Lone Star Saloon

The bar had just opened in the afternoon....what an amazing bar. Definitely a hole in the wall, but our server was awesome. She deserves a medal. We popped in as drink, perfect for daytime drinking, ( difficult downtown Houston). Very real, welcoming and fun. Our server even played music to our taste. Thank you so much.

This place is owned by a dear old friend from 25+ years ago. It's not a place to look for food, it's an old time "watering hole" or "beer garden".... It is a fun place and has been voted as top ten dive bars across the Country. Very cool place to go when visiting Houston. Stop at Joe Lee's Barber shop around the corner. Joe Lee, the owner, is over 90 now and still does his own work, tough and hard working man.

What a brilliant little bar. My wife was a little apprehensive walking up to the premises. After all, it's not called a dive bar for nothing, and told her if she didn't feel comfortable we would leave straight away but from the reviews had a good feeling. To be fair walking to the door from the front she was right. No windows and , the Lone Star sign missing since the last hurricane. Open door . Walk in. Wow! Fab U Lus! Bartender so friendly and inviting. Locals happy to see you supporting the bar. Plenty on screens for the sports. Great prices. We went for one pint before BBQ and went straight back. Loved it! (Didn't give 5 stars for food as nachos are not a source of nutrition and with Papa BBQ two blocks away you'll be ok). Shame juke box broken. Hopefully it'll be fixed if we ever pass by again. If not. Thanks to everyone inside and happy birthday Jacob. D

Amazing place!! This was our first time at Lonestar Salon Bar and the vibe was great!!! We loved the hospitality that we received by the wonderful bartenders Richard, Angel and Jeff! We had a great time and will definitely return!! If you are new in town or just visiting definitely check them out!!! Go Astros!! ⚾️🏟 ❤️

The place was great with good ambience and music. The staff was really welcoming and provided and excellent service. Would defined reccomend.

This place is my safe space after work! I retreat here for peace of mind, good people , great staff and owner and alot of laughs and great memories!!!? Come see for yourself!!!! 😉

Unpretentious. And Casey was friendly like all good Texans.

This place charges for restrooms , it should be illegal for the state of Texas to do this. I just looked at the reviews and it’s not the first time it has happened. Try to ask and they will charge you $2

Best Houston dive bar, hands down. Excellent drinks and real genuine people. Mostly locals, not a bunch of midtown d-bags. All the bartenders are great: Casey, Alana, Richard and Javi. You can't go wrong here.

I was told this is the 2nd oldest bar in Houston. I was hoping for live country music...but, that I didn't get. I did get a very friendly and efficient bartender. Also, the patrons were pleasant and engaging. Yes, I recommend this bar, pkg in the lot in back.

Great dive bar!! One of the best in Houston with the best bartenders! You don't find many bars nowadays with a jukebox. This is one of the reasons of many that makes this bar unique in its own way.

I was a bartender there in the early 80's. I think behind it was a place called fuzzy's and across the street was a holiday inn? I left the state so I have never been there since I worked there but I worked there for a while and so did a friend of mine we both work there and my brother and all of our friends and that she used to hang out there I think we were the main customers it was so much fun.

Not to be confused with Lone Scar Saloon, in which every patron gets stabbed once - but only once and never again. Cute little Saloon and very Texan indeed despite the fact that it's in Houston, which is one of the least Texan Texas cities. So it's nice to have a little slice of Texas in the middle of the city, and we like this place, although we probably only come here on average once a year and only when a friend is meeting us here or whatnot. If they had a weekly trivia quiz that was decent or better, we'd come more.

God bless Texas. Like Cyrus S, I've driven by Saloon Lonestar many o' times. The most memorable was watching what looked like a homeless man in a wheelchair skurry his way through the doors on a sunny afternoon. "Yes," I thought. "I must go there." A few years later, my friend Tommy and I found ourselves sitting in my car listing off places to go on a Thursday night. Giving the old "been there, done that" excuse to every bar mentioned, I remembered Saloon Lonestar, a place neither of us had been to and would more than likely respect this shiz out of. We parked on the private graveled lot and walked in through the back entrance and quickly found a cozy seat at the bar. A pool table, big screen (not a fancy flat screen) showing a college bball game, the required neon beer signs and an old jukebox playing the blues was on. There were two been-to-hell and back folks lounging in a booth, and three cowboys at the bar. That's when we met Nancy, the petite older Asian bartender. With big permed Texas hair, tight jeans, a saucy little top and a smile, she took our orders -- not before she carded me (woot!) -- and said, "I've never seen you two around. This your first time." Indeed, Nancy, but it won't be our last. The proud, hardworking mother she was, Nancy went on to tell us about her kids, her hard-to-work-with boss/owner (who was just a few bar stools away), the slow business, tales about a few bar brawls and even gave us the low down on how much they markup the frozen pizza they sell. She recommends ordering delivery to the bar instead. This bar doesn't have any daily or happy hour specials, but beer is cheap. You can get a tall PBR for $2.75. All this with the old skool tunes, like James Brown's "It is a Man's Man's Man's World" jammin' in the background.

Cool little hole in the wall bar ... reminds you of a dice bar but without the cigarette smoke lol They had lone star too which was nice .. juke box was a bit expensive at 3 songs for a dollar but I had not played a juke box in so long lol maybe that is what they cost now We went on a Saturday afternoon and place was vacant with only about 3 somewhat homeless looking people there but hey... they were drinking just like we were lol I will go back ... cold AC ...cold beer ... what else can one want in houston in Ju'e?

The bartender was nice and attentive. But, I was the only customer... Issue 1: they use those auto-pour things. I hate all bars that do that. Issue 2: If you're into wildlife of the gross bug variety, this is the place for you. An uncountable number of different sized and shaped cockroaches and flys entertained and bedazzled my experience. I literally left itching. Will not return.

Y'all! I had greatest time here. Not sure the bartender's name but her girlfriend was there visiting her with their pet bird, JJ and they were both so sweet and welcoming. I was taking the megabus back to austin and needed to kill an hour. I had a few lunch drinks with a friend and wanted another beer before I left town. This place was great. Total dive but right in the middle of downtown. Great place and very sweet staff!

Great Dive Bar! Surprised it's still here and hasn't be replaced by condos. Friendly female bartender, cheap drinks. Thankfully, little in the way of expensive craft beers and hipsters. One other thing that's great about the Lone Star Saloon: the acoustics. The music sounds great in here!

This isnt fun but I come here often and to hear the bartender say "the bar closes when I say" was a slap in the face when I just got here... when I was just asking what time the bar closed since we had drove into downtown to come to this place. I guess the owner is ok with having bartenders that chase ppl off like this??? I'm sure it's great for business. Thanks Joe Thomas. I love being treated like trash when I go out

On the edge of downtown, just across from a Metro transit and a few blocks from a Greyhound station lies the epitome of a dive bar. The place doesn't resemble anything else in the area-- from the Downtown commercial district to the north, the Vietnamese restaurants to the south, or the bustling Midtown all around it. The place is dark, the drinks are cheap, and it's generally very empty. I honestly wonder how on earth the place stays in business. The servers are friendly and accommodating, and they have chips and quick-bake personal pizzas for sale, but that's about it. Due to the proximity to the aforementioned bus stops, you get a lot of odd characters coming through. Not for the faint of heart, but if you're in the area, can't manage to make it another 5 blocks to a classier joint, and would rather save money to get a strong drink, I'd say go for it.

Well if you are looking at one of Houston's diviest bars, this would be it. I have driven by it dozens of times, but never went in to see what was behind the doors. This place is not for the faint of heart. First it is conveniently located across from the Greyhound bus terminal downtown, so some interesting people come here with their "luggage" they have on the bus with them. That is if you consider garbage bags, "luggage." The beer is relatively cheap, $3 for a Miller Lite. They have a decent local selection. They do serve liquor. Parking is a little tight in their lot and people do not park nicely next to you. They boxed in one of my buddies. Luckily for him, I parked next to him so I was able to move to get him out. You can also park on the street. I was a little worried about parking my luxury vehicle in the lot (buddies parked their high end cars as well); we were there for 3 hours and no problems. Several friends have had their vehicles stolen/broken into not far from here that is why I was a little worried. They have "pizza" they will cook/heat up for you. They claim it is from a bakery in League City. I am pretty sure this bakery is called Tombstone or Tostinos. Unless you are hungry, I would not order the pizza. After I had to go out to move my vehicle so my buddy could get out of his parking spot, I spotted three large rats crawling underneath the bar as I walked back in. I would go back, but there are a dozen other bars downtown or in Midtown I would rather go.

If ¡Viva Terlingua! is an important album in your life, this is the bar for you. Also, there's free parking.

I was a little worried about this place at first. I was still worried when we left. This was the last stop to a pretty awesome night. We walked in to this brightly lit bar where there was less than a handful of people shooting pool. It's quiet enough until they crank up the crappy music. More beer fixes that. And it's cheap too! I lost count of how many we had but our bill wasn't more than $20-$30. The people who frequent this place are friendly enough. Some guy kept asking if I wanted to play chess. Another was showing some pretty sweet pictures of zz top at the rodeo on his cellphone. I remember someone in a wheel chair rolling through needing some help. Someone else stopped in to dodge the rain to wait for a ride. A homeless person walked in to use the bathroom and was chased away with a bat. Some lady came up to us probably trying to sell us E. But cheap beer!!

Perfect dive bar. Laughing Pete next to us calling me Elvis Costello and wonderful service from Jessica. Received a cool coozie and a warm welcome from owner Joe Lee

Didn't get to stay and have the full experience bc it was shift change and after being asked to get rid of my water bottle (which I understood), the servers/bartenders got together to change shifts and I was ignored. It was only about a minute, but enough for my starving self to walk out and find a cab. But I did learn that the pizzas are 11in, so not really for an individual. Didn't get to try it or hear of options. Would return with a group if we arrived early for our megabus or were starving upon arrival.

Awesome place in Houston for great drinks and country music! Definitely a good place to go if you are looking for a local bar in the downtown/midtown area and looking for cheap, strong drinks and listening to some good country music. I will definitely be back!

Yes yes yes and yes. Dive in every way! Straight two star but thats a good thing! Max occupancy 72.

Houston visitors guide tout the place as a hangout for cowboys, truck drivers, and other bad dudes, who had interesting stories to tell. When I got there, there was just one guy, who didn't look like a cowboy or truck driver, drinking a beer. He told me that the bartender was out having a smoke. So sat at the bar and waited a while. When she finally came in, I ordered a cocktail, but she said she doesn't know how to make cocktails. So I ordered a simple bourbon & soda. She asked if I wanted bourbon & coke. I reaffirmed that I wanted bourbon with soda water. So she gave me a bourbon & coke. I didn't stay long.

My receipt says Long Star Saloon...but who cares??? I had a great time, post Elite Event with quite a few snazzy Yelpers at this hidden (or just hidden to the blind eye) gem! I can't tell you how many times I've probably driven past this place and never realized it housed a great after-business-hours dive. The bartender who I'm assuming may also be the owner was friendly and handled our growing and always noisy crowd with a smile. The decor is simple - just the way i like it. No frills, no fuss, a pool table, a long bar with lots of stools for the "flies" and a few booths for the groups. Amazingly there is probably the biggest patio you will find in central downtown right out the back door, which is about 6 feet from the front door. Buckets of beer are on the menu, along with Bud Light in a can and from what I understand some decent whiskey too! All the items you need to have a good time! The bathrooms are about the only thing that made me cringe, but I figure with the bar being in such close proximity to a McDonald's and a Greyhound bus stop...they've probably got the cleanest one in the neighborhood. Thanks to Mike W. for introducing this place to us unsuspecting Yelpers...I always appreciate the tutelage! :-P

One of my new favorite jukeboxes in town is a bit ornery. It stops taking money and requests; it decides when. Brilliant music, although I'm still searching for the one that has Bessie Smith, old Motley Crue, David Allen Coe, Chuck Berry, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. I recently found myself here twice in one week; my first two times to the bar. A true dive bar: the neighborhood bar. A long shotgun bar, fantastic jukebox, questionable, yet clean bathroom, long bar with ample barstools, booths, cash only (for any tab lower than $10) and a broken cash machine, less than ten regulars sitting at the bar at any given time, questionable element of danger (bus terminal across the street), cheap wine with the option of ice, and a few more, but then I'd just be rambling. The only disqualification on a previously written list of "what makes a true dive bar," is that there is a outdoor patio. Fie on that disqualification, it's a great patio. In a daze earlier in the week, it occurred to me that there was no venue for the after party of an upcoming event. I was sitting at the bar with a few friends at The Brewery Tap. A few names were mentioned, but nothing seemed like the perfect place. We wanted someplace new; someplace comfortable and inexpensive. Like a rusty, flickering light bulb, an earlier argument with a local pub trivia organization reminded a cohort of the Lone Star Saloon. Perfection personified, and just up the street. About ten of us immediately abandoned our posts at Brewery Tap for the saloon, just to make certain our ideas weren't going the way of insanity. All smiles and jukebox, no insanity. In fact, as fate often lays its cards, another trivia team member involved in the aforementioned argument (all three of us were in agreement), sent a text to me the moment our small group entered the Saloon. She walked through the doors ten minutes later. Oh, the after party? Thirty to forty happy people, although none of us played pool. For our awesome bartender who didn't bat an eye when she was told that we would potentially be taking over her bar in a couple of days, then helping us all with a smile when we did, I'm rounding this solid three and a half star bar up to four stars.

I have driven past this place for 2 years wondering what a place like this was doing downtown. From the outside it looks like a bar you would see in a small town in Texas right next to the Houston metro bus stop. After a concert, I decided to be bold and check the place out with a friend. The inside looks like it was once a 18 wheeler cargo storage converted into a bar. We ordered a lonestar and a shot of patrone. The bartender looked at us funny...."we don't have none of that fancy stuff, just quervo" so we settled. Really friendly regulars, one of them told us some funny stories of how he was shot 4 times and showed us the exit wounds. If you are into dive bars, it doesn't get much more dive-esque than this place.

I can't believe I'm the first to review after 2 trips to Lone Star in 1 week. I'm officially a regular I guess. On Tuesday night's trip to the bar I was genuinely frightened by the toothless and obviously ridden hard and put up wet crowd. But, some people I know are big fans of the place, so I tried to keep an open mind. On Thursday night's trip I literally knew EVERYone in the bar even the non yelpers. Which was weird. One guy that was there is a midtown institution. He owns some rad properties in midtown and has been kicked out of pretty much every bar in the area. I like him enough though. He's a decent dude. Still has his teeth. Big, huge plus in his favor. The other guy that was in there )the other non yelper) is a bar owner from the Montrose. A super nice guy. Also, seemed to have all his teeth. The service was quick and polite. I found it completely annoying that the bartender has to use some weird pouring apparatus that measures out each drink. Plus, the soda gun was not working, so all the soda came out of a 2 liter bottle. (true on both Tuesday and Thursday) The cola was Pepsi. This is Texas damn it!!! We drink Coke here. Even when it's Sprite Coke or Dr Pepper Coke. It's all Coke. But what it's not is PEPSI. Ick. I believe what we have going on at Lone Star Saloon is an inattentive owner who is "penny pinching" at best. Luck for him, he has a good staff. I am a fan. Although I could do without the sketchy customers. I'll take them every day over most of the ding-dongs on Washington Ave. I hope the owner will make a few improvements. It would be the perfect dive bar if he would. OH, one more thing. Old Fashioned Juke Box that is surprisingly FANTASTIC!! OH, one...one more thing. Lone Star does have a small private parking lot. A big plus in the midtown/downtown area.

Probably the worst bar of all time . The whole atmosphere is rubbish , the waitress was rude from the get go . Don't understand how they're in business

Love love love this place.... We always go with our friends and so far everyone has liked it.... Alana is awesome and so is Jessica... They have never gave attitude unlike " Dog house tavern" but drinks are good and beer is pretty good to.... Jukebox is awesome old school country along with new song...

Quaint hole-in-the-wall dive bar next to Metro downtown bus station. Much cleaner than one would expect, decent beer selection & friendly bartender, Jessica

We rode the megabus to Houston for the first time and while waiting for our friends to pick us up we saw this bar. This bar is right next door to where the bus drops you off in downtown. The bar is really small. It's definitely a hole in the wall place. This place is kind of questionable and scary. I sat next to this drunk creeper that just stared at me without saying a word and just a blank stare. But other than him, drinks were cheap. It's suppose to be a full bar but they didn't even have crown. Which was weird. Our bartender was super friendly though. But this isn't my type of scenery. So I don't think I would go back...

Love the dive bar type feel. Great place to day drink or enjoy the night. It doesn't have that big town feel. Its very retro and if your lucky you'll meet the owner a real class act me. Joe lee. Decent priced drinks and and friendly service. Will be back!!''

This is a great place to hide out and hang out. Jessica and Alana provide really good service without a load of attitude. The jukebox has just about anything you may want to hear. About the only drawback is the occasional street person wanting someone to buy them a drink. If you want a place that is on the bus line, and comfortable this is it.

If you are looking for a seedy hole in the wall dive bar, this is it. Cheap drinks and if you came with a group of friends, you'd have a good time. I'm giving it a low rating because the bartender is super unfriendly and is the reason why I'm leaving. Rushed me out even though I am the only person here...didn't greet me, say thanks nothing. Worst service I have ever gotten. She gets no tip. Update: there was several bugs in my drink

Tried to stop in for a cold beer on our bike ride. gonna put our bikes by our table. Bartender told us to leave. Went around the corner to a better bar. F This place. We ride in downtown often with lots of people. None of us will be patronizing this place.

Worst bar in Houston! The female bartender tried fighting two of the only female paying customers over nothing, it was horrible. She claimed to "own the place." The only other two patrons had to hold the bartender back. Totally pathetic! Horrible establishment and totally not a country bar. Would give zero (0) stars is possible.

One of the most redeeming qualities of TLSS is that there is never ever a cover charge ever! Free entertainment available every day & night at TLSS.

The best downtown bar. Drunken karaoke on Tuesday. Pretty girl in day time bartend . Ashley. best place to get a whoo whoo! Ancient artifacts on the wall it's like a museum. Hot and Fresh pizzas

Loved loved this hometown divey bar in the center of downtown Houston. I landed at 11:45pm and my friend picked me up - we headed straight for this joint and it was fun. Belly up to the bar and drinking cheap beer in an old school Texas bar was a perfect way to arrive in Houston. Will be back, no doubt.

The Lone Star Saloon completely shatters any similarities you might find in nearby Midtown or downtown bars. The bar takes people watching to new levels with the Megabus and Metro downtown literally across the street. The bar is kind of stuck in time, but this ads to the bizarre uniqueness to this longtime establishment. If your looking to lay low, people watching I certainly think you should check it out. The bar has a very very large catalogue of the crazy/ strange stories that have happened within this bar, adding to the one of a kind legacy that could never be duplicated in a typical downtown or Midtown bar.

When you just was good old bud light and no hippster. This place is the definition of hole in the wall. I haven't been to a place like this in years, not since I had old biker friend.

This is a fun little bar. The bartenders have lots of personality. I'm giving it a four because of the excellent waitstaff and the funky little juke box, oh and the cheap beer. I had a wonderful time after the event at the Brewery Tap here. The have a pool table also and a sizeable patio. I'm not sure about the area, it seems like it might be a little rough at night, but tht's no concern if you come in with a large crowd. Parking was a squeeze in the lot, but there were more than enough parking areas on the side street. If you are a wine drinker though i would go else where for that.

Cool hole in the wall with strong drinks at reasonable prices. Will be back. Friendly staff and good experience. The place is old but it adds to the character.

Great bar! Just passing through in the way to the airport. If I lived in Houston I'd be here all the time. Also, Richard has been a real peach; very friendly and accommodating. The clientele are also really fun and play good music.

Need a break from the trendy Houston lounges, rude bouncers, loud house music, and overpriced drinks? Mosey over to Lone Star Saloon and enjoy a cold beer and a hot pizza.

The Bartender Kristy was really generous and helpful, the atmosphere was nice people were nice. I recommend it especially if you are catching the megabus.

LOVE THIS BAR. I came through Houston on bicycle tour and stopped here for a drink. right away a regular named Frank got me a beer told me some awesome stories the bartender was amazing. I'd give them 5 starts if they didn't use the perfect pour system but I understand that's at the owners discretion.

Extremely out of line and rude bartender. We never even got served or had order taken because the short, portly Latino woman working the bar began to scream at us after I went towards the bathroom thinking it was the backdoor. It appears she thought we were trying to use the restroom without buying anything. This wasn't the case, but we chose to walk out when she began yelling profanities at us. The bar is probably a good place to grab a beer, but this employee's temper and refusal to listen cost her a few customers. Not to mention the scene she caused probably tarnished the bar's reputation for the others there. Never coming back and will always have this bad story to tell about her.

GREAT PLACE FOR BEER AND CHILING OUT, But a REAL RIP OFF for cardboard PIZZA, FOOD SUCKS! most of the time they tell you the food sucks, which is nice, just a shame that they can not have a better finger foods menu, all in all, its pretty cool , but the food does suck, don't come hungry. Food is a PURE RIP OFF.