New Beer Garden Sprouting Up on Washington Avenue, Promising a Craft Beer Party Scene

Washington Avenue’s having a blonde moment. It’s time for some brews and brunch.

Arizona-based bar Bottled Blonde Pizzeria & Beer Garden is heading to 4901 Washington Ave in the former space of Weiner’s Dry Goods Store No. 12. The new Space City setup has been touted by the burgeoning chain’s Instagram. It looks like they’ve pinned their party central social media strategy in part on pinup girls.

The clubby Houston spot will be the second Bottled Blonde outpost in the Lone Star State. The first opened in Dallas just last year, and the first two set up shop in Chicago and Scottsdale.

The Houston Bottled Blonde’s set to be high-energy, fueled by tons of craft beer, and even craft ciders from Dallas brewery Bishop Cider Co.

An extensive cocktail menu made the cut, with rotating frozen monthly mules and updates on mojitos, juleps and margaritas. But the 100-ounce mimosa tower is the attention grabber.

It’s the perfect pairing for a boozy brunch, with classics such as avocado toast and breakfast burritos on the menu. The rest of this German inspired bier garten’s menu has got a little flair. Expect food choices that are a little less Saturday night bar crawl, a little more substantive.

Sure, there’s your good old pub fare like chicken wings and mozzarella sticks. But you’ll also find a solid pizza menu with house-made Italian sausage and prosciutto and hearty pasta galore, such as Bucatini Bolognese and spaghetti and meatballs.

Bottled Blonde is owned by Evening Entertainment Group. The ballsy brand has faced a fair bit of backlash, with a controversy in Chicago dating back two years, based on a photo of an allegedly exclusionary dress code. The extremely detailed code banned “excessively baggy jeans,” “gang attire,” all male jewelry and even Air Jordans (in the city where Michael Jordan became a legend no less). The dress code went viral, leading to serious accusations of racism. The bar’s liquor license was revoked, but it’s still operational while it appeals the decision.

Other Bottled Blondes have not adopted the extreme dress code.