La Carafe

03/07/11

what a disappointment!

by gogurl

i am a native Houstonian and have been living in another state for several years. i recently visited Houston and wanted to recall good times spent in La Carafe. boy was I surprised! the service SUCKED! not sure if it was just that particular bartender, but Southern hospitatliy is lost on this place which is a shame because it was, hands down, my favorite pub in Houston when I lived there 10 years ago.

I really hope they can get it together and make this place the gem it once was!

09/04/10

worst service ever

by jetsetta1

I must've gotten the same bartender as the previous post. What a piece of work. I love the decor and history of the place but not worth wading through the snotty, disrespectful wait person. THERE ARE TOO MANY OTHER OPTIONS DOWNTOWN

09/04/10

Too bad

by the2cents

Used to be a fun place to hang out. Angry bar tender needs to get an attitude adjustment. Not my idea of a good time to be verbally assaulted by the help. If his life sucks that bad, he shouldn't be in the hospitality industry. The owner should be made aware. I'll never go back

01/15/10

Best bar in town

by DudeG

This might be my favorite bar anywhere, and I've only been there twice. Once in 1988 and once in 2005. It's old, dark, cramped, and the bathrooms are tiny. But the atmosphere is such that you could have been in Houston in 1870 and it'd look about the same. The clientele is friendly, service is fast and friendly, and the location is good. Except that I don't live in Houston any more. It's exactly what a bar should be.

• Pros: Old, dark, fun, perfect atmosphere
• Cons: I live three hours away

12/17/09

Best Place to Smoke & Drink

by kc5jk

Said by many to be haunted, La Carafe also got the distinction last year from Houston Press as "The Best Place to Smoke and Drink." But things changed. Blue nosed busy bodies brought draconian measures to bear, and there would be no more smoking.

So the Press was excited a few months ago when owner Carolyn Wenglar decided to expand and open a beer garden on the lot next door, which La Carafe also owns. But the bureau-rats dropped their you-know-what in the punch bowl once again. They said that because the city owns the narrow alleyway between the two properties, patrons would not be allowed to carry their beers across that line. It would bring on the Mayan Apocalypse two years early, or at least be a violation of liquor laws in Skip's favorite state, among the silliest renditions of prohibition era nonsense still on the books in this country.

"I just don't understand," Wenglar says. "I own both properties. And you'd think they would want the chance to make money off my expanded business."

Maybe La Carafe could build an elevated bridge across the moat.

Source: Houston Press, v. 21 no. 51, December 17 - 23, 2009

• Pros: Tries to accomodate smokers
• Cons: City of Houston