The Best Bars for a Date in Houston

Lei Low in The Heights turns a drink into more of an outing, with a tiny tiki room packed with palm trees, grass cloth and tropical knickknacks. The rum selection runs deep, and the menu covers classics such as the Navy Grog and Singapore Sling alongside large-format cocktails sized for two to four people. Happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 4pm to 7pm and all day Wednesday.

Head behind the black double doors in Rice Village and up the stairs or elevator to Lee's, a very dark cocktail bar where a first date can stay focused on the drinks. The menu moves from classics to smaller 'small sips' such as the Appleteeny, with pizzas and small plates if you want food. Complimentary valet is on Kelvin Drive. Lee's opens at 4pm Wednesday through Sunday, and guests must be 21 or older.

13 Celsius in Midtown gives you a candlelit wine-bar setting with historic architecture and a seasonally curated list. Sit at the bar, take a table or move out to the patio, with service that stays attentive without hovering. The savory plates include duck rillettes, baked brie and charcuterie. For dessert, you toast s'mores yourself.

Climb the stairs behind the blacked-out lawyer's-office door to Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar downtown, where lamplit booths and a wide balcony overlook Main Street from a large second-floor room. The seasonal cocktail list is backed by deep shelves of mezcal, amaro and absinthe, and often attracts a long line. The bar is open Monday through Saturday from 5pm to 2am.

Julep in the Sixth Ward leans into a classic date-night setup with cocktails, trays of oysters and seating both at the bar and in the parlor.

Eight Row Flint in The Heights gives you a giant patio, a whiskey-focused bar and a 25-page food-and-drink menu inside a former mid-century dry cleaner. Whiskey casks and rentable lockers keep the spirits focus visible throughout the room, while weekday happy hour gives you an earlier option.

Take a couch at Monkey's Tail in Lindale Park for cocktails, or move out to the patio for frozen drinks. The room mixes couples with sports fans and happy-hour groups, while the menu adds things such as the Chango Burger with Valentina mayo and barbacoa nachos.

Shoot pool at EZ's Liquor Lounge in The Heights, a dive-style bar with high-end bottles behind the counter, beer-themed artwork and a soundtrack that can jump from George Strait to DJ Screw. The menu includes chili dogs, and the room is surprisingly spotless. Happy hour runs weekdays from 2pm to 5:30pm.

Grand Prize Bar in the Museum District gives you several ways to keep a first date moving: play pool, pick something on the jukebox or take on Space Invaders downstairs, then head to the upstairs ballroom for its own bar and disco ball. Black-and-white movies play on small TVs, a terrace overlooks Bell Park, and the rotating food menu has included dishes such as birria tacos and chili-cheese hot dogs.

For something more structured than a standard round of drinks, book the speakeasy tasting at Case Chocolates in the East End, reached through a bookcase inside the small chocolate shop. The guided experience pairs a chocolate with a cocktail across three courses, with fillings such as gin and carajillo, and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 6pm and 8pm. The CASE Bar Collection also offers 1oz pours of whiskey, rum, tequila, mezcal and more.