Here's a look at restaurants and bars suitable for entertaining clients, treating a team, or even making a private presentation outside the office.
Ruth's Chris Steak House has moved locations, opening a 400-seat restaurant in Space City. The sprawling 9,100-square-foot steak house offers five private dining rooms, including the eight-person Gallery Room and the Bayou and Cypress rooms, which can be combined to seat 80. The private rooms can also be configured for business presentations.
Photo: Nick Teran Photography
Batanga, a Latin America-inspired tapas restaurant, opened in April. Spaces for private entertaining include the entire 3,500-square-foot interior space as well as a 3,600-square-foot brick patio. A chef's table in the kitchen seats 10, and the restaurant and the patio each seat 125.
Photo: FJC
The seafood-centric Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette opened in October from F.E.E.D. TX restaurant group. Anchoring the dining room is a circular bar that dedicates half to cocktail service and the other half to oyster and seafood dishes. The 200-seat restaurant has a 46-seat glass-encased private dining room.
Photo: Eric Sauseda of Groovehouse
Eleven XI Restaurant and Bar—its name derived from the "wishing hour" of 11:11—opened in Montrose in May. The two-floor restaurant is located in a vintage house with a second floor dedicated to private events. On the first floor, the dining room seats 42, and a 12-person chef's table is available for five-, seven-, or nine-course meals. The second-level space holds 75 for receptions and has a built-in slate-topped bar, a glass-walled wine room, and a humidor. The menu focuses on Southern coastal cuisine and includes a raw bar. A covered patio offers alfresco dining.
Photo: Michael Paulsen/Paulsen Photography
Established in to 1894, the storied Houston Club has a new home atop One Shell Plaza. As part of a $3.5 million renovation, the social club offers a sleek lounge, Allen's Landing restaurant and bar, and small meeting rooms with videoconferencing and other audiovisual equipment. A second phase of the renovation debuted last fall added the 16-person Power Board Room, the full-service Magnolia restaurant, and a 2,652-square-foot ballroom that holds 320 for receptions or 190 at rounds.
Photo: Clay Hayner/ClubCorp Inc.
Cook & Collins, a neighborhood comfort food restaurant, opened in January. The 180-seat space includes a dining room, an upstairs dining terrace, and a patio with decor that includes blond woods, velvet banquettes, subway tiles, and a wall of mirrors in assorted frames.
Photo: Kim Coffman
Westin Houston, Memorial City recently opened 024 Grille, a combination bistro and steak house. Four private dining rooms host gatherings for as many as 50 people each; the rooms also feature large-screen TV monitors and Wi-Fi connectivity for business presentations.
Photo: Courtesy of 024 Grille
Previously a Boy Scouts of America building, the three-story Mr. Peeples Seafood & Steaks opened in July following a major renovation. The 40,000-square-foot space, appropriate for large gatherings, is glamorously decorated with purple and red graffiti art, alligator accents, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, and a 16,000-bottle wine tower. The second floor is a private event space for as many as 250 people, and a 10,000-square-foot dance floor is planned for the basement.
Photo: Courtesy of Mr. Peeples Seafood & Steaks
The entrance to the Rosemont Social Club is through the back door, a speakeasy touch to this two-level lounge that opened last July in Montrose. While the first-floor space is a jewel box of a bar appropriate for entertaining small groups—just six seats, a couch, and slipper chairs—the upper level has its own bar and is attached to a large furnished patio that holds 150. The landscaped roof includes individual cabanas for 10 people; two can be combined for standing receptions for 30. The entire club can be rented for events of as many as 250 people. Rosemont's menu features seasonal craft cocktails as well as small plates to share.
Photo: Courtesy of Rosemont Social Club
Upscale steak house chain the Capital Grille opened in November in CityCentre. The restaurant holds 274 guests spread over the main dining room and three private dining rooms. A spacious lounge area opens onto a covered patio. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner with menu items such as porcini-rubbed Delmonico steak with an aged balsamic glaze, lobster mac 'n' cheese, and a wine list of more than 350 selections.
Photo: Courtesy of the Capital Grille
