pretzel with Guyre cheese melted all over it.

What can I say? Of all the beer pubs and emporiums I have visited I have to say that the Saucer is the best of the best because of the breadth of variety they have. They truly give you a sampling of what is available from around the world. They really beat out the other notables like San Diego?s Yard House which has a great selection of California micro brew?s but is rather weak in global selection.

The saucer has great service and personal treatment for regulars, we still have great people at the Houston saucer like Jake, Javi and Adam to take care of us. Over the years many of our favorites have moved on but are not forgotten.

Anyway ? If you like beer, then you have to visit a Saucer if you have the chance. So far each one has it?s own character and uniqueness to atmosphere and clientele, but the core remains through out. And so far, the Houston location is the best one hands down.

As far as service, I find that is not a problem. The tables are slower than the bar, but this place gets hopping and crowded. Sometimes it is standing room only. If you expect immediate service when it is that busy your expectations are unreasonable. And in the 4 1/2 years I have been going there the only time I have seen a real problem is when a client is acting like a horses a%&.

As for cleanliness, the bathrooms are fine, I think the biggest problem is the same I see everywhere, a bunch of knuckle dragging primitives that have no idea how to aim!

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stephk1223

Joined 6 years ago

Love at first sight. The Flying Saucer is the total package; an expansive and diverse beer selection with a full bar including liquor and wine, adorable and knowledgable school-girl waitstaff, phenomenal food, and a neo-bohemian clientele nestled conveniently in the excitement of downtown. Beer selections rotate regularly, and personalized brass plates lining the ceiling commemorate club members who have sampled at least 200 different brews. Each night hosts a different promotion to your advantage; Monday Pint Nite values about 80 drafts at $2.50/pint, Trivia Tuesdays, Wednesdays feature a different take-home brewery glass each week for only $1 and Tub 'O Mystery Thursdays with surprise bottled beers at $2.50. Happy hour is Monday through Thusday 4-7 and Fridays 4-8 with (over 80) 22oz draft beers at pint prices. Although I had fallen in love with the Saucer as a customer, one Space Club and application later, I was sold as an employee. Whether you are a beer connoisseur or a rookie Bud Light advocate, you can easily find a niche - and new favorite - here.

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tra8901

Joined 6 years ago

Great Margaritas. This bar had a huge variety of beers on tap. The atmosphere was fun, and very crowded on the weekends..great place to meet friends. I expecially loved the frozen blue margaritas...

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bankr68

Joined 6 years ago

Best beer selection in Houston. Great place for a Sat. beer and lunch. No crowd at all. Brats were very authenic along w/ the tables outside. Felt like a bier garten in Bavaria.

Doesn't Recommend

UHElle

Joined 6 years ago

Extremely loud, no seating, good brats & kraut.. First of all, the selection is truly impressive. However, I would not go there with a crowd larger than 3, MAYBE 4--you'll NEVER find a place to sit. Also, it HAS to be against firecode to have as many people crammed in as they do. The service is, at best, ok. It's hard to get anyone's attention, and I wouldn't go there unless I had a good 2.5-3+ hours to spend there. It's definitely not a quick dinner type of place. Also, no one tells you you have to seat yourself and pray for seating that will put your group in the same place. Beers are ok. Like another reviewer, I, too, agree that a lot of the beer could have been served much colder, but the selection is, again, incredibly impressive. Also, you should plan to spend a nice chunk on drinks and food when going there. Food was decently priced, but the beer, as should be expected, can run up your tab quickly. I had the brats & kraut, a german tour, and 2 scotches and my tab came to approximately 50 dollars. Also, the lady we had serving us was relatively knowledgeable about beer, but the other waitresses were very rude and lacked knowledge and the ability to make reccomendations.

Overall, the place is pricey, the seating is very bad, the place is PACKED, the beer could be served properly, but, if you've got the 3 hours to spend, it's worth, at the very least, ONE try. I don't think I'll be back. I give it a 2.5.

Doesn't Recommend

billism

Joined 6 years ago

Bad Attitudes All Around. I have been to this place about 5 times. The first time was 3 years ago. The experience was not bad. If I were rating based on that experience alone, I would give the place at least an 8.

Large place, nice scenic atmosphere. A LOT of beer variety on tap, which is why I liked the place.

Every time since the first time I have been there, the service has been lousy. The waitresses are rude, unknowing, and generally slow. No service with a smile. Frowns all around. If you don't like waiting on people in a crowded place, that's fine, quit your job. But don't take it out on the customers that pay you. The only thing they have going for them is they are cute, and that just doesn't cut it for me. Also, for being a place that has such a wide selection of beer, the wait staff could at least have SOME knowledge of beer, but no.

The last time (and I mean last) I was there, I was having a friendly arm wresting match with a buddy of mine, as is often done at pubs, and one of the waitresses walked by and sternly told us that she would kick us out if we were going to do that. I stopped, and left that place and never looked back. Pubs are suppose to be cosy, friendly places where you feel welcomed. This establishment needs to retrain their wait staff accordingly.

If it weren't for the devil-women at this place, I would probably be a regular.