Refuge

"Bobby Huegel and Steve Flippo brought coffee back to this little corner on Westheimer. Formerly Penny Quarter, Refuge stays local with craft coffee from roaster Tenfold and pastries from Love Croissants. Those looking for a little more buzz with their caffeine can check out the cocktail menu, which features coffee-based drinks such as Irish coffee, espresso martinis, and carajillos." - Brianna Griff, Brittany Britto Garley

"Verdict: Refuge is small, dark, and full of fancy alcohol, a.k.a. it’s a great spot for an intimate date, an invite-only birthday celebration, or nights when you feel like sitting at a bar alone with some expensive barrel-aged rum. Service at Refuge is impeccable and suffused with high-end touches like cloth coasters, stainless steel garnish picks, and chic little bowls of bar snacks. We always appreciate the fantastic, ever-rotating cocktail menu spiked with harder-to-find spirits like Mexican gin." - gianni greene, chelsea thomas

"Located just upstairs from the lauded cocktail bar Anvil & Refuge, Bobby Heugel has created a delightfully moody “cocktail apartment,” boasting more than 200 spirits, including lesser-known liqueurs, gins, European brandies, and a variety of Japanese distilled spirits. Go for an “originals” cocktail like the Pacific Rim, made with shochu, kiwi, and lime, or opt for a cocktail from the “classics and riffs” section, which features a rendition of an Old Fashioned, a sazerac, and Yeugel’s signature martini — made with two gins, vermouth, and accouterments." - Brittany Britto Garley, Kayla Stewart

"Refuge, an intimate bar in Montrose, serves upscale drinks in an excessively dim space. Table servers ply you with tiny bar snacks, cloth coasters, and careful attention so you can stare into your date’s eyes instead of flagging down a bartender. The cocktails riff on common classics, but add in esoteric twists with liquors and spirits like Pineau de Charentes and St. Lucian rum. It’s a bar without time, or overhead lighting, which is great for before (or after) a date. Or a chic start to a night out. Walk-ins are welcome, but it’s better to snag a reservation for a seamless evening." - chelsea thomas

"Located just upstairs from the lauded cocktail bar Anvil & Refuge, Bobby Heugel has created a delightfully moody “cocktail apartment,” boasting more than 200 spirits, including lesser-known liqueurs, gins, European brandies, and a variety of Japanese distilled spirits. Go for an “originals” cocktail like the Pacific Rim, made with shochu, kiwi, and lime, or opt for a cocktail from the “classics and riffs” section, which features a rendition of an Old Fashioned, a sazerac, and Yeugel’s signature martini — made with two gins, vermouth, and accouterments." - Brittany Britto Garley