07/07/09

Downhill Racer

by baller77056

DS used to be a great place to hang out. Management changes every few months and consistently poor server staff make DS a disappointment. There cigars are properly humidified but outrageously overpriced.

Most disturbing is their overt and subtle racsism. Employees refer to "blacks" as Canadians. DS policy is designed to "keep the Canadians" away, from the music played to the dress code.

Ownership is cavalier and distant leaving day-to-day management to a couple of people you wouldn't let babysit your children.

Used to be great. Been going downhill for a long, long time.

• Pros: You can smoke cigars
• Cons: Everything else

05/26/09

WONDERFUL ATMOSPHERE

by nikki1973

My husband and I went this past weekend for a nice casual drink after dinner (and for him to have a cigar). The waitress was very friendly. We will definitely be back.

06/25/08

Love this place

by cats70

I love this place..... One of the very few place where you can still smoke. The food and drinks are both awesome, love the Ruben and Cheese and Meat platter. I love the atmosphere, blend of both young and middle aged professional people. If you love cigars you will love this place. All the staff is very friendly. You can just hang around and smoke a cigar or enjoy a drink. Comfy, cozy and upscale.

• Pros: Casual Relaxing Atmosphere to enjoy a cigar
• Cons: The drinks need to be less pricey

12/23/07

LOVE IT!! LOVE IT AND LOVE IT!!!

by memis

OK..I usually don't write comments OR stuff like that ; but PLEASE DO NOT LISENT TO THE BAD REVIEWS ON THIS SITE!!! I 'm from L.A. and I went to visit my boyfriend in Houston last week and after a great dinner at PAPPAS BROS(EXCELLENT steakhouse BY THE WAY) we went to this bar for drinks...the bartender and the waiter acknowledge my boyfriend who is a regular and they welcome me in a very friendly way....SO ,PEOPLE STOP SAYING THAT THE STAFF IS RUDE..because they are the most helpful and professional staff i've ever seen.As the matter of fact, I want to mention that when my boyfriend went to the washroom he left me by myself and there was a group of ''gentlemen" sitting across from us and they started to act obnoxious..needless to say.. we ask for the manager and he came right away and he move them to a different table so they could stop disturbing me!! TRUST ME!! NOmanager will ever care if a lady is being bother by some drunk guys and I LOVE the fact that they took action!!

In the other hand, the place is neat and elegant,LOVE the dim lights!!! I would highly recomend this for couples ...GUYS if you are tring to impress her..take her here!! The only bad thing about this bar : parking!! we parked in the parking structure which it didn't bother me AT ALL ,but , after maybe 8 lemon drops you definitely wonder how you are gonna make it to your car!!

SUMMARY: LOVE the staff - LOVE the crowd- LOVE the decor-LOVE the neatness AND THE DRINKS!!!!!!

• Pros: NEAT,AMBIENCE,SERVICE
• Cons: PARKING

12/23/07

Relaxed atmosphere, inside or outside is perfect for after work or a quiet happy hour, the patio is great as well as the inside lounge area which is also great for friendly business matters

by misscitygirl

Love this place! The service is just right, not too imposing yet always there when needed. Never too crowded but can hold lots of good company. It's not a loud noisy club/bar but yet a fun and relaxed business man/ mature young adult scene. Go there for a drink during your lunch hour or a fine cigar after work. A great place to meet somebody!

• Pros: Parking, Cocktails, Fine cigars, sports, big leather couches
• Cons: Smokey

12/11/07

Nice feel, bad service and cigar knowlege is shaky

by drex22

Fair humidor setup

nice decor

Great seating

I'm always impressed when an unauthorized dealer takes the time and money to stocks Davidoffs and other hard to find smokes like PAMS & Opus ex, but when I talk cigars and the person in the humidor tries to correct ME I know they aren't as knowledgeable and friendly as they should be.. This place is more about who are you?re there with rather than about enjoying the experience of smoking a good cigar.. I cant fault them for that as they are in a part of town that image is valued more than depth, but lets not pretend this place is something it's not..

I've had waitresses here that IMO were not up to par even at the fair price point they offer on drinks here, but you will find that everywhere.. So that?s a wash for me

My main grip is the young guys at Specs are on about the same level as the people that run the humidor at DS.. If you want me drop 2-3x retail on a cigar you better know how to talk and sell, here they just don?t..

I will go back to Downing Street, but I like to get there early and leave early before the "pretenders" get there..

FYI, parking is a chore, but try to get there early to park in back.

• Pros: Cigars
• Cons: People

04/03/07

RUDE!

by averagejoe39

RUDE! What does it matter if the place has quality cigars, a good selection of fine scotch and good beer AND, from time to time, good jazz if some obnoxious, ill-informed, half-baked manager is RUDE? Without any provocation whatsoever - RUDE! I have witnessed this on too many occasions: RUDE to me, RUDE to my friends, RUDE to others. It isn't cheap there. If you don't want to be treated RUDELY by some low-life, poor excuse for a manager, DON'T GO! There are plenty of other places in Houston to spend your money.

RUDE.

• Pros: Good selection of cigars, scotch and decent snacks.
• Cons: RUDE. Nothing is worth having your evening ruined by an obnoxiously rude idiot manager.

01/28/07

Not for us

by shoequeen

My husband and I went to Downing Street this past Friday, as we both wanted a cigar and he LOVES Scotch.

We didn't have any problems with any of the staff being rude to us, so I'm not sure what the other reviewers were talking about. The guy working in the humidor was very nice and helpful in picking cigars for us, as we don't smoke much, and we did enjoy them.

The only issues we had were how smokey it was-yes, I know it's a cigar bar-but I've been to cigar bars in other cities that has better ventilation- and when we left Downing Street, my eyes were burning. Plus, we didn't feel like it was the best bar for us-my husband is 30, I'm 28 and I just don't think we have enough pretensiousness to hang out here. The vibe was very" look how much money I have and how important I am with my cigar and my Botoxed wife". Ummm...no thanks.

• Pros: Great Scotch selection, neat decor
• Cons: Crowd is waay to pretentious

01/27/07

A Great Experience!

by taliskerfriend

I visited Downing Street Pub last night for the first time. I heard about this place six months ago but was hesitant to go because of some of the negative reviews on this site. What a mistake I made in waiting. My experience there was fantastic! The manager and bartenders were very friendly and helpful. The people I met were outgoing and I had many great conversations. I found the place to be very clean and well kept and the smoke was not near the level I thought it might be (especially compared to some other bars I've visited). I really love scotch and other whiskies and my greatest joy was the extensive range available for all the whiskies. I highly recommend!!

12/07/06

Poor management

by javelinadad

Bad experience with unclean tables and uninterested staff. Manager gave us the brush off. Spend your money elsewhere. Gone down hill over the last year.

No reason to go to Downing Street when there are plenty of places in Houston that give excellent service.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Bad service, bad staff attitude