I recently visited The Corkscrew after a Yelp Elite event with the new guy, on the advice of our lovely CM, Farrah!
The location is a little random as they are next to a corner store, but the spot is roomy and cozy...if that makes sense? I'd love to come back here for happy hour and enjoy a glass of vino on the patio, but on this night it was a little balmy so we opted for the lounge area inside. Â
The lounge is the perfect place to sit, chat and on this night catch an awesome local jazz/hip-hop/killer drummer band! Nick Greer and the G's put on an awesome show and even had a special guest in the crowd that came up and wowed with a cover of a John Legend song! The crowd here is super diverse, which I love and the prices were very reasonable.
They offer quite an extensive menu for a wine bar, as well as a full bar and some craft beers as well. After checking out their website, they also offer a customer card - which I think more bars should start doing! The "Cool Card" as they call it, offers you discounts on food/drinks and allows for VIP reservations on the weekends!
Sounds like a good deal to me, because I'd love to come back here on the regular!
Personally, I love the atmosphere at Corkscrew. The location is a bit odd, but that keeps it from being overrun by douchebags, which is a big plus for me. The interior is adorable with a huge wrap-around bar and fun casual décor. The by-the-glass selections seem well thought out and include a few good, reasonably priced French selections--something I find lacking at a lot of California-obsessed wine bars around town. Prices are reasonable, especially with $2 off any glass for happy hour. The food menu is not going to set your pants on fire and the pizzas would be more reasonable if you knocked a couple bucks off the price, but the food is fine if you wander in for a few drinks and get hungry. Service has been excellent every time we've been (including for several events). In short, it's just a nice, friendly neighborhood-style place.
Review Source:Went to the corkscrew for the first time on a date Saturday night...this place is awesome!!!! Date, happy hour, or just hanging with friends. Their pizza is sooo addict ing btw, so be prepared to eat your weight. Great staff, awesome reasonably priced wine selection, and super cool music. I will definitely make this a regular hangout!
Review Source:Went to Corkscrew for an autism benefit. The place is very nice however it is a bit small. I felt crammed in the back and the tables are too close together. Food is also mediocre. However the space was not the biggest issue for me.
The staff on the night of the benefit was awful. Two of the female bartenders had major attitudes and were so slow. I waited 20 mins for a drink. I told two different people and still -no drink. They also had informed us that they ran out of pizza. Miraculously they had pizzas an hour later so we ordered one, took 35 mins to get and the crust was burnt.
Having worked in the restaurant industry in the past I realize that if you are in this industry that behavior is not acceptable. And for that I give 2 stars.
I have been here a few times in the past and it was a decent experience. The last time I was there the service was horrible. The waitress was very unfriendly and basically rude. I found most of their employees the same way, rude and not hospitable. If you are going to be in the hospitality business you need to at least fake some manners or change careers.
Review Source:Not a fan of the atmosphere or the service. Â Not being a wine drinker like the group I went with, I had maybe 8 beers to choose from. Â Ok, I'll get over it, this place IS for wine drinkers only right? Right?
The service was TERRIBLE and the dude didn't know a thing about their menu. Â He really just made himself look stupid. Â As far as food went, we only sampled the cake balls here - which were not worth the money. Â When the check came the guy put everything on one persons card and said "well I didn't get any other credit cards." As a waiter, isn't that your job, to ask these sort of questions BEFORE you bring the bill? Â We then waited almost 15 minutes while he separated the check.
Won't be returning.
The main reason for the 2 stars is the service is terrible. The staff is very friendly when they do serve you, but if you don't wave them down or go to the bar and ask for something, it is like you are not even there.
I feel like they must be understaffed because everyone appears busy all the time. Â I live down the street and so probably visit this place 2-3 times a month and it is always like this.
Disappointing Experience:
We were served spoiled wine, smelled like vinegar. Â Â Waved down the staff at least three times to serve us water. Â Waved them down again to take our order. Â Waitress left dirty plates on our table when she served the pizza. Â Had to request new plates after waving her down for the 5th time that evening to request clean plates..
Pizza was good, hummus was good, staff is friendly but very unorganized.
Too much competition in Houston to not provide good service. Â Highly doubt that we will return.
I absolutely loved the ambience here. It is a pretty chill place with a live band! The night i went there was one guy on a piano and one on the drums. A two man band that was incredible! They played different renditions of popular songs but what I loved the most is that it was so soulful. Also the drinks were really good. Definitely try the vodka cucumber when you go!
Review Source:I live in the neighborhood and have been in many times. Â Love the place , love the owner and the staff. Arugula pizza is to die for. Â Great patio outside and great piano bar on the inside. Â These folks actually treat you like they have know you for years. My favorite spot in the area,
Review Source:Stumbled upon this gem looking for an unpretentious wine bar for my gal pals and I to have a quiet happy hour. Â Honestly it has become one of my favorite places in Houston. Â With the owners Andy and Doyle always greeting me like an old friend, it is hard not to want to go where everybody knows your name. Â But what keeps me going back is the wine selection and the low-key atmosphere. Â The food is always great and they have something going every night so it never matters when you stop by... But you have to catch Nick Greer on the piano!
Review Source:Went here on a Saturday night and am so glad I did! Love the unpretentious vibe and live piano, song and dance. It was really entertaining. It's not a place to go and chat while you're watching the show, but the bar area and patio is a great hangout too. I did sample any food or go through an extensive wine tasting, so my review is solely based on the music and space.
Review Source:I have been a long time customer of Corkscrew since they were at their original location on Washington and am very glad that they moved even closer to my neighborhood. Â They are the best addition to the area and being walking distance from my house is quite convenient.
All of the staff are friendly and attentive so service is excellent. Â The owners (Andrew & Doyle) always make you feel welcome and will always remember a face. Â I also feel more secure that they pretty much have a security guard 24/7, even when the place is closed. Â I've also attended the Corkscrew U tastings hosted by Andrew and his stories are the best. Â I've learned much more from these about wine and what to notice/taste than any of the other tastings that I've been to at other vineyards in Texas.
Now on to their food, their pizza has always been hands-down one of my top favorite treats there. Â No other place in Houston makes it quite that thin and with such fresh ingredients. Â It's perfect to go with a nice glass of wine. Â They also have steak night and fish taco night which I've gotten the chance to attend as well. Â The salsa that they serve with the fish tacos is definitely unique with a slow heat and lots of flavor.
If you're looking for a chill yet fun night out with friends, I'd recommend this wine bar anyday. Â Good people, good food, good wine! Â What more can ya ask for!?
Thursday night I went to catch Nick Greer's show, arrived about 3/4 the way into the 8 p.m. show and already I was floored with his ability to interpret popular songs seamlessly with his own unique spin on them lyrically. The 10 p.m. show was even better! He played some of his original music- dreamy and yet hard hitting music with classical, hip hop and big band influence. You simply have to see and hear it for yourself. My drinks were stiff, consistently delivered. We had a pretty big table, plowed through 4 bottles of wine and everyone was happy to pony up for our bill at the end. It wasn't like some wine bars I have been to where the bottles are so expensive it prohibits how long you can stay. We also had nibbles. The cheese plate was my favorite, probably because they have Marcona almonds. Fish tacos were on special that night and they were not only delicious, they were like $6 for 2! The arugula and procciutto pizza was ok, but the cake balls were a big hit. All around it really was the best customer service, ambiance, entertainment you could hope for in an evening. I am already planning another meet up with friends to check this place out!
Review Source:Awesome place. They  have live piano music Thursday,Friday,and Saturday nights. Super friendly, knowledgable staff, great piano player, and at least one fantastic waitress who can put you in a trance with her singing. Piano is in the side room behind a curtain. No cover.
Gentlemen. Take your a date here and you will get laid.
Beer was good and cheap. Wine was good. Cheese plate was delicious and plentiful for a snack.
Go here. Don't let the corner store next door deter you, or you'll be missing out.
Friendly, local, regular crowd apparently keeps this gem going despite it's slightly obscure location. This part of the Greater Heights (really Shady Acres) is growing in leaps and bounds in terms of food and drink options, and The Corkscrew plays its part well.
Nothing fancy but that means they can focus on what they do best, which is clearly the wine - both mainstream and obscure - and the focus on being friendly and inviting you back. Food bites available but more as a companion to the main event, rather than being the reason to visit. Purchase your favourite bottle of the evening from the shelves and take it home.
Went here with some friends and was pretty unimpressed. Â It's in a really odd location, right next door to a convenience store. Â The decor is pretty cute inside but the patio was lacking.
The food selection is really limited. Â The cheese tray was really stingy and expensive for a few little nibs of cheese with some grapes.
The redeeming quality is the service - super friendly waiters who will let you try any vino before you order a bottle.
It looked like there was a cooking class going on hosted by Well Done cooking classes, which I adore, so I would consider going back for that, but this won't be a new favorite.
Overcooked food, service is lame. Â Last time I was there a server walked right past my table and empty wine glass, completely ignoring me. Five minutes later the other server walked right past my table and empty wine glass. Â Finally I got up and started walking to the bar when she noticed and asked, "Oh, do you need another glass of wine?" Â
The Corkscrew has been racking up numerous fines recently with Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Â I'm kinda surprised that they stay in business.
I've been meaning to try this place for a while, ever since we moved to our new house (which is about a 10 minute walk from Corkscrew). We decided to come here after a Yelp event to have a glass of wine and relax. Â The crowd skewed older but I'm unsure if this is the norm or if it was just due to a birthday celebration that was happening there. It was pretty loud in there but the noise level dropped considerable once the revelers left.
The layout was open; I did enjoy all the different quotes and puns on the walls related to wine and drinking (my favorite: "As a rule I don't drink; as a habit I do"). The jukebox was basically stuck in the 80's and if I don't have to ever hear "The Strut" ever again I'll die a happy man. Service was friendly and attentive. The food smelled great although we didn't sample anything
The main reason for the 3 stars is the very small selection of wines. The beer list was not very exciting which I'm willing to forgive because beer is not their main game. But the wine list was not only short but a bit blah as far as selections.
I could see myself returning for happy hour, since it's close by and I'd like to sample the food.
Disclaimer: I went to this place for the sole purpose of judging it. I went to critique, not to enjoy myself.
Oddly enough, I did enjoy myself. For me, one of the best tests of whether or not I want to frequent a place is to go in with a book on a somewhat busy night. This tells you everything you need to know about how the staff treats people. Think about it, there's people around, in groups, having fun, spending money, tipping, flirting, and everything you want to be part of... and then there's this guy reading "Life of Pi" and babysitting a glass of wine. In most places that means one thing: I will ignore this guy, and he will either deal with it or go away.
But, in The Corkscrew I was not only not ignored, I was treated as if the staff were actually paying personal attention to me. What do I mean by this?
Well, the bartender came over to ask me what kind of wine I wanted quickly, then equally quickly, said these exact words "I don't want to constantly bother you because I can see you are reading, but I'll listen for you. If you want anything, just give me a shout." Yes! A bartender who understands me!
Then, she brought me some wine and a glass of water. I thought "cool, I like water, that's nice of her." So, I quickly drank the water and began reading. A few seconds later, I reach for my wine glass and I notice "holy shnikeys! my water glass is already full again! Either the ninjas are back and they are testing me, or this bartender is AWESOME!
Finally, I decided I had to try the food. I usually don't try the food at any kind of bar, but again, I was here to judge. I ordered a pizza. It was not too big, not too small. I will say, it wasn't bad for bar food. I wouldn't leave my house for it or anything, but if I were on my way home and was like "man, I should eat some pizza", it's a place I would consider going to.
All in all, this is a good spot. I would highly recommend going there. But, if you do, understand that the parking is limited. And by limited, I mean, really really limited.
Came here to visit with old friends. It was a standard wine bar but not what I was use to with the wine bars in LA and SF. Kind of wide open with a TV playing a ballgame mixed with dim mood lighting - a little weird combination but it worked fine as I had good company.
Wine selection was small but had enough types for most discerning tastes unless you're an expert which I'm not.
Went here the other night and had a great time. Service was prompt and friendly, wine selection by the glass is small but varied, and the atmosphere was laid back. This is a far cry from the pretentious wine bars typically found in Houston.
Overall, great place to kick back and have a glass of wine. I haven't tried the food yet, but will be going back soon
This is a great place...loved the atmosphere and crowd. The bartenders and owner are very nice and attentive. The owner came around to our table to introduce himself, tell us about the bar, wine and the different events they host. It was a very relaxed, casual place that you can just have a fun, low-key kind of night.
They have good music playing and reasonably priced bottles of wine...and a wide variety of wine!
Enjoyed my visits there very much and will be going back.
Boyfriend and I went for date night since it's right down the street and I had a coupon. Love the atmosphere and the new location. Good wine selection (even in my frugal $30-and-under price range) and the charcuterie plate is amazing. I'm tired of pretentiously small cheese & meat plates and this wowed me. Great quality, excellent serving size and the waitress even did a great job talking us through it. Our pizza was great as well, but it will definitely be the charcuterie plate that draws us back. And soon!
Review Source:Chill little place to grab a glass of wine, maybe an appetizer, and have a lovely conversation. Â The staff here is pretty friendly, but I really like the clientele vibe. Â No one here is a pretentious wino. Â They sing along to the 80s hits at their tables and smilingly let you know when they admire your food order. Â "Wow, that smells delicious!"
The steak night special (rib eye, mashers, asparagus, Texas toast) smelled so good that even Fred Flintstone was eyeballing it as it passed. Â Alas! Â I had ordered the basil pesto chicken pizza, which had a delightfully thin and crispy crust. Â (FYI not a filling dish - $14.) Â The toscana brie panini was decent, too, although I think it could have used some horseradish ($10). Â It was the Aztec truffle ($3/piece) that caught me off guard with its dark chocolate ganache and cayenne kick.
Side note: having a conversation here was slightly awkward. Â I think they were playing a playlist without overlapping the ends of songs. Â So you're kind of talking really loud over a song, and then as the song goes quiet you sound like you're shouting.
Wine is generally between $7-12/glass and a relatively decent selection in terms of varietals and regions represented.
Trying to find this place was a little difficult even with my GPS... Â The roads right around the location branch off quite a bit, so give yourself an extra few minutes to find the place.
It's just a simple unassuming wine bar, not one of those "trendy" ones. Â Here you could just sit back, relax, and actually have a conversation and hear each other. Â The staff here is pretty friendly too.
When I smelled the ribeye steak from the table next to us, I totally regretted not having ordered the steak, even though it was Tuesday steak night ($18). Â I originally thought just one pizza would have been enough for two people, but we ended up needing to order more. Â We got the basil pesto chicken flatbread ($14) and the tuscanna (brie and ham) paninni ($10). Â I liked that the panini came with sides of almonds and fruits so you could keep on nibbling even after you finish the sandwich. Â The pizza I thought was a bit overpriced, and it was less than lukewarm when it got to us. Â Better to go on Wednesday $10 pizza nights if that's what you plan on getting. Â The Aztec truffle was pretty good with a cayenne kick, $3 for about the size of a ping pong ball.
The basic wine selection was pretty good - different boldness and different regions. Â They were about $10-12 a glass. Â I didn't really get to check out what off-the-menu, on-the-racks stuff they had though. Â Maybe another time.
They do have a private parking lot, but not too large. Â So you might have to park at the lots across the street, but not far away.
I love this place because it is blocks from my house, but the owner doesn't realize that the place is like walking into CHEERS ... But the difference is at The Corkscrew, the owner aka, "Sam Malone" and his waitresses "Diane" and "Carla" will only wait on the regulars. And this is very frustrating for a LOCAL wine drinker who has been at this establishment 4 times in the last 6 weeks!!!
The wine selection is decent... But I suggest asking what wines they have "open" that aren't on the list, or checking the wines on the wall...however, i wonder at what temperature they are stored at when the bar isn't open.
The food is ok... I'd rate it a 6 to 7 on a 10 point scale, depending on what you order.
The atmosphere is a little "cold" ... I'd like to see more leather, lounge seating, but that would require the owner and his staff to come out from behind the bar!!
But despite my harsh review, and God knows I'll frequent the place again b/c it is convenient, I'm happy to have a wine bar in Shady Acres/the Greater Height! Hopefully they will start understanding their LOCAL crowd and appreciating that we are not a Washington Ave crowd (their former "home".)
I came here back in July around when they first opened and I made excuses for some of the weird quirks because I want to like this place. It's sort of a casual, no-frills wine bar (and patio)...
At first, the guy behind the bar tells me he was going to help me pick a bottle but got busy.....but says I picked a great bottle... but says he's busy opening another bottle.. Sadly, this guy behind the bar was too busy chatting with his buddies and regulars... Eventually, the bar back comes by and opens the bottle and sets us up with some water....
Even though the pizzas looked pretty good, we weren't that hungry... We decide to order their meat and cheese plate to snack on... It came out instantly.. sadly, instantly means it was pre-made earlier in the day... even the wooden chopping board it came out on was cold. I'm a bit more understanding when it's Whole Foods doing this at their little bar.. but at a proper wine bar?? Sadly, we sat for almost two hours and drank the entire bottle without anyone refilling our wine glasses... (Yes, my glass sat empty for at least ten minute stretches) The only saving grace(?) was that the guy behind the bar realized this fact too late as he saw me pour the final glass myself. /facepalm
As usual, avoid the prosecco (it's usually marked up too much)... a lot of the other wines are fairly reasonably priced..
The staff is really friendly.. the prices, for the most part are reasonable... don't get the meat and cheese plate.. and since there's usually only one or two guys working, it might be self-service.
Finally! a wine bar in the Heights with fabulous wine food and owners. This is a place where you can go and relax with friends and have a great time. Â Parking is plentful (always a plus) and the selection of wine is beyond. Â
I'm so glad they have food here now. Â The cheese plate is excellent as well as the wide selection of pizzas. Â Steak night on Tuesday night along with fish taco night on Thursdays. Sangia Sundays you ask?? YES they have it. And dare I say, the best sangria in town?? Yes, it is the best sangria in town hands down.
This place is like an old friend, you missed them so much when they were gone, and now that they are back it's like they've never been gone at all!
The place isn't that big, but big enough. We love sitting at the bar and chatting with the brothers, staff, and the neighbors sitting next to us. Now, the food isn't as great or gourmet as Max's Wine Dive or Plonk (which is also in the neighborhood), but that's not what you come here for. You come here to relax and have a drink. It is a neighborhood bar, but instead of serving the typical beer, you drink wine instead.
You can sit at the bar, the tables, or outside. You can come as your are - after work, after church, during the day, in your pj's... The food's not the greatest, but they are working on it. (And by "not the greatest" doesn't mean it's bad. It's not what you would expect at a 4-star restaurant. Just wanted to clarify.) The cheese plate is pretty good; lots of variety of cheeses from the tough parmasean to the soft brie and to the stinky truffle cheese (yum!). Their pizzas are also quite tasty and there's a variety to choose from. We've also experienced their steak night, which was a better steak than Cedar Creek's (also in the neighborhood).
The other neighborhood winebar, Plonk, will have better food (it's more gourmet), but the wines here are better priced. They have a good variety to choose from, from new world to old world. You can drink in, or take a bottle to go! This is our definitely go-to place for any day of the week.
Not as much character as the old Washington location and it's so new and sterile that you feel like you are drinking in a strip mall, which you sort of are. But it's still the casual wine bar it always was. And it's both a neighborhood and destination bar so you can meet someone from down the street or across town.
Word is definitely out that they are open now. Met a friend for happy hour on a weekday and by the time we left the place was packed, standing room only. Â Good, lively crowd, which meant that it was sort of hard to hear. Seems like it's good for groups, but probably not for date night. At least not right now.
There is a small patio in front out in the parking lot. And in case you aren't in the mood for pizza or a cheese plate, there's a taco truck that sits in the parking lot. And, no, it isn't a high end food truck. It's the real thing.
I came here with a few friends for a birthday celebration around 7 pm on a Friday. It wasn't too crowded and was easy to get a large table for the group. Our waitress was nice and attentive. My friends ordered a pizza and raved about how delicious it was. We shared some wine and left around 10, as the crowd was still small and were in the mood for a change of scenery.
Looking forward to coming again and ordering some food.
Having just opened, there are lots of good things and a few small bumps.
I like what they have done in an unusual location and the parking is certainly better than the old place. They did have a guy outside working security, which was a nice touch as the location is on the edge.
Lots of people were enjoying their wine, but they serve a very limited liquor choice and quite a few customers, including myself just soaked up the mood without wine.
Their pizza crust was outstanding, but the blue cheese and prosciutto topping was so salty in combination that it was too much for me, although my companion seemed to find it delicious.
The little bump was the bar tending, which was strangely erratic at times.
Overall a good experience and I will probably be back when they have settled in.
I've been doing some stalking. Â
I've been watching the new location of my favorite old wine bar to see any signs that it was open yet. Â Luckily, I have a friend who knows the owner well, so I could pester her and get the scoop when it was actually open- which was last night. I was always a HUGE fan of the previous location on Washington and was sad when Corkscrew closed. Â The new location is in an older shopping center that they have completely revitalized- they gutted the inside and added a really nice patio out front. Â
The interior has a central bar area with wines on tap (how cool is that?!) and the similar phrasing that is on the walls of The Drinkery. Â It has a wall of wines, but you can't yet buy a bottle to go- you're just able to drink it on location for now. Â They have pizzas and other wine accompaniments that all looked tasty and they also have a great selection of beers with execellent pricing- I saw St. Arnolds and Stella and Fat Tire listed.
I'm so happy they're back in business- I love their new location and look forward to spending many fun nights there in the future! :)
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