Welcome to the Best Bar in Downtown Houston

My partner and I stopped by Sunday night on a whim. I loved every minute of dining at El Big Bad! The food was amazing and it was evident everything was prepared fresh with quality ingredients. We got the chips and queso, burger with fries and pollo asado tacos with rice and beans. This place easily has the best queso I have ever had. We also got a few drinks starting with the strawberry infused tequila margaritas. They have a plethora of infused tequilas; something around 30+ if I remember correctly.. Naturally we tried the tequila flight which comes with 3 infused tequila shots to try. They were all great except the key lime which we both agreed was not our favorite. The REAL TREAT was the bartender John. His wittiness and attention to detail is unmatched! He had plenty of suggestions and constantly made sure everything met our expectations. Also compliments to the chef because he did his thing! I Can’t wait for us to visit again.

Amazing servers that actually care about the experience you have at their establishment.

Amazing service from our bartender. She kept the vibe chill and funny. I think I found the bar I feel most comfortable going alone to and be ok with. P.S. they have hooks under the bar. How many bars do you see with hooks under the bar???

Lovely, curt service, Great booze, chilled out vibes and friendly staff. You can't ask for more from a bar - and the food's priced lower than restaurants in the area, so I'll definitely be returning if only just for that.

Was in town for a brief business trip and stopped in for a quick bite. Although I was in a Tex-Mex restaurant and bar, I was in the mood for a burger. I was not disappointed! I ordered the cheeseburger medium and it was the perfect blend of juicy and savory. Chelsea Anna made an amazing Spicy Mezcal Margarita. Do yourself a favor and stop in.

I love the decor and atmosphere here! You can def do happy hour, a solo night or grab a couple friends with you! Service was good, when the shift changed the second bartender wasn't as attentive as the first one that I got when I first got here. But I'll be back!

Y’all this place is a must stop in downtown Houston! The atmosphere is awesome and Steph and Linda were phenomenal servers! They recommended mixing the margarita mix and it was a game changer! Strong and delicious! Come here!

Ask for Steph and Linda!! Must stop!! She is so helpful and made our experience a delight!!!

Love Chealsnea she is such an amazing presence!! She is the best part make sure you come in while she’s working! Cutest Bartender In Houston!!!

Outstandingly great food and service and those tequila infusions were TO DIE FOR! We were lucky enough to be waited on BY the owner, which was such a treat! She was extremely gracious and friendly and was so sweet to share some recipes and techniques with us (I own a bar back home - intend to steal some of her ideas. Lol). The next time we're in Houston, this is high priority stop! Thank you so so much. 💓

John was amazing!!! the apple pie shot NEEEEEDDDDSSSS to be put on the menu 😭 10/10

Best service and greatest food i’ve ever had loved the churros and burgers!!!!!!!!

V was the best.. food bomb 💣 great service

My god you have to come try the food and drinks so incredibly delicious.

Love the infused tequila

Very good

Great

Great drinks!!

Great strong mixed drinks!

Had a great time! The atmosphere is amazing! Great time! I had a great time! 10/10 have to try this place!

This place is so awesome!!! We walked in and immediately vibed with DJ Celly. The bar tenders were really sweet and the drinks were PHENOMENAL!

Chelseana was GREAT!!! came in for my birthday dinner after work. was fully taken care of and had great conversations with Chelseana. she was attentive and very fun! the staff was quick to clean your table and make sure you were all good. food was 10/10. overall great experience and can’t wait to come back. 🙂

We had an absolute blast at the Bayou City Comic Con Mini Con at El Big Bad! What a cool place! Super neat old building with bi-level outside balconies, and all kinds of beautiful murals and decorations. We had several of their amazing street tacos and they were absolutely killer. The margaritas were the best I have ever had hands down and the experience was super fun and fabulous. Can't wait to hang out here again. Great spot!

I just attended the Bayou City Comic Con Mini Con at El Big Bad and I was totally impressed with this place! Super cool building with 2 levels, outside balconies, and all kinds of quirky cool architecture and decor. We had the shrimp tacos, carne asada tacos, and birria tacos and they were fabulous. But the real star of the show was their margaritas.... I am a cocktail snob and I can honestly say these were the best margaritas I have EVER had. A++

Great place to visit when downtown and hungry… great customer service

Such a fun place!!!!!!

I don’t know what that last guy was talking about no one there has ever body-shamed in my experience with them sometimes that young do who plays edm sucks but never have they have been any type of disrespectful. And the door I like the way he gave us a pep talk before we went in he asked for us to have a great time lol he called himself a cuddle bear to get us to laugh great experience all around

Service was Amazing!! Our Bartender was out of this world 🩷🩷🩷

I love this place!!!

The best bar in Houston!!!

Had the shrimp tacos and the Cadillac margs 10/10!!

This is a great tequila bar in downtown Houston. I found myself on a job in Houston and was there for 30 days. I became kind of a regular you could say. I’m not a drinker under normal circumstances but the Strawberry Rhubarb infused tequila margarita is absolutely AMAZE-BALLS! I tried one on my second visit and it became my goto. Love this place and the owners are super cool. Food is great! Love the combo fajitas and the chips and queso. Goes great with Margaritas!

Best bar service. Anastasia was super sweet and friendly welcoming. If you looking for a good time with good service look no further come to el big bad.

I Love going to this place is very friendly especially the bartender (Anastasia), I like the atmosphere, music ,food and the vibe. I would definitely recommend people to come here. And the dj is awesome too

Anastasia was awesome!! She took care of us for my bday ! Great vibes, great music (:

Anastasia is the best bar tender! We had our corporate party here and she did amazing. 10/10 recommend her service

This place is amazing. It’s so lovingly and cleverly executed, and the vibe is comfortable and versatile. Casual dive bar aesthetic quietly shows its underlying class with a mariachi Magritte that’s perfectly on theme, and that subtle excellence is par for the night. The infused tequilas are an artistic masterpiece, and speaking to Chelseana I was impressed by the dedication and attention to detail of every aspect of this must-visit spot. It’s a perfect demonstration of what the corner bar can aspire to be. You should probably try the fish tacos…just sayin…Put it on your list today!

What an incredible place to have a good time, sit back, relax! We felt right at home our first time here! Will absolutely be back!

Anastasia was the best bartender. Stop by and ask for tequila flight recommendations!

Anastasia was amazing! Guided us through the experience and everything was delicious!

Anastasia is a sweetheart 💕 she has a bubbly personality and great customer service. She knows how to work the room and absolutely amazing at her job. If you unsure of what to get she will get you right! My time at El Big Bad was one to remember thanks to her

If you come here, you should definitely ask for the bartender Anastasia. She’s great very intensive, conversation was great. She had all the vibes and she gave out great recommendations. I’ve never tried the frozen Margarita drink and I’m just say it was fresh and hitting. Plus I’m a regular because the drinks and food never miss.

Great atmosphere and bomb nachos

Great shrimp tacos - seriously good! Tequila shots are amazing and the staff super friendly!

Love it . Queso fries

Such a cool corner street bar!! This place is was so awesome, will DEFINITELY be coming back!!

My new favorite haunt 🥂. Stumbled in here after checking out a few other ‘highly rated’ bars and I like it so much I couldn’t leave. Highly recommend hitting up John on either Friday or Saturday nights to get some absolutely delicious infused cocktails. What I absolutely love: the cocktails aren’t sugary sweet, and ARE perfectly balanced. Other bars add a lot of sweetener and artificial flavors, but you can tell these guys don’t take shortcuts. Def ask them about their infusions! There’s an impressive collection and constantly rotation selections. The drink AND food menu are FIRE 🔥. The patio is perfect on a breezy late summer evening. A few things I didn’t love: their ambiance. The building is old and ventilation clearly struggles. The couches upstairs are beat up and dated. The sound system upstairs was loud in all the wrong ways and makes the patio space uncomfortably loud. Ordering via barcode feels disenchanting — I crave the interaction and banter. Overall, it’s my new favorite place for drinks and food. Can’t wait to try the Strawberry Basil Marg!