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Blanco's Bar And Grill
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- Neighborhoods:
- Greenway/ Upper Kirby, Central
- Categories:
- Nightclubs, Neighborhood Bars, Restaurants, Bars & Pubs, Community Organizations, Dive Bars, Bars & Clubs
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At a Glance
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100% ambiance
“Food is great if you don't mind a "smoky" atmosphere.”
87% drinks
“Cheap beer, friendly waitstaff, just a good place for lunch or after work drinks.”
100% food quality
“Friday's are the best with their seafood special.”
100% overall
“Cheap beer, friendly waitstaff, just a good place for lunch or after work drinks.”
100% service
“Cheap beer, friendly waitstaff, just a good place for lunch or after work drinks.”
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Blanco's Bar And Grill
What Our Expert Scouts Say
July 25, 2010
Urban Cowboy meets real life Texas bar.
A visit to Blanco’s confirms a lot of preconceived notions about Texans. 1) Texans wear cowboy hats all the time; 2) Texans wear cowboy boots all the time; 3) Texans generally have very strong Texan drawl or twang; 4) The preferred Texan dance is the two-step; 5) Texans worship the Rodeo .
A well-known institution in Houston located on West Alabama, Blanco’s is little more than a baby blue wooden Texas farmhouse from the outside. The parking lot is unpaved, and even before you walk in, the name Blanco’s brings to mind images of John Travolta in Urban Cowboy. But it’s not until you enter Blanco’s that you can fully appreciate the authenticity of this place. Rodeo memorabilia, complete with pictures and autographs, adorned the walls, and bull or rodeo-shaped neon signs could be found too. In the back left corner sat an almost life-sized furry bull. Two pool tables occupied a brightly lit space to the right, while the dance floor occupied center stage. Beer bottles sitting in ice cold buckets were sprinkled across tables. Standard fried bar food was available on the menu (chicken wings, fried tators, nachos). I swear it was like walking into a movie set of what a Texas bar should look like, except that most bars in Houston don’t look like this!
By 10pm on Friday night, the live country band (cover was $12) was playing and people were two-stepping away on the dance floors. A crowd of mostly 40something+ cowboy hat and cowboy-boot wearing folks were gathered around the dance floor, drinking beer, hanging out with friends. This was by far some of the most interesting people-watching I’d ever seen! While I didn’t fit in, it was definitely an experience to remember. So if you want to experience the movie-version of Texas, visit Blanco’s on weekend night around 10pm and you will see it on display in all it’s glory.
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Heart
Tips for Blanco's Bar And Grill
October 30, 2011
Fun place!. I've been here a couple times and I had a great time both times. I love the Urban Cowboy scene and the dancers are fun to watch. The staff is very attentive and nice. The only reason they didn't get 5 stars is because the gravel parking lot is treacherous on my high heels and the bathroom is a little icky.
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Heart
December 30, 2010
Missing Rodeo.
So, you have friends in from New York who want to see the Urban Cowboy scene? You can take them to Wild West, which is off of Richmond, or you can take them here to dance around a bale of hay.
They host plenty of Rodeo fundraisers here too.
The service is good and the oily bar food is really tasty...I'm serious.
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Heart
July 26, 2008
Bring Out of Towners.
I've been going to Blanco's for lunch for years. Friday's are the best with their seafood special. The waitstaff is super attentive, friendly and accomodating. Karin knows just about everyone there by first name and drink choice. Kids are welcome until the evenings when the live music starts.
Not just local bands - even thought they do have lots of good ones. But some national acts like Dale Watson, Gary P Nunn and others frequent the calendar too. No cover on Thursday's and a small cover on Friday. Even when the place is packed - and the dancefloor IS small - they have waitresses that pay attention and get your drinks quickly.
If you have friends in from out of town, take 'em there for lunch and see who's playing that night. Then bring 'em back. If you're new to Houston make it your after work stop to catch up with friends at the bar and visit with the bartender gail.
Blanco's is the coolest neighborhood bar in town.
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Heart
June 10, 2008
Best Place EVER. This place is awesome. Cheap beer, friendly waitstaff, just a good place for lunch or after work drinks. On thing that you should know is playing pool at Blanco's is an aquired skill.
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Heart
July 31, 2007
loves it.... Great music, great folks, Good food... I don't live in the city limits but I don't know how many times I've gotten hotel reservations because I knew I was going to Blanco's that weekend... A good change from "country" bars like Firehouse and Wild West, it's not the trendy country crowd, its the good ole boys.
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Heart
August 08, 2006
An unassuming little house near Greenway Plaza becomes a boot-scootin' hangout when the lights go down..
In Short
Live acts grace the stage here, including the magnificent Don Walser--famous Hill Country yodeling god--and local country-rocker Clay Farmer. As Blanco's is an authentic country and western joint, this is where you'll find some of the best-quality country music in Houston. There's a dance floor for two-stepping, but if you're not one for dancing, you can always take your Lone Star longneck to the outside seating on those lovely nights.
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Heart
December 22, 2005
Cheap beer & good food. The waitresses can almost guess what you're drinking. Cheap beer ($10 buckets). Food is great if you don't mind a "smoky" atmosphere. The chicken fried chicken is to die for. A "country" atmosphere, but if you're from Texas...what isn't? It's kinda crowded during lunch or Rodeo time. (The commitees have they're meetings and reserve all the freakin tables!)
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Heart
August 11, 2003
Blancos is the #1 lunch spot. As mentioned, it's just not a bar/nightclub. Some of the best lunch specials in Houston and without a doubt, the Blanco Burger and the Guaco Burger are two of the very best in Houston or anywhere.
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Heart
May 08, 2003
It is not just a bar. I have been to Blanco's many times in my life my father use to work down the street from the establishment and every friday we would go there and eat fried catfish they had the best fried catfish in the world.
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Heart
January 31, 2003
It's a different place. Great small honkytonk, not a bar. It's looks a little shabby but don't be fooled with the cliental on the inside. Super mixture of all kinds of people from the execs wearing red wings to the ladies looking great! Music is always fitting. Yes, it's smoky and doesn't cost all that much. If your in kick back mode and not worried about much or have purpose to your evening, you'll enjoy it. Service is exceptionally good even with the crowds..
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Heart
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Blanco's Bar And Grill
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