Two Rows Restaurant & Brewery

Two Rows Restaurant & BreweryTwo Rows Restaurant & Brewery
Two Rows Restaurant & BreweryTwo Rows Restaurant & Brewery
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

2400 University Blvd. Suite 200
Houston, Texas, 77005
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.1
Beers:
20
Ratings:
77
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.41
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
18
pDev:
21.11%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
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Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +21.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Located on the second floor of the Village Arcade, they had an extensive, curved front with fermenters visible in the far right facing window. A wide patio fronted the many doorways with seating available by checking in with the m.d.s. The m.d.s. was a wood and glass counter to the left of the far left facing entry. Further left of the entry was the restaurant area with the brewhouse to the extreme left. By turning right at the m.d.s. and heading to the extreme right, we encountered the light marble-topped, oval racetrack shaped bar. Mug Club mugs hung above the bar. The kitchen with its wood fired pizza oven was along the back wall on the right. Just enough monitors to keep me in the loop while remaining unobtrusive. Lavs hidden behind the big screen TV.

Beers: Honey Blonde Light; Dos Rows Vienna Lager; Route 66 Amber Ale; India Pale Ale; Old Town Wheat; Oatmeal Stout; Barking Fish Porter; Barley Wine; SW Freeway Jackhammer Ale.

Uncle Red's was a seasonal fruit beer.

Cask: Jackhammer.

Mom: Most def! A clean, friendly well-lighted place for beer.
Dec 20, 2009
Photo of rfabian
Reviewed by rfabian from Texas

3.45/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Located near Rice University, this place is in an upscale area on the second floor of a nice strip mall and caters to the younger college crowd. The football games were playing on large screen TV's when we went in, and artifacts of college boosterism were much in evidence in the decor. There was also a large covered outdoor balcony area.

The American IPA they brew is pretty decent. Service was nice but a bit slow on a busy Sunday. The menu is large with grilled items, burgers, pizzas, dinner salads, etc., and the grilled chicken and fish we had was pretty good. A brunch is offered on Sunday.

They will validate your parking for free so seek out the parking garage around back. Parking can be a pain in this mall otherwise.
Nov 08, 2009
Photo of Onslow
Reviewed by Onslow from Texas

3.38/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
great grub, great quality made beer, the 3yr aged barleywine was fantastic and ian ,the brewmaster, is one hell of a nice guy. a great place to go for any reason.. rerate after afew more visits after the Houston BA tastings and th FA Cup incident awhile back .. service can be hit or miss but usually good ... food is always top notch .. beers are average but fresh and never not tasty .

..Houston's only brewpub by the way.. which is a shame, a huge city and only one brewpub... try the barleywine and go on sunday for the cheap chicken wings, which are awesome!!
Feb 09, 2009
Photo of champ103
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas

2.3/5  rDev -32.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 3
I had a few beers here on a Friday afternoon. Not a lot of people were there, and the service was great. Most of the bar tenders did not seem to know a bunch about the beer they had, but they were friendly and quick.

I sat at the bar, and I got a couple of free samples. I had four beers, the O'fest, Whiskey Stout, Oatmeal Stout, and the Amber. The O'fest was not right, it had a very off putting smell. The Whiskey Stout was good and sweet. The Oatmeal Stout was good, but watered down a bit. The Amber was typical hops and malt. Overall, I would drink these beers again, well maybe not the O'fest, but the others were just fine.

For lunch, I had a pizza that was average, but went well with the Oatmeal Stout. The atmosphere was very good. There were lots of big screen tv's to watch games, and a nice patio outside.

This is a place I would visit often if I lived closer to downtown and Rice Village. If you are in Houston it is the only real brewpub, and one worth a try.

Edit--

After visiting Two Rows several times over the past year, I come to the conclusion that that the beer is utterly mediocre. Everything just seems like bad homebrew. The only beer worth anything is the barelywine (which is very good). Don't bother with anything else. The food is mostly mediocre as well. No that it is bad, just a few steps above Applebees. An OK burger, wings, and pizza but nothing out of the ordinary. The pizza lunch special is a good deal though. It does not seem like they try very hard. Try it for yourself, but I have been disappointed for the most part.
Sep 20, 2008
Photo of lordofthewiens
Reviewed by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

3.63/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
We stopped in here early on a Friday afternoon, mostly because my grandson was hungry. It is located in a shopping mall in Rice Village, on the second floor. Very few people in the restaurent, so it was nice and quiet. As you enter, there's a restaurant area on the right and a bar area on the left. Tables and booths in the restaurant area. The bar is sort of U-shaped, with some tables in the area also. Brewing equipment visible through the windows at both ends of the establishment. Lots of TVs, as well as a pool table. Also a patio outside overlooking the street and the escalators. Not where I'd want to sit, but the patio was busier than inside.

When we were there, seven beers were on tap. They had a blonde, a brown, an IPA, a hefe, a stout, a barley wine, and a dunkelweiss. The IPA also was offered in cask. I had the cask IPA, and it was very good. Tried the barley wine also. While it was also good, it was served in the world's smallest snifter, and cost $5.75, as compared to $3.75 for the pints.

Extensive menu of pub food. The five adults all enjoyed their meals, and my grandson ate all his macaroni and cheese.

Service was average at best. Even though the place was quiet, it seemed to take a long time for both our drink orders and food orders to arrive. Our server also was not quite sure of the beers that were available.

Still, it was a clean, quiet place, where we had good food and good beer.
Apr 30, 2008
Photo of Rustoleum
Reviewed by Rustoleum from Texas

3.64/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
I live on the Northwest side of town and don't get downtown much, but i had a friend visiting the city and we decided to meet here for a couple of beers. It was a Wednesday night and the place was pretty crowded. I ordered the IPA which i found to be decent enough if a little on the weak side. My buddy ordered the amber which had a bit of a strange aroma and didn't really match the style. We each had a couple of beers before moving on to the next place. When we received our tab i was shocked that it was only $4. Apparently, Wednesday is $1 pint night. Really can't complain too much for $1.

Overall, i thought the place had a nice atmosphere with several flat screens to watch the games, and a good crowd. I'd go here again for dollar pints. Why not?
Apr 30, 2008
Photo of armock
Reviewed by armock from New York

1.58/5  rDev -53.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 2.5 | food: 1
I went here on a Wed night with my wife and it was a fullhouse. We had to wait about 25 minutes to be seated that wasn't really a big deal. After being seated we waited another 20 min before asking if we had a server so we could order drinks as nobody talked to us after being seated. This kinda blows my mind that they brought us our beers in plastic cups. WTF what kind of selfrespecting brewpub would serve their own beer out of a plastic cup to people sitting inside. We order our meals and apitiser and wait another 30 min for that to come to the table. Half way through that our meals come to us mine was barely warm and wifes cold with undercooked sides. We speak to the manager about the subpar food and admits that our complaints being a regular problem and his answer for plastic cups is because it was dollar pint night and they can't wash the glasses fast enough. He takes our food back to the kitchen and just reheated it and brought it back out to us missing side items. I say this is BS and walkout of the place. Anyway about the beer I ordered their IPA and its was just OK nothing really worth getting excited over. My wife hade their seasonl that to me tasted like a Budwieser. Overall I'd say avoid this place its the beer isn't worth it for good beer go across the street to the Gingerman way better service and beer.
Mar 13, 2008
Photo of gixxerman
Reviewed by gixxerman from Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
This was the least busy place in Rice Village when I visited it on Tuesday night. There were about 4 or 5 other bar restaurants I passed on the way, and they were all packed. Maybe it is because it is located on the top floor and sort of away from the action.

I tried an Oatmeal stout and their IPA, both were fine. I had the Chicken Fried Steak dinner, it was also good, not great, but decent pub fare.

This is the only true brew pub in Houston, it is worth checking out if you are in the area, but I am sure how far out of my way I would go to make it back there.
Aug 10, 2007
Photo of VoodooBrew
Reviewed by VoodooBrew from South Carolina

3.55/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Amazing to think this is the only brewpub in Houston. (BJ's has begun to have their beer contract brewed by St. Arnold.)

Two Rows is in the Village shopping center near Rice and West U. This shopping center can get quite crowded most nights, especially weekends. Expect a wait at Two Rows most nights. Oh, and make sure you have them validate your parking if you park in the garage. Or prepare to pay around $10.

The atmosphere is decent, with plenty of space in the dining area but things get a little more crowded at the bar.

The food menu is pretty diverse, with a whole range of sandwiches, pizzas, entrees, and such fare. I recommend their barbeque ribs, which are spectacular. Avoid the cajun chicken pasta.

Now, as far as beer goes, I've found that Two Rows is pretty much hit or miss. And since I've been in Houston it seems that they have more beers that miss than ones that hit. They have a number of beers that lean toward the light side, which obviously is meant to pander to their non-beer-afficionado crowd, but I think it's done to excess. They do, however have a decent Steam beer, and their IPA (or Hopzilla as it's often called) is good most of the time but I've also had it when it wasn't so good. Sometimes there is a barleywine available, which is decent, and I have also had their whiskey barrel stout, which may or may not have been a one-time deal. In any case, it was way too much whiskey and not enough stout. The bartender will give you a free sample of a beer, and I suggest you take it.

Value can be a strong point for Two Rows if you play it right. The bbq rib dinner is a lot of food for a good price, and I'm sure some other dishes are too while others maybe less so. On Wednesday and Sunday Two Rows offers $1 pints, which is a great deal. Of course, it's also no secret and you can expect a crowd on those days. Furthermore you can join Two Rows' Mug Club, whereby get your own ceramic logo mug that hangs above the bar waiting for you to come in and drink from it. The mug costs $35, and most of the time your beers will cost $2.25, versus $3.75 for normally-priced pints. However, there's no savings on $1 pint days. But the mug pays for itself eventually and it's yours to keep whenever you decide to take it. Not a bad deal.
Jan 28, 2006
Photo of skittlebrau
Reviewed by skittlebrau from Texas

3.38/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I used to go to this place a lot when I was in college at Rice right around the corner. I guess I never thought too much of it since I was under age most of the time I was in school. Lately though, the place has grown on me. They have a fairly wide range of craft brews, some of which are seasonal. Also, the pizza is pretty good. It's hard to do much wrong with a good beer and a good pizza. The service almost spoils it sometimes. The waitstaff is almost exclusively college students, and they are usually quite slow and hard to get ahold of when you need something. The crowd is mostly college students as well. The restaurant has a serious sports theme, which is ok. I'd rather focus on the beer, but when your team is on the big screen it's fun to be with a loud crowd. Overall I'd say I really like this place, although they could improve in a few areas. It would be nice if there was more competition in this town.
Dec 11, 2005
Photo of texashammer
Reviewed by texashammer from Texas

3.78/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
My boyfriend and I had lunch here on a weekday, so it was understandably slow. It was a little dim, very comfortable, booths and everything. Rather than a bar-type atmosphere it was more of a nice-restaurant-type atmosphere, which is okay I guess and certainly typical of the area of town.

We tasted four beers: IPA, oatmeal stout, barleywine, and the South Park stout (claims to be imperial). The IPA was good; not spectacular, but hoppy and thoroughly enjoyable with my food. The barleywine was also very good, sweet at first, hoppier later, with good complexity developing as it warmed. (My boyfriend drank it with his meal.) The oatmeal stout was pleasant but a little sweet for my tastes, for a whole pint. The other stout was okay but certainly shouldn't be called an imperial. We asked for the alcohol percentage on the barleywine and were told 14%, which I am almost positive was wrong (especially for $3.75?!). I think maybe it was 14 proof, based on the taste. But who knows, maybe it really was that strong and just very (very) well masked.

As for selection -- I'm working off memory after just an hour or two here. I recall a honey-blonde "light" ale; an amber; a red; IPA; oatmeal stout; wheat beer; barleywine; pilsner; vienna lager. The imperial stout wasn't listed but the waiter mentioned it to us after having a few tasters. Currently unavailable were a porter, another wheat, and a fruit beer ("seasonal fruit"). Also they had a root beer.

The food was really good and we had a pleasant time sitting there for a while; our server was very friendly and helpful, although we lost track of him for a little while. I would certainly go back.
Sep 13, 2005
Photo of Xadoor
Reviewed by Xadoor from Texas

4.3/5  rDev +26.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I've been going to Two Rows for years and just realized that I've never written a review for it. So, here it goes...

Two Rows is one of only two brewpubs that are still open and operating in Houston (a little pathetic since Houston has a population of about 4.5 million). Its located in the middle of Rice Village, a very trendy and upscale area that is very near Rice University and the medical district. There are a lot of stores, restaurants and bars in the immediate vicinity, so it can sometimes be difficult to get in and out of the area. There is large attached parking garage which is free to park in with a validation ticket from Two Rows or any of the other stores in center.

The restaurant section and bar area are partially separate with the bar area having TV's located in every conceivable spot. If you're into watching sports and drinking beer, this is one of the better places to hang out in. With the universities being so close, the place can get extremely packed on game days, so be warned. There is also a nice large covered patio for outdoor dining when the Texas heat doesn't chase you inside.

There is usually a wide variety of styles available with various seasonals making an appearance. The imperial stout and barley wine (when available) have been excellent in the past. The Vienna lager is a very light but refreshing beer on a hot Texas day. The IPA is one of their better beers, strong hoppy flavour with a nice bitter finish.

They have quite a huge menu with a little something for everyone. If I do get something to eat, its usually one of the brick oven pizzas, I highly recommend them.

The staff are typically young university students and the various bartenders are all friendly and familiar with the different beers.

It’s a great place to relax and enjoy a pint of fresh beer.
Aug 12, 2005
Photo of soper2000
Reviewed by soper2000 from Texas

3.63/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Went to Two Rows last night for dinner with my girlfriend and left with mixed feelings about the place. The location could not be better for me. Located 1 block from Rice near the Medical center with Kirby and Greenbriar providing easy access. Atmosphere is extemely generic. This place feels more like a TGI Friday's or Applebees than a true brewpup. Tv's all over the place set to ESPN with some Rice sports memorablia on the walls done in that tacky chain restaurant fashion.

Service was very good with an attentive waiter that answered questions about the beers without hesitation. Speaking of the beer, they do have a Rock Bottom like menu of standard issue beers which seemed tame(about 6 beers), but they also had brewmaster specials, which included a whiskey barrel stout! I sampled that stout and although it was without question overly alcholic (think 1/2 shot of Jim Beam dropped into a Guinness Extra Stout) I appreciated the effort. I'm looking forward to what he'll put out next.

Food was hit and miss as well. Two Rows has a massive menu and our appetizer, southwestern egg rows with jalapenos and a tomatillo sauce was excellent but the fajitas were extremely bland. Pizzas did look very good however. I will be back to this place as it is the only brewpub in houston, but it definitely has room for improvement.
Aug 10, 2005
Photo of dungaree
Reviewed by dungaree from Texas

4.35/5  rDev +27.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I've visited Two Rows once or twice a year for the past several years. Wonderful location in the Rice Village and just across the street from the Gingerman. Located in the "Village Arcade" where you can shop at higher end stores and spend money you may not have. The staff at Two Rows is consistently polite and attentive. They are probably students.

The food has always been good. I particularly like the variety on the menu. Yesterday I noticed that they had added a "low-carb" menu to their already extensive menu. Nice touch. The low carb menu alone had at least twelve more items in addition to the regular menu. They offer the gamit of soups, sandwiches, pastas, grilled items, wood fire pizzas, and tex-mex. Perfect food in my book for a Houston brewpub.

The restaurant is very versatile in the fact that you can sit in one section and it's like being in a regular restaurant. You can sit closer to the big screens like being in a sports bar. Of course there's the bar area as well. And finally you can sit outside and enjoy the patio as I did this time.

The atmosphere is intriguing. From the Rice University intelligentsia to the Prada carrying River Oaks denizens, I saw them all yesterday. Urbanites, suburbanites (me), inside the loopers, students, families, athletes, and guys on a guys-night-out were all present.

Although I didn't have a good experience with their Oatmeal Stout yesterday I will continue to go to Two Rows to eat the food, drink the beer, and soak in the surroundings. They rotate beer selections on a regular basis.
Mar 27, 2005
Photo of Gagnonsux
Reviewed by Gagnonsux from Texas

3.63/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
This was my first brewpub visit, so I don't have anything to compare to.

Atmosphere- Clean, upscale atmosphere. More of a college crowd than a crowd of seasoned veterens. A little bit yuppie too. Not bad, not my favorite groups though. The restaurant has a nice look, no complaints about physical atmosphere.

Quality- Food and beer seemed of good quality, not outstanding, but very good.

Service- Our waiter was really good, don't know about his knowledge. Food and beer usually arrived quickly.

Selection- Probably about 10 beers to choose from.

Food- Fairly large menu, but standard stuff you'd find at any Bennigan's or Chili's. We all enjoyed our food, but it wasn't spectacular.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit and plan to go again. Pricing for beer was particularly nice. I definently can see room for improvement, but I have no big complaints either.
Jul 15, 2004
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

3.93/5  rDev +15.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Located in a mall across the street from the Ginger Man, a block or two away from Rice University, this brewpub is "big college crowd". Nice atmosphere inside, tables amongst the brewing tanks and they've got an enclosed outside deck area with a good amount of seating. Nice menu, we all went with the ribs which were outstanding. They had about 10 house beers. The server didn't know boo about them but they give you a beer menu showing you everything they make and if they're currenlty pouring it, it's marked with an X on the menu. The porter was really damn good, the IPA was so-so, and the Weisse was nice.I probably should've gone with a beer sampler but I didn't want to get too filled up for the Gingerman visit which was to be done after dinner. Good food, good beer. Certainly worth the visit if you're in Houston.
May 03, 2003
Photo of AtrumAnimus
Reviewed by AtrumAnimus from Texas

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4
As far as Brewery/restraunts go this one is decent. There is a good selection of beers. Their IPA, Route 66 and stout are rather good. Their barley Wine sucks. Their pizzas are awesome and the Bacon Chedar Burger is fantastic too. But I don't find myself heading there alot so it isn't great.

I would recommend the Flying Saucer downtown for beer slection above this one or even the Gingerman. For Food - you can do just as well anywhere else.
Nov 25, 2002
Photo of BKotch
Reviewed by BKotch from Texas

2.08/5  rDev -39%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 2 | selection: 3
First, a disclaimer: I visited Two Rows on the night that the University of Texas men's basketball team was on TV in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The place was jammed elbow to ***hole (good luck getting to the bar!) with two distinct types of people: those watching the game and those on the make. There are tons of televisions (so many that you'll think you should be glowing when you step outside), but I'll be darned if I can figure out why anyone would choose Two Rows over any nearby sportsbar. The beers that I sampled (pints of their amber and their stout) were absolutely awful -- watery and weak. I remarked to my brother that there was only about a 50-50 chance that I could tell them apart if I closed my eyes. If only we could have talked our wives into walking the extra block to the Gingerman. It's pretty darn ironic that the best beer bar in town is so close. Take my word for it -- go the extra block.
Apr 04, 2002
Two Rows Restaurant & Brewery in Houston, TX
Brewery rating: 3.1 out of 5 with 77 ratings