Insider Pages Reviews for Kelvin Arms

1 Stars: What happened to the Kelvin Arms (by A D.)

A D. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:50:00 GMT

What happened to the Kelvin Arms? I used to love this place, but now it seems like everything is out. And the bartenders have gone downhill... I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

3 Stars: Needs to update! (by Edward S.)

Edward S. — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:34:00 GMT

I've been going to the Kelvin Arms for quite some time now. It use to be my home away from home. We still meet up there but not as frequent as we used to. It's got charm, good size patio and decent service. The main attraction is basically the old Vault door that leads to the lounge area. The lounge area has ample seating and is very dim inside. Cleanliness is about average but the prices you can expect to pay for a bar in the Rice Village area are pretty hard to beat.Everyone there is very friendly and I've never experienced anything too out of the ordinary "as far as bar room drama". The decor could vastly use an update tho but I guess it simply wouldn't be the Kelvin Arms if it were done.It's a Pub, a Scottish pub per say but a pub none the less without the Scottish flare. Service is decent and the bartenders are friendly if you are friendly to them. Just a good old neighborhood pub to just hang out and enjoy with friends.

4 Stars: Cool place. (by vanillabean18)

vanillabean18 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:00:00 GMT

This is a nice, casual place to hang out and have a few beers. They have a nice atmosphere, jukebox, pool, and darts. The only negative thing would be the service at the bar. The bartenders do not seem happy to serve..in fact, one guy was rude to me until I came back about an hour later and he was drunk! Then he served me happily while slurring his words.

5 Stars: Favorite bar in Houston (by yankeenhouston)

yankeenhouston — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:00:00 GMT

There are a lot of positive things to say about Kelvin Arms. The liquor selection is fantastic, and the bartenders know their stuff, especially Amanda the manager. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, and the crowd is very diverse - all kinds of people and all ages. I love their patio and the interior space/decor is great. It's very much like a friendly neighborhood Cheers bar with a much higher cool factor.

5 Stars: Great belgian beer selection (by duhq)

duhq — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

What a terriffic beer selection in general! My faves are all represented at this cool, low key neighborhood pub. No food, but who cares when you have 30something beers and a full bar to choose from. Also, never worry about wait for service, it's one of the few bars in the village where you can expect to get good service and not have to deal with the younger drinking crowd. Oh, yeah also a ton of great belgium beers as well as some good local offerings.

3 Stars: Kelvin Arms (by Rachel G.)

Rachel G. — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:43:00 GMT

This is a bar with a pretty cool atmosphere and has pool tables and dart boards. But its nice, not like most of the bars with pool tables that are kind of grungy. Its around Rice village so its easy to hop over to. However, its not one of my favorite bars because its pretty laid back, but if you like that this might be the one for you!

5 Stars: My fave in every way! (by hrhl2)

hrhl2 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT

I almost hate to give my fave a stellar rating because then it will be packed. However, there are so few places worth driving to in Houston and enduring hellish traffic that I have to give credit where credit is due. I'd love any place adorned with the visage of Sean Connery but it's more than my lust for 007 that keeps me coming back. People are friendly and interesting. Service is good even when it's packed and it's cozy. The converted bank vault is the coolest thing about the bar and fun to take out of town visitors to explore.

5 Stars: Love the coziness and privacy (by africansicklet)

africansicklet — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT

very warm atmosphere, cozy velvet sofas and masculine dark soothing atmosphere. Great for an intimate conversation and a drink. Love to go there with a comfortable date and enjoy the sofas and quieter surroundings.

2 Stars: Bad example of a Scottish pub (by elyned)

elyned — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 02:00:00 GMT

I am a native Scot in Houston, this is not a Scottish pub, it would never make it in Glasgow. No food service, no atmosphere, just a cold empty hole in the wall. The vault is also just a big room with sofas, Scottish pubs dont have sofas and you should be able to buy a bag of crisps with your beer. Safe yourself a trip.

2 Stars: The Kelvin Arms is 70% bad, 30% good (by proletkult)

proletkult — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:00:00 GMT

There are good and bad things to say about the Kelvin Arms. First, there are two areas, in my opinion, where this institution fails:

1) It is too expensive. With the exception of happy hour and certain days, a pint of crappy, American, domestic beer costs $3.50 each. To add insult to injury, the Kelvin Arms does not even sell pitchers! What kind of bar is this? I have lived in three different cities for extended periods of time, long enough to explore some bars and find one to my liking. I find the idea of a bar refusing to sell pitchers a little bemusing. I know this place is trying to present itself as casual and laid-back, but it really is not. A lot, but not all, of the patrons are pretty trendy, the beer is often expensive and they do not give you enough of it. I don't know why everyone is saying how this is a great "college bar." If by college bar you mean it caters to "frat boys" and trust-fund kids, then I guess so. Otherwise, give me a break.

2) Perhaps this does not universally apply, and the times that I ordered cocktails at the Kelvin Arms, I was not very lucky. One of my friends seems quite satisfied with the service. However, going by experience, neither I nor my wife was very impressed with the mixed drinks. They are typically very watered-down, and we have had to tell the bartender how to make fairly common drinks before.

Now for the good parts. The Kelvin Arms has a very nice sitting room inside - better than perhaps any bar I have been to. Large, comfortable couches, chairs, and coffee tables with good lighting and prints adorning the walls. It also has a nice area sectioned off for darts. Big parking lot. Lots of beers on tap, a lot of liquor and cocktails are fairly priced. Finally, while some of the patrons are a little too yuppie/preppy for my liking, the place does not seem to get many outright jerks.

In my case, the negatives outweigh the positives. I am just not that impressed by the atmosphere.

4 Stars: It's got a vault to sit in! (by mlasaine)

mlasaine — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 02:00:00 GMT

Another little shindig where Frat Hats and giggly girls rule the house. There's some darts to throw and more TVs than Best Buy. But the drinks are cheap (well, then again... I was in New York for the past 6 months).

4 Stars: after work outing (by moms_kitchen)

moms_kitchen — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 01:00:00 GMT

Went there with some friends from work. First time to go. Didnt know what to expect...first time I've been somewhere without my better half. Glad I went. Had a gr8 time with my friends and found they had a gr8 selection of scotch.

5 Stars: Great place that's not too crowded. (by dmessmer)

dmessmer — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 01:00:00 GMT

Kelvin Arms is a great place to hang out and get some drinks. Unlike a lot of bars it's not so loud that you have to shout to have a conversation, but it's also not so quiet that you have to worry about being too loud. The bank vault is great if you have a big group of people and the rest of the bar is perfect for small groups. The service is great and the people are friendly - it's my favorite bar in town.

5 Stars: A must go (by qualityassurance)

qualityassurance — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

I'd hate to see this place get swamped with people like some of the other places in the village, but the Kelvin Arms deserves a good word. This place is great primarily because it has a great pub atmosphere and it's never too crowded. Good steak nights, good juke box, and a nice laid back crowd. Not a see and be seen bar.

5 Stars: Fantastic (by flounder9)

flounder9 — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 01:00:00 GMT

All I have to say is this place rocks. It's inside of an old bank and you can sit inside the vault and hang out. We sat outside for happy hour to enjoy the spring weather and have a few drinks. It's a great pub atmosphere with a mixed crowd and great happy hour specials. Def recommend