Pearl Bar
Gay bar · Washington Avenue
4216 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20051242/IMG_5593.jpg "Pearl Bar by Courtesy of Pearl Bar")
Highlights
Creative cocktails, live music, DJs, patio games & TVs
Creative cocktails, live music, DJs, patio games & TVs
"Houston’s only lesbian bar (and one of two in the state) that prioritizes safety and community support, having worked with city leaders and police for active-shooter training and other preparedness efforts. While the interior is described as a place of beauty and refuge, the owner notes that some Hispanic and undocumented patrons have stopped coming out due to fears of possible immigration enforcement, highlighting how external political pressures affect who feels safe inside the space." - Lane Gillespie
"One of only two lesbian bars in Texas, Pearl Bar has made a name for itself as the only spot in Houston geared toward queer women. Aside from its incredibly special performances, including drag king shows and guest DJs, Pearl has a full events calendar with steak and bingo nights, Queen karaoke, and regular crawfish boil events in its expansive outdoor space. If you’re more of a WNBA girly, check out Pearl’s sister spot Side Peace, a newly opened women’s sports bar next door." - Lane Gillespie
"Became the de facto headquarters for the Houston drag king scene and the launching pad for Ian Syder-Blake’s drag king troupe, Kings of Houston, after he says he "had approached every queer space or venue in the greater Houston area, from Kingwood to Galveston, but [this venue] was the only venue that would agree to host a drag king show." Owner Julie Mabry says drag kings are paid: "drag kings make $400 per show or about $45 to $50 per hour." The host of the venue's regular Drag Royale show makes $35 per hour for two to three shows a week. Syder-Blake describes his own start there: “I got in there in a flannel shirt and jeans — bad Walmart drag — and a badly lined goatee, and I performed for the first time,” he says. “I was super awkward on stage, but I had fun.” In summer 2024 a longtime security guard and performer took over hosting duties, and of that first revival show he said, "The energy was just basically a big celebration... We’re all back. … It was just a big reunion." The venue also faced fallout from anti-drag legislative pressure: its owner was denied insurance after a state bill targeting "sexually oriented performances" was announced, which performers say reduced attendance and emboldened hecklers." - Lane Gillespie
"Pearl Bar in Washington Heights holds the title of the only lesbian-owned bar in Houston, and it’s one of just 23 lesbian-owned bars across the country. The open dance floor usually gets packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the weekends with dancing queens and kings shaking what their mama gave ‘em. And during the week, Pearl Bar keeps a few mainstay events in rotation like drag bingo, dildo races, and steak night. It doesn’t matter if you showed up to hand dollar bills to performers lip syncing for their life, or to kick it by the bar and sip on a Munch Punch (or any of their drinks with clever little names), a night at this piece of lesbian history will fast track you from excited first-timer to devout regular." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene
"Pearl Bar, one of Houston’s iconic queer institutions and one of two lesbian bars that currently operate in Texas, offers drag entertainment of all varieties. Beyond its traditional drag shows featuring the city’s most iconic kings and queens, the bar offers Queen Karaoke on Tuesday nights, H-Town Kings comedy night every Wednesday, and drag bingo, steak nights, and a live DJ on Thursday nights." - Lane Gillespie
