Years ago I abandoned Midtown Houston for less trendy establishments with more parking options. This was a hot spot for young and dumb college me, but now I work downtown and live way out in the burbs, so I let the next generation have it, and I enjoy an earlier bed time. But after I thoroughly enjoyed a blogger dinner at Russo’s and a blogger pub preview at Jack & Ginger’s last year, I started to reconsider Midtown. This time I was invited to try 77 Degrees, the new tapas bar above Jack & Ginger’s…middle aged me LOVES happy hour!
77 Degrees is located above Jack & Ginger’s and is across the street from Spec’s Wine, Spirits, & Fine Foods in Midtown. This multi-level venue has incredible views of downtown Houston and feels like a huge poolside cabana (without the pool). I was able to bring my husband Jerome with me to this media event, as he’s my ride or die food taster/serial retweeter/candid photo taker.
First order of business are the drinks. The cocktails are de-li-cious! I’m a wine drinker and occasional scotch whisky and tequila sipper, so this is a big compliment from picky me. I enjoyed the hell out of the Chingon and also liked Jerome’s Violet Sky and Perfect 10. They do have wine as well, so of course I had a prosecco.
The real show stealer was the food. The tapas and pinchos were amazing! We have eaten our way through Spain, so we were delighted to enjoy Spanish inspired tapas and pinchos crafted with our local expectations in mind. If Spanish-Houstonian fusion was a thing, this would be it. We sampled everything on the menu and loved ev-er-y-thing. My personal favorites were the avocado tacos and the El Loco (just go with it, man).
Overall I loved 77 Degrees for a happy hour spot. The views of Downtown are spectacular even if you don’t like the food and drinks as much as I did! I could see this place getting clubby real quick after the sun goes down and the neon turns on. No worries, when the younger crowd shows up ready to be seen, I’m going home to watch Game of Thrones in my mismatched pajamas.
For more, read my Houston Top Picks for Locals and Tourists here, Reconsidering Midtown: Russo’s New York Pizzeria here, and Reconsidering Midtown: Jack & Ginger’s here.