Doesn't Recommend

elyned

Joined 6 years ago

Bad example of a Scottish pub. I am a native Scot in Houston, this is not a Scottish pub, it would never make it in Glasgow. No food service, no atmosphere, just a cold empty hole in the wall. The vault is also just a big room with sofas, Scottish pubs dont have sofas and you should be able to buy a bag of crisps with your beer. Safe yourself a trip.

Doesn't Recommend

proletkult

Joined 6 years ago

The Kelvin Arms is 70% bad, 30% good. There are good and bad things to say about the Kelvin Arms. First, there are two areas, in my opinion, where this institution fails:

1) It is too expensive. With the exception of happy hour and certain days, a pint of crappy, American, domestic beer costs $3.50 each. To add insult to injury, the Kelvin Arms does not even sell pitchers! What kind of bar is this? I have lived in three different cities for extended periods of time, long enough to explore some bars and find one to my liking. I find the idea of a bar refusing to sell pitchers a little bemusing. I know this place is trying to present itself as casual and laid-back, but it really is not. A lot, but not all, of the patrons are pretty trendy, the beer is often expensive and they do not give you enough of it. I don't know why everyone is saying how this is a great "college bar." If by college bar you mean it caters to "frat boys" and trust-fund kids, then I guess so. Otherwise, give me a break.

2) Perhaps this does not universally apply, and the times that I ordered cocktails at the Kelvin Arms, I was not very lucky. One of my friends seems quite satisfied with the service. However, going by experience, neither I nor my wife was very impressed with the mixed drinks. They are typically very watered-down, and we have had to tell the bartender how to make fairly common drinks before.

Now for the good parts. The Kelvin Arms has a very nice sitting room inside - better than perhaps any bar I have been to. Large, comfortable couches, chairs, and coffee tables with good lighting and prints adorning the walls. It also has a nice area sectioned off for darts. Big parking lot. Lots of beers on tap, a lot of liquor and cocktails are fairly priced. Finally, while some of the patrons are a little too yuppie/preppy for my liking, the place does not seem to get many outright jerks.

In my case, the negatives outweigh the positives. I am just not that impressed by the atmosphere.

Recommends

Joshua Hinsdale

Joined 9 years ago

Houston's traditional Scottish pub packs in university students and Scottish expatriates.. In Short
Occupying a former bank building near Rice University, Kelvin Arms serves up 20 beers on tap, plus more than 40 types of malt scotches and pub grub. The traditional pub setting features a shrine to famous Scotsman Sean Connery, a copy of the Scottish declaration of independence and a Scottish flag that was flown into space on the space shuttle. The old bank vault is a private party room, available by reservation.

Recommends

mlasaine

Joined 7 years ago

It's got a vault to sit in!. Another little shindig where Frat Hats and giggly girls rule the house. There's some darts to throw and more TVs than Best Buy. But the drinks are cheap (well, then again... I was in New York for the past 6 months).

Recommends

moms_kitchen

Joined 9 years ago

after work outing. Went there with some friends from work. First time to go. Didnt know what to expect...first time I've been somewhere without my better half. Glad I went. Had a gr8 time with my friends and found they had a gr8 selection of scotch.

Recommends

dmessmer

Joined 8 years ago

Great place that's not too crowded.. Kelvin Arms is a great place to hang out and get some drinks. Unlike a lot of bars it's not so loud that you have to shout to have a conversation, but it's also not so quiet that you have to worry about being too loud. The bank vault is great if you have a big group of people and the rest of the bar is perfect for small groups. The service is great and the people are friendly - it's my favorite bar in town.

Recommends

qualityassurance

Joined 8 years ago

A must go. I'd hate to see this place get swamped with people like some of the other places in the village, but the Kelvin Arms deserves a good word. This place is great primarily because it has a great pub atmosphere and it's never too crowded. Good steak nights, good juke box, and a nice laid back crowd. Not a see and be seen bar.

Recommends

flounder9

Joined 10 years ago

Fantastic. All I have to say is this place rocks. It's inside of an old bank and you can sit inside the vault and hang out. We sat outside for happy hour to enjoy the spring weather and have a few drinks. It's a great pub atmosphere with a mixed crowd and great happy hour specials. Def recommend