Firkin & Phoenix

The bar should turn off the jukebox when sports games are going to be on.

We only went to the Firkin and Phoenix because they were playing the MotoGP on one of the big screens. After getting the sound to the race, someone decided to play the jukebox and when the songs were over we never got the sound back to our station. We had invited several people to watch the game with us and it was a huge waste of time. We could have planned on watching it elsewhere. We will not be returning.

Pros: Nice waitresses

Cons: Jukebox can be played while a match is being shown

Posted 10/24/09

This place is such an awesome joint! There staff is inviting and efficient, the have so many t.v.'s to watch your favorite game, if you get bored with the mundane- how about some Guitar Hero or Wii tennis?!?! They also offer free poker on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoon which is great for learning how to play and meeting new people. Love this place 'cause the food is awesome too! Definitely my number 1 recommendation!

Pros: Best bar in town with awesome management and wait staff!

Cons: Cons?...ummm... can't really think of any!

Posted 10/08/09

Everytime I go their on Thursday I have the best time durng karaoke. Everyone sings along, dances and knows how to have a good time. Very classy....

Pros: Great Service, Fun people

Cons: Should be open 24 hours it's so much fun!

Posted 10/06/09

Sometime you want deep fried fish with vinegar, hot chips (or fries) and an Extra Cold Guinness. You can get those things at the Firkin and Phoenix. When you finish your fish take your Guinness to the patio and enjoy a f*g (or a cigarette). Franchised theme decor, just like the brewery owned, theme decorated pubs in England. American bar menu with a slight nod to Britain's famous culinary tradition. Adequate to good service, plenty of parking, clean restrooms, moderate prices. Really, I think you might enjoy it.

Pros: British Theme. Extra Cold Guinness.

Cons: No Spotted D*ck (look it up).

Posted 05/13/09

My wife and I go there frequently. The food is consistently very good, the drinks are poured well, and the service is uncommonly attentive. Every time we go, we see the same wait staff and same bartenders - there's something comforting about that. Also, when the owner is there, he always comes over to say "hi" to us. Just about everything is good there, but we really like the hot wings, chicken tenders, and burgers. The fries (whether regualr, seasoned, or waffle) are great. We aren't much for British pub food, so we can't speak to that (though the fish n chips look amazing when brought to other tables). The place is beautifully themed/decorated and is pleasant to relax in. And with TVs all-around, it's a good place to catch a game, esp since it's never too crowded when we go during the day. Recently they celebrated their 2nd anniversary - here's to many more!

Pros: Ambience, food, service, neighborhood pub feel

Cons: Parking (at times), karaoke nights (personal preference)

Posted 12/27/08

I consider myself a Firkin regular, and I recommend that you consider making yourself one as well. I am not a Houston native, and I've been looking for a place to get comfortable and watch football on Sundays. The staff at the Firkin have welcomed me with open arms. The Firkin has everything you would want-- pool, darts, Wii and Guitar Hero, great drink specials, great food specials, free wi-fi, and an overall comfortable, enjoyable atmosphere. I highly recommend the soup specials. I get the soup every week, and I am never disappointed. The Firkin burger and sweet potato fries are also pretty tasty.

Overall, the best part about this place is feeling appreciated and welcome at all times. All of the staff know my name and are very attentive for however long I decide to stay. I know that my business is appreciated, and I love the personal touch.

Posted 12/20/08

I love the place! There are great happy hour specials during the week AND on weekends as well. On weekends for football, this is the place to attend if you're looking for any college or NFL game! Very knowledgeable fans, and a relaxed atmosphere with a good number of regulars. The decor inside is fabulous, with very comfortable and plush seating, which combines with all the games, Wii, and pool, to make for a great experience. I've been here more than ten times and I will definitely come here more than 100 more.

Posted 12/20/08

Went to Firkin last night for an after-work get together and must say it was much more fun than I expected. Pretty good crowd for a Tuesday night and they had an excellent blues band. Wide variety of beers on tap and the food was great. Would definately recommend Firkin and will return again!

Pros: Relaxed atmosphere

Posted 11/18/08

The bar has a British theme in the decor and food fair. The music needs to change as I go to a pub not to listen to dance, rap or country...it is a pub after all. The food is okay but not fantastic I would recommend that the pub employ an experienced cook staff and not someone who can use a microwave or deep fryer. The staff are very friendly and usually go out of their way to provide a nice experience.

Posted 10/25/08

I am a ferkin regular and love it. It may not be 100% english pub style but I have to say it sure is as fun or even better that authentic english pubs, and I have been to quite a number of them while traveling in England this past winter. O and the music they have this awesome juke box and you can play whatever you want to play, your never stuck listening to one type of music all night.

Pros: Friendly Service, Great Atmosphere, Good Place to just Chill.

Cons: Parking Some Days

Posted 06/27/08

The food was Ok, nothing to write home about although the crab cakes were splendid. The music was NOT at all what one would expect, rap, not exactly British Pub music. The service was slow and unattentive, fairly unfriendly also. I expected from the reviews something better. I was turned off imadiately by the wretched smell, there were flying insects all over the place, and I believe that I watched as something scurried across the bar...Oh and it was so HOT in the place. I will not be going back and I truly hope that others have a better time of it than I.

Pros: The Crab cakes were nice

Cons: I could not finish eating them because it smelled funny in the resturant.

Posted 06/21/08

We've been here a few times with friends and I have to say this is my favorite place in Houston. It's comfortable, quiet, fun, and just a great place to hang out. There's always plenty of seating, great food, and cold beer. You won't find the typical Houston bar/club scene here, and thats a wonderful thing. You can actually hold a conversation in this place without screaming all night. You have to try the fish and chips. They are fantastic.

Pros: Everything. From the food, to the beer, to the service. It's all great!

Cons: I haven't experienced any yet.

Posted 06/10/08

I moved to houston less then a year ago and where I came from I had a pub that I frequented often and was sad to see it, and my friends go. However in passing by it one day, i noticed the name and said "this could be good" and stopped in. I'm so happy I did. the food is great, i've met people (locals) who I've become friends with, the staff is amazing and the owner is as people friendly as it gets. he's there constantly making sure eveyrthing is just right, for everyone. I don't get to go in as much as I like anymore but when I do go it feels like I never left. If you're interested in getting out of the bar/club scene - this is a GREAT place to go.

Pros: Food, Music, drinks, staff, owner

Cons: nothing i can think of

Posted 06/01/08

went last night. Friendly and attentive waiter. Nice patio at back. Hamburgers were awesome with Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Rings. Not really British food fare though. Inexpensive. Definately going back.

Pros: food, service

Cons: crowded

Posted 05/09/08

The worst food ever. Bland, boring and they should be ashamed to charge money. They should have paid us to eat there! Went there for lunch around 1:30 on a Friday. Place was empty (should have suspected the worst) and now I know why. The glassware and utensils were dirty. It took forever to get the food which consisted of sandwiches (none of which needed to be cooked) which was sad since we were the only people there!!! The only good thing was that our waitress was nice. I think she was the bartender as well and maybe she had to do the cooking also...
The place itself seems nice and probably a good place to hang and have a few drinks(if they would wash the glassware better)....just better off driving right by this place!!!

Pros: friendly staff

Cons: everything else

Posted 02/21/08

Great place to hang out with friends! Lots to do: play pool, the Wii, darts, live music on some nights....
The service has been good so far....Amy is the best waitress! She is super friendly and gets the job done!

The owner is pretty cool too...he makes the effort to get to know his clientele. My friend wanted a particular drink one day because she wasn't feeling so well...the owner went out of his way to Google search it and made it for her! Don't think you would find that in too many places!

When it gets packed it is kind of crazy and service is tight, but I wouldn't let that stop you. Plus, that was only one time. Overall, the vibe is totally chill and fun at the same time! Worth checking out!

Posted 02/12/08

I have been to many pubs in Texas and this one is the best so far. The food was wonderful and the prices were shockingly low. Service was enjoyable and friendly and I'm definitely going back there. They even have food all night. Very cool.

Pros: Great prices

Cons: Busy Street

Posted 01/17/08

As a Brit, I always like to test out our homeland's national treasure wherever I am in the world, it is sort of home from home experience for me. Living in Houston there are a few establishments where I can feel that, however the Firkin is not one of them.

It should be noted that the Firkin Pubs are franchised, which lends itself to numerous problems: a.) Lack of character. b.) Lack of understanding the specialized genre associated with it. c.) lack of experienced management. d.) Rigidity, to name but a few.

The food is not English at all and the menu looks like it has been duplicated from a Chilli's menu. Nacho's / Wings / Spinach Dip etc etc.

The management needs to understand (although he is a most congenial fellow) that when fixing a customers problem, first fix it then compensate it, don't just compensate it without fixing it as the problem is still a problem!

Bar Staff are again pleasant but need to understand that service comes first and flirting comes second.

The food is very amateur-ish in it's taste and preparation. You can tell the cooks have limited experience.

Do not let children in the bar after 6pm, a bar is an adult establishment and screaming children on a Saturday night do not make it conducive to persons who are on a night off from their own off-spring.

The Wii has to go!

Poker night does not include the Manager.

This bar has all the potential to really take-off but the owners need to act fast to protect their investment.

TTFN

Pros: Great Potential

Cons: Food / Service / Value / Children / Wii etc etc

Posted 12/22/07

I have loved everything I have ordered from thier menu but the fish and chips are my favorite. With all different kinds of beers on draught and the friendly staff I find myself wanting to go to Firkin more and more!

Pros: Great food, service and atmoshere

Cons: Somewhat pricey

Posted 10/18/07

Love this pub. The atmosphere is great. It's a lot nicer than most pubs in the inner loop area but it maintains the comfortable pub feel. The staff is always friendly and they ask if you want a refill BEFORE your pint is empty! They have a large selection of beer and they rotate out pretty often. Best of all, the bartenders know how to pull a perfect Guiness!! Another cool thing - they have real food, not just fried bar food (the spicy chicken sandwich rules!). As far as entertainment goes they've got a lot going on. . .live music, wii, trivia, games, etc. SO - check it out!!

Posted 10/04/07

My review's title says it all. I've been there a few times. But, I've been disappointed by the food, the drinks and the service.

Posted 08/04/07

I think the staff at Firkin is very friendly. However, they are very inexperienced and not attentive at all. You would wait forever for service. They need to be trained better. The owner is very friendly. The food and drinks are just average bar food. I do like the atmosphere. It's a very clean place. It is definitely a neigborhood bar, not worth the drive if you don't live in the area.

Pros: The friendliness of the staff and the cleanness.

Cons: Service, food and drinks

Posted 06/24/07

I went for lunch last weekend and was pleasantly surprised by this place. It was a mix of somewhat standard bar food and a sort of british TGI fridays menu. Everything we ordered was very good, and true to bar food form - a little greasy. The atmosphere was very low key and the wait staff was very friendly. I like it so much I will definately be back to watch sports and drink beer.

Pros: great neighborhood bar

Cons: none

Posted 06/05/07

This place is like a modern day "Cheers", it is so warm and cozy and the staff is super friendly...they also remember our names the third time we were there. The food is good and the atmosphere is even better...the downloadable jukebox is awesome and they have a very nice pool table...they also have 2 dart boards but we didn't get to play because it was raining. They have fantastic specials every day of the week...I go there at least twice a week when I am off and my friends drive from Sugarland to meet there because they love it too...you just have to go and see for yourself.

Pros: Great Atmosphere, Clean, Fun

Cons: Parking

Posted 05/28/07

Its not a bad place but to say its Authentic British pub is a bit off the mark. There are a few 'almost' British pubs around that have been mentioned by others which are better in that respect (but seeing none of these had either the World Cup Cricket or the Ashes series Engl v Aust, then could not say they are the real deal either. At the Firkin the response was "...what is cricket?")

But, anyway the Firkin will take time to find its spot and I guess that's why it has some british spin on it and some local spin on it. I'll go there again due to its location and the staff were freindly as well.
Whether it is British, American or a bastad of the two, if it builds up a good mix of patrons I'll be back.

Posted 05/09/07

I loved this place. I wasn't sure about going with the reviews being all over the place. But it's so close to my house and they had the outdoor dining so I thought I would try it. I am not sure why the reviewers who gave the bad reviews hate it so much - they seem a little overly passionate about it. The menus great and some of the other reviewers were right - the sweet potato fries rock.

Pros: Great sweet potato fries, friendly staff

Cons: Small parking lot

Posted 04/12/07

liked the drink specials. had the burger, yummy, nice big patty. boytoy had the fish n chips wish he liked too. great friendly staff. great place to watch the games, grab a bite to eat, play a little pool. great music too. i'm not a british snob like some of the other reviews, but overall, i really think it's a great spot.

Posted 03/21/07

As a Brit who's lived in Houston for about 3 years I thought I'd check out this place. Went with another fellow Englishman and also American fiancee and friend. The place is decked out with a load of booths and high tables, something I'd associate with American not British bars.

There's only one way to judge an English pub food for me and that's Bangers 'n' Mash. It wasn't bad. They served it with Baked Beans, but not Heinz , some overly sweet alternative. Surely no self respecting Brit managing a bar would make that mistake.

That leads to my main issue with this place. What exactly make's it British? When an American pub serves nachos it doesn?t make it Mexican. So in this case where they serve some British items on a menu that otherwise might have been printed at TGI Fridays, with a bar with nothing on tap that can't easily be found elsewhere; it doesn't make it British.

The staff were pleasant in an 'alternative' sort of way. Singer/Guitarist was also pretty good on the night we went and provided some much needed atmosphere.

In short this place was clean, pleasant, and not crowded (in fact dead until 9:30 on this particular Thursday night) but if you were a Brit hoping to meet some fellow compatriots you need to go somewhere else. I'd recommend either Richmond Arms or Ron?s Pub and if you wanted the English ?Gastro Pub? food done right you should try the Black Lab. Red Lion's not bad either.

PS Putting the word ?Firkin? in front of a noun isn?t that funny the first time, it certainly isn?t funny the hundredth time, e.g. ?This pub isn?t firkin? British?. See!

Posted 03/08/07

My friends and I generally go out as a group of 4-10. This pub had opened a few months back so we decided to give it a go. We had a great time! Contrary to the writer at the bottom they have both very English fair, but also items that we would be used to, like their onion strings (My friends and wife LOVED these, I forget how many orders they finally stopped at). I was surprised to find Boddington's on TAP. I would bet you can only find that in 2 or 3 places throughout Houston on tap, very nice, if you like nitrogen based beers, similar to Guiness.

The place certainly had the look and feel of an English corner pub. The staff was friendly and I never saw the bottom of my beer, unless I had another ready and waiting.

Last but not least, for those of you who like to have fun - 3 words - IRISH CAR BOMBS.....

I'll be back.

Posted 02/21/07

Loved this bar!! It's around the corner from my place and I am so happy to have a place I can come hang out, have some casual pub food and just relax. Staff was super friendly and service was great. Like the last reviewer, I loved the onion rings. If the bread pudding is on special, try it... it is divine.

Pros: Good Food, Good Crowd, Friendly Staff, Location!!!!

Cons: Parking

Posted 02/20/07

Got together here with a bunch of friends. It is a great place to chill out and catch up. Great pub food. We started with the onion tangles which are the "best onion rings ever", had to order a second. The sweet potato fries are also good. I had the shepherds pie, which was great, not too salty and the mashed potatoes were perfect, not too dry. My brother had the bangers and mash and he said it was just like being back in England. My boyfriend had the fish and chips. They were light and fluffy and the batter was extra crispy (I stole half his plate). If you like sweet drinks, their cocktail menu is awesome. I worked my way through half the drink menu, it was so good! I'm going to make this my neighborhood hangout.

Posted 02/15/07

My wife and I swung by after work one afternoon. We ordered fish and chips. They served our dish piping hot. It was tasty and not greasy. Drink specials were okay. Waitstaff was very welcoming. Will return.

Posted 02/13/07

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG THAT ALL OF THE "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" REVIEWS ARE FROM USERS WITH ONLY 1 REVIEW! This establishment is very out of place in Lower Westheimer. It really belongs in suburbia or Dallas (same thing). Its a bar and should attempt to showcase that. The food is pretty awful. Artichoke dip makes you want to choke. Burgers are bland, fatty, and not worth finishing half. I'm not sure if the owners had even been to Houston when they selected the location; but I would doubt it. Don't bother with this place.

Pros: good question

Cons: all of the above and below

Posted 02/05/07

The food here is bad- and not just in a bland British kind of way. Everything is slightly "off" and they skrimp on ingredients and quality. Additionally, it seems like they haven't made enough adjustments for American tastes rather than Canadian- ex: the French Dip comes dripping in their "signature" brown gravy (you know...the powdered kind that comes from Sysco?) instead of Aus Jous. Most dishes derive their flavor from an abundance of salt. Overall, they have nothing special and it's definitely not worth the price or the trashy atmosphere, especially considering how distracted and unhelpful the waitstaff are. I give this place 6 months, maximum.

Pros: Now I know

Cons: everything

Posted 01/31/07