Night Shift Bar opened summer 2021 in Houston’s Historic East End as a community cocktail bar with a late-night kitchen.
The bar is an homage to those who work hard day and night—the early shift, the late shift, those who burn the midnight oil, and those who wake before the dawn.
The bar is located on the Metro light rail Green Line in a remodeled warehouse/auto parts store at the intersection of Harrisburg Blvd and York St. A large 55-seat roof deck with epic views of downtown sits on top of a beautiful interior bar space with seating for 60, including 18 custom-designed bar seats in front of an ample 200 plus bottle back bar. The entire original ceiling of the interior has controllable LED up lighting that allows the bartenders to dial in the vibe as needed. Quarter-inch steel clad with three-inch thick custom concrete bar front, and 45 feet of two-inch thick walnut bar top, make up what may be the heftiest bar in Houston. Aubergine purple booths with custom white oak tabletops and a large bar height drink rail and table seating make up the main floor.
Night Shift is a collaboration between industry veterans Justin Ware and Patrick Abalos. The pair carefully crafted a seasonally rotating cocktail menu that reflects the time of year as well as the tone of Houston’s vibrant East End. “We want all to feel welcome, whether you’re ordering a beer and watching the sunset on the roof deck or enjoying a solid cocktail in the space,” Abalos says. “In addition to our cocktails, we have an accessible and delicious rotating wine list, a half-dozen local craft beers on draft, a couple draft cocktails, and many local bottled and canned options.”
“Night shift has been described as a vibe from the dynamic lighting and focus on 90’s pop to modern hip hop, along with the presentation of the cocktails.” Abalos states. Wares adds, “We set out to showcase nine refreshing and nine boozy classic cocktails that were seasonally appropriate. The ‘Shift Drinks’ section of the menu is where we host our selection of house creations and more technically driven cocktails.” Over the course of a week, the pair sampled their way through over 140 cocktails, to decide which would make the list. Moving forward this is something they will be entrusting the staff to develop through the same process.
The top selling Tropical Cooler is made by blending pineapple juice with coconut water, Jamaican and white rums, and finishing it with a series of tropical flavor concentrates and lime acid to create a strikingly familiar flavor to a Capri Sun. It’s served in a silver sealable pouch with a custom Tropical Cooler label. Also popular is The Straight A’s, an agave refreshing banger, made with mezcal, Ancho Reyes, apricot liqueur, nectarine syrup, and lemon. Shaken and served on crushed ice with a Tajiin dipped lemon wedge. The drink is smoky, refreshing, fruit forward and balanced.
Equal Parts Loggerbier has been one of the top sellers for beer, and the red blend of Aragonez and Alicante from Portugal has been doing well with wines. There’s also a good selection of non-alcoholic options.
Night Shift’s kitchen is run by Executive Chef Danny Leal, who cut his teeth in several of Houston’s top kitchens. The menu reflects a local focus that includes Chef Danny’s Mexican heritage, and drawing on diverse, and nostalgic flavors. Top sellers are the Yuca fries with salted cream and chili sauces, along with the Enchiladas Potosina and Gas Station Burrito. Save room for the delicious churros made fresh from scratch and served with a Meletti Chocolate Liqueur Whipped Cream. There’s also an ample selection of vegetarian and vegan options.
Their ‘Pre-Shift’ Happy Hour is from 4pm to 6pm Monday through Friday. offering $2 off all menu cocktails and food items, plus $1 off draft beer and wine glasses. There’s also plans to offer entertainment in the future.
Night Shift Bar
3501 Harrisburg Blvd Houston, Texas 77003
Open Everyday 4pm to 2am
832-930-6421 // www.nightshiftbar.com
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Source: Mixology News
