Review: Sugarhill Lounge

On the second day of my search for Houston Hip Hop, I found myself at Sugarhill Bar and Lounge. I was tempted by the arrival of Biz Markie, who was hosting that evening, and so came dressed as always, just enough to impress but still casual enough to dance.

 Let's run it down from top to bottom. Sugarhill has limited parking so your first and likely only option will be valet. You can try and park along the street, but that's a tricky proposition and the line can stretch pretty long when this  place gets moving. I went on a Thursday and there was no cover, but cannot speak for other days just yet, although I'm aware they're advertising free entry for Friday.

Once inside there's a bar directly ahead, couch seating along the right wall, a dance floor to the left and an exit onto the patio. By 11:30 the inside was moving with the bar packed up and all the seating, which was already reserved, filled. A few tables round out the interior, where people were snacking on food and having drinks. I made a straight line for the patio, which is where I like to start my night and get adjusted to my surroundings.

 There's a stocked bar outside along with some seating, though again it's limited. A few space heaters helped warm the exterior, and a BBQ truck was posted near the edge of the patio. This is a good thing, as many people will go outside to get some food to along with their beer, have a cigar and enjoy the more relaxed environment. The outside is definitely for chatting and chilling.

 A return to the inside brings on the crowd that's gathered to dance. It gets cramped as the night rolls on, and I'm hoping one day the place can expand. The music is definitely a great mix of hip hop from the old school and new school, and the DJs know how to mix it up. Drink prices are fairly standard for Houston, four dollars for a beer. At nine dollars for a Jack and Coke that's slightly toward the high side for the city, which I've felt has averaged 7-8.

Although that's in keeping with the overall vibe. While you'll see casual men in plaid shirts and pressed jeans, you won't see the baseball cap and tank top crowd, so you're getting a different mix. Sugarhill doesn't aim to be ultra upscale, but it does ask that you dress nicely for the evening, with a heavier emphasis on the weekend to look nice. The crowd is primarily African American, black, urban. As I said in my review for Gertner's, if that makes you uncomfortable, this is the wrong city for you to live in. 

It's also on the edge of the Third War, which has a mixed reputation. As someone that lives in the area, let me say you're missing out if you skip on Sugarhill. Situated alongside a Subway in a strip mall area, it doesn't easily stand out. Even my taxi driver missed it. However, those who know about it, who go there, love it. It might seem easy to miss, but it gets packed, and the crowd is friendly. Once again I had a great time meeting new people, making business contacts and talking to some lovely women. One guy even bought me a drink just to be friendly.

So what makes Sugarhill stand out? The music is great. The drinks are about what you'd expect. The bartenders were nothing but darlings, very nice women who really went out of their way. Despite the crowd they were patient. At the end of the night, they even tried to help me get a taxi when mine didn't show. And, when that taxi never showed, I still got a ride home. What better service can I ask for than that?

So much love for Sugarhill. I'm returning tonight to see what their Friday is like, and plan on having a great time once again.

The Final Call:
Facilities: 3/5
Staff: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Drinks: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Review: Scott Gertner's Sports Bar

Having lived in Houston for a few months and visited a few of its bars and clubs, I'd felt something was lacking. Plenty of clubs were playing hip hop, mixing it with some rock, playing some techno-ish dance music. They were all good, but where could I go if I wanted to listen to just hip hop? And not just the stuff you might hear on the radio.

Scott Gertner's Sports Bar is where. They've got the old school rappers like Big Poppa and Tupac getting play. Then they've got the new school, people like LIl Wayne, Drake and others. What really stands out in the music the tracks getting play I'd never heard, the sort of music that makes you want to move your head or get out of your seat. So, I've got nothing but good to say about the DJs out at Gertner's.

You want bang for your buck of course, and just know that Gertner's has only been open on Wednesdays and Sunday. I've heard they've started opening Thursdays but I haven't been by on a Thursday yet. I didn't get charged a cover on Sunday, when there were less people. Wednesday, though, things get crazy. Tons of people, and they start charging a cover at 7. Early in the day the cover is 5 dollars, later on it's 10, and during packed events like the All Star Game it goes as high as 20. So just know what you're going to be paying up front on certain days and events.

Beer is four dollars, Jack and Coke is eight, and the food ranges in the ten to twenty dollar range. Fairly average for places in Houston, and the Jack and Cokes are strong.

The chicken wings have been, to me, delicious. They are usually the right balance of moist on the inside with just the right amount of crisped skin, and the sauces are delicious. Fifty cent wing nights are on Wednesdays but the prices go up later on in the evening. The cheese fries they serve are nothing spectacular, and last time actually had too much cheese, so much so that the fries were swimming and limp. Not a good thing. The fried pickles are delicious, with the crispy batter spiced with something to balance the sour taste of the pickles. It's bar food, but it's good for bar food, and the drink prices are average.

What's going to bother people is the cover charge, as well as the service. Gertner's gets busy, and let's be clear, do not yell at the girls. They make their way one by one down the line. They'll get to you. But they're not going to break their rotation just because you forced your way to the bar. I've never had a problem getting service, but you have to wait your turn, and that turn is going to take a while on a really packed night. The girls aren't ignoring you, they're just not trying to ignore everyone else that's been waiting.

Those two things aside, will you like Gertner's? I do. This place isn't ghetto, though ghetto people do go there. The crowd is black, African American, urban. If that bothers you then you might want to find another city that's more to your ethnic and cultural taste. I've met great people at Gertner's, though. The girls are fantastic and friendly, they recognize you if you're repeat business, and you can start up a conversation with just about anyone sitting along the bar or the outside patio deck. I think I've had more friendly interactions with people at Gertner's than with people at more pretentious bars and clubs, where it's too dark to see inside.

  

So just know, it gets busy, it's hip hop all night, it's a mostly African American crowd (I may have been one of five pigment challenged persons in the building last night), but it's mostly friendly. The charge to get in escalates as the night goes on and service slows as the bar gets absolutely, insanely packed. Busiest nights they'll have five girls working the bar though, so just be patient.

But would I go back? I already have, so that should say enough. Try to stop by on a game day, because there are big screens everywhere in this place.

The Final Call:
Facilities: 5/5
Staff: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Drinks: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Overall: 4/5