LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JUNE 2015 | Page 22

Local June_FinalEDITED.qxp_002houston 5/21/15 7:23 PM Page 22

CLUB/LOUNGE REVIEW

DEAN’S DOWNTOWN

CLASSICALLY COOL.
Long before the resurgence of the Main
Street scene, Dean’s Credit Clothing
resided at 316 Main, right next to all
the current hotness. Formerly housing a
couple of credit-based clothing stores
(yeah, pre credit card) and the city’s first
electric elevator (!!!), the building has
way more history than we can fit here
in our limited space. Once all the
vacant storefronts around it started
sprouting new bars and the crowds
grew, we figured it was only a matter of
time before Dean’s got its much disserved update. New owners stepped in
and that day arrived – 316 Main is
reborn as Dean’s Downtown.
THE NEW UPDATES TASTEFULLY EMPHASIZE THE OLD. Worth nothng,
Dean’s still has the best patio on Main Street, and they did us a solid, updating the seating. Inside, the entire north wall is reclaimed wood and the south
wall is exposed brick. The long rebuilt bar (and liquor displays) along the
south wall uses more reclaimed wood and offers a good amount of seating
for interactions with the friendly staff. The layout is full of reused/antique furniture purposefully positioned to maximize space, comfort and conversation. It

works really well too, with plenty of
room for groups or couples. Lots of small
design notes are scattered throughout
and don’t forget to check out “the
library” and the elevator. There is also a
baller chandelier, and the restrooms’
signage is pretty fun too.
Staying with that classic cool m.o.,
Dean’s puts out a bevy of classic and
house cocktails, and in an interesting
twist, they offer a few cocktails on draft.
Get ya Negroni or Old Fashioned here,
as they used to say, or at least we think
they would have said. Focusing on the
Texas beer scene, Dean’s has the bottles, cans and drafts covered with all your
favorite Lone Star State brews. Happy hour runs from 5–8 on Tuesday – Friday
and offers good discounts. They also have a projector screen for big sports
events – and be sure to keep an eye on the events page of their website for
special happenings and live music.
So what is classic cool? To each his own, but to us, at least as it relates to a
bar, it’s Dean’s Downtown.

By Mike Cook | Photography by Daniel Ortiz

316 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002
832.564.0918
www.deansdowntown.com
Facebook: deansdowntown
5pm–2am every day

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| june 15