Restaurants / Bars

New Heights Bar Takes Over a Historic Bungalow, Brings a Massive Dog Friendly Patio — Inside The Rabbit Hole

Houston's New Go-To Neighborhood?

BY // 05.18.21

The Heights’ newest bar plans to burrow in and stay a while. Dubbed The Rabbit Hole, it is coming to life in North Heights 1920s bungalow at 1317 E. 29th Street with visions of becoming a neighborhood staple.

The duo behind the bar — managing partners Ian Frascati and William Daniel — bring plenty to the table. Frascati boasts more 30 years of experience building and operating bars from New York City to Texas. Daniel is a successful entrepreneur from the marketing world. The Rabbit Hole is their passion project and it’s getting funding help from other Houston locals.

“Essentially, The Rabbit Hole is an intimate and unique destination that we put together — me and Ian — for craft cocktails, wine, beer,” Daniel tells PaperCity.  “And it’s going to be built out of an old bungalow in the North Heights.”

For Frascati and Daniel, the diversity and vibrancy of the neighborhood were a major draw. Home to the revamped and reimagined Houston Farmers Market, the North Heights is quickly becoming a go-to destination for Houstonians from other neighborhoods.

“We get to add on into that neighborhood,” Daniel says. “That’s why this is really like that special project that we’re both so excited about taking on.”

The Rabbit Hole Bar Patio
The Rabbit Hole’s patio will be a dog-friendly space to grab a drink.

While mainly a bar, The Rabbit Hole will have a kitchen and plans to offer classic pub food and vegan items. The nature of bungalows being smaller-sized homes means that seating space within the new bar will be intimate. However, The Rabbit Hole’s footprint doesn’t begin and end with the bungalow’s four walls.

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The more than decent-sized double lot allows for whopping 10,000 square feet of space to be turned  into a sprawling patio and parking lot. It’s an outdoor space perfect for food trucks and future events.

The massive outdoor patio means more space for enjoying with both human and four-legged friends. This Rabbit Hole will be very dog-friendly.

A neighborhood bar needs to be casual enough to make it a great day drinking locale — and The Rabbit Hole certainly will qualify on that front. But it will also bring some twists.

“We want people to be able to walk up, grab a drink, hang out with their friends and family, and be able to bring their pet,” Daniel says. “That’s sort of the vibe that we’re going for. But there will be some different types of oddities.”

A Rabbit Hole of Whimsy

With its unique name, The Rabbit Hole will play into the whimsical. While the bar is not Alice in Wonderland themed, there will be a few mystery aspects and potentially a few nods to the enduring Lewis Carroll story.

“Being from the advertising world, I believe that every concept has to have a good entry point,” Daniel says. “Just from the name alone, we want people to not be able to expect what they’re going into when they open the doors to The Rabbit Hole. So there is that little mystery behind that.”

The mystery is going to be a little time coming. Construction will not begin until all the funding is finalized. Plans call for a December or January 2022 opening. This Rabbit Hole aims to be about the long haul.

“We’re not trying to be a sort of bar that’s going to come and go,” Daniel says. “We’re trying to be a part of the fabric of the North Heights. We’re trying to be a part of Houston’s history.” 

To keep updated on The Rabbit Hole’s progress, go to the bar’s website and Facebook page.

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