Texas: Now Open for Bidness: The Longest Bar

In Houston, Kirby Ice House has opened in the Heights area and set a record in the process.

The new Heights location, which opened at 1421 North Loop West Friday, claims to have the longest bar in Texas at 146 feet, eclipsing the previous record at The Woodlands location by 5 feet. That’s almost half the length of a football field, excluding end zones.

Maybe it’s time to call Texas the Long Star State.

Situated on 3.5 acres, the dog-friendly ice house features 12,000 SF inside and 12,000 SF outside with seating for 800 and 400 parking spaces. Patrons will find food trucks, outdoor games, and more than 40 TVs.

It’s a Texas Thing

“The beautiful thing about Kirby Ice House is that there’s something for everyone,” said co-owner and founding partner Danny Evans. “The fundamentals of Kirby Ice House are simple: Great service, ice cold beer, huge patios and the best place to watch games and host big events. It’s a Texas thing.”

The site, along Loop 610 just east of Ella Boulevard, is near the Shady Acres, Timbergrove, and Garden Oaks neighborhoods. It previously housed a Chase Bank building which was demolished to make way for the project. Construction was completed in under nine months. It’s now open for bidness.

Since its debut in Upper Kirby in 2016, Kirby Ice House has grown to four locations. The Memorial location anchored an expansion of Memorial City north of I-10 in 2020 and The Woodlands opened in 2022. Next, the neighborhood ice house aims to scale its “signature mix of Texas-sized hospitality and community connection across the state.”

Kirby Ice House isn’t the only bar in expansion mode. Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a popular sports bar and restaurant backed by former NFL quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, is planning locations Cypress and New Caney. Upon the openings next year, the chain will have eight stores in the local market.