Nouveau Antique Art Bar

I loved the place! I heard so much about it and was finally able to check it out this past Tuesday. Admittedly my boyfriend and I were the only 2 people in there on a rainy tuesday evening, but the lighting made it romantic as hell so I didn’t mind one bit! GORGEOUS inside, with great service. Would love to see what the regular scene is like. I only ordered a glass of white wine (hence 4 stars since I can’t quite judge the drink factor of this bar too well yet), but my boyfriend’s gin and tonic was great! Overall, loved the ambience and can’t wait to go again!

The décor is obviously the draw to come here after looking through just a few pictures on Unilocal,but it really is great. The chandeliers are beautiful and the lamps along the walls and side tables provide great lighting for the bar. The bartenders are attentive and unbiased. They were right there every time we ordered. A few TVs behind the bar were good for catching games but not too large that it takes away from the ambiance. Overall very cool spot and not terribly located down the street from some of my other favorite hang outs. This place should become part of your weekend repertoire.

We had my daughter’s wedding at the Nouveau Antique Art Bar. The owner was great to work with and always responded promptly to any question or requests that we had prior to the wedding. The bartenders were very attentive to our guests and all of our guests raved about the venue. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a reasonably priced venue.

Here lamps, there lamps, everywhere lamps, lamps. The Tiffany stained glass lighting is amazing, seating is very comfortable, room extremely spacious, there were no issues with service-​they were pretty much on point, and to boot their own gated parking lot is a ++.

The interior is wonderful with the different light shades. Although they did not have a variety of cocktails that we wanted, I would say the prices are moderate considering the location. Also, the staff is pretty friendly.

This was a pretty unique place. With all of the antique limbs everywhere it really had an awesome ambience. Unfortunately they do not have food so eat before you get there.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS REVIEW:
Wedding date: 8÷29÷2015
As an OCD bride with money to spend, I will tell you that the Nouveau Antique Art Bar was by far the BEST venue that we could have found. For your benefit, I’ll use bullet points to highlight some of the reasons why you CAN’T go wrong with this place:
1. It’s GORGEOUS — 200+ Tiffany lamps — think of your wedding pictures!
2. It’s Unique — again, think of your wedding pictures!
3. It’s SUPER AFFORDABLE! We rented the venue and they provided a FULL Bar, Table Linens, Votive Candles (yes…they provide candles), and 4 hours of the entire facility for roughly around $ 35 per person — that’s including tax and tip… NO, I didn’t stutter.
4. Clark, the Owner. He was the most enjoyable, easy going, helpful, and GENEROUS vendor to work with… we wanted Pat O’Brien Hurricanes as our signature cocktail, and he bought enough mix for 150ppl, and then gifted the charge to us — WHO DOES THAT??? We wanted 2 AC units for the venue (our wedding was in August), and he went out and bought one just for our wedding. I will say that we tried to buy him a thank you gift, but he turned it down, saying that it was his pleasure to work with us — again, who does that?
My husband and I are both well established professionals, so we could have easily afforded any venue in Houston (you’re thinking snob, and HELL yes, we are snobs — you’re welcome). We choose Nouveau Antique Art Bar — why? Because we wanted a wedding that people would be totally unique from the cookie cutter venues — you know what I’m talking about — flowers and decorations thrown up every where, and don’t forget the cheesy LED lights. What we got was the party of the century. Try to imagine this… Black Tie Affair, a well known club DJ spinning for 4 hours, 150 of your closest friends, lots of booze, and a room lit up with $ 200,000 worth of vintage Tiffany lamps — my pictures rocked!

Adorable spot. Beautiful as previous reviews have mentioned.
Excellent bar service, although we did go on a slow Friday evening.
Atmosphere is less hipster, more mainstream, something for your whole crew type of spot.
Lotttts of seating and sweet staff.

Open parking is a huge plus. Music selection is «meh», but thankfully not blasting at a level to where you can’t hear the person next to you. Disappointing mixed drinks, though decently priced. Open space… but also kind of makes the place feel less lively. Bartender ruined the experience for me. Not very customer friendly. I’d rather take my money to a friendly dive bar down the road, thank you very much. All in all, I wasn’t that surprised because, well, Midtown. Le sigh.

I went here for a private event. It’s a very unique setting for a bar. We had a painting party set up for our party that was really fun. The bar service not so much. Drinks were okay, but bartender was kind of gruff. With so many other options in Midtown, it’s definitely not my first choice for a night out.

While beautiful and good music beware when you show up. not only do they hold christian gatherings during happy hour they do not tell you about its happening later upon arrival. no sign on door or anything. so you walk in expecting sinatra night but get praise night and to have your good time spoiled with stories about crack houses and a missionaries. While i am a christian my self i dont feel like i had to have it forced upon me in a situation i wasnt expecting. bummer
edit: Owner… thx you for responding! Means alot. and yes we will be back for sure… it just might be a while. It was just a wierd awkward experience. We wanted to leave once we realized but felt trapped so we sat there until sermon/​speech was over. Oh well live and learn but yes, definately a sign for whatever is going on would help. Also, maybe updated fb, twitter or website. We probably went to website 5 – 6 times between us to confirm thats where we wanted to try and nothing about it. Changing stars just because you were awesome enough to respond… ;)

Updating my review of this place since I’ve hung out here several times this past summer. Classy ambiance with all the Tiffany-​style lamps and décor. Plenty of parking. I have yet to visit on a busy Saturday night since the place is often rented out for weddings and special events. They offer a decent selection of beer, wine and spirits, although I haven’t actually ordered a cocktail here yet.
The entrance is a little confusing. My fiancé and I tried to come here a couple of times and enter through the door on Main Street, but the door was locked. I didn’t see any signs indicating where the entrance was so I assumed it was closed. It turns out that door on Main Street is actually more of a backside door that they keep locked at all times, and the only way to enter is through the fenced-​in parking lot on Tuam. Since my fiancé and I don’t live too far we tend to bike everywhere; if we had driven a car here perhaps the entrance would have been more obvious but I’m guessing I’m not the first or last person to make that mistake. Maybe if a sign was erected on the Main Street side indicating where the entrance is, it would eliminate confusion. Aside from that little hiccup, this place is a gem.

Came here last year after the Unilocal part at the Children’s Museum and really liked it. Have been here 2 or 3 times since then and enjoyed each time. The interior decoration really fits the name and adds to the ambience of this rather large bar.

Really unique spot in a big, spacious warehouse. It has a really romantic, dim-​lights feel, though I’ve also taken large groups here since they fit easily in the plethora of space lined around the edges with many booths + tables. Parking is super easy in the big private lot, and the décor is wonderfully unique and definitely «artsy.»
The cocktail menu is hit-​or-​miss. Some of their unique drinks can be pretty tough to take down, while others are relatively tasty. After my obligatory sampling of the drink options, I ultimately stick to wine and well drinks when I go here. Overall, this is a go-​to spot for me when showing out-​of-​towners around Houston and as a starting point before continuing the night elsewhere in midtown.

My daughter’s wedding reception was held here on New Years Eve. It was awesome. Great place run by great people. I would highly recommend for any special event. The atmosphere is wonderful. It could not have been a more perfect place to Ring in the New Year celebrating their marriage. Thank you for everything! All my family and friends could not get over the place. Heard all night. This is perfect. Can not say enough good things about the owners and managers.

What a cool bar! I was not expecting this in Midtown… apparently there’s a hipster area? Who knew. There’s tons of antique lamps hanging around (duh) but they’re super cool to look at, and there’s tons of couches for comfy seating. They also have a parking lot as well, which is always nice.
I got some drink that had St. Germain, lemon, and something something and it was sooo strong and $ 9. Fair price I suppose. Bartender was pretty nice and patient with us as first-​timers. Not sure if I’ll be back, but it’s definitely a cool place to see at least once.

We loved every cubic inch of this venue. My wife and I had our reception here in October 2014. The LAMPS, oh the lamps, are an incredible accent piece! They are stunningly beautiful and add so much to any photos taken. The versatility of the seating, the limitless and effortless decorating options are a sure plus as well. We were able to visit many times before our big day to see the different setup options and it had a different look every time. We used the projector screen to show our wedding video and all we heard were compliments, no complaints, about the sound and clarity of the A/​V system. One thing to be mindful of is to have good lighting for photography. the bar is dimly lit… it is GREAT for atmosphere but not so for photography. Outside of that small issue, the place is great. Thanks Clark for making our day memorable and special. We totally recommend this place to anyone and everyone.
Mr. & Mrs Stevens

It’s as if a group of 20 somethings stumbled upon an old antique furniture warehouse filled with dusty credenzas, armoires, chiffoniers and other antiquated names for furniture that would confuse even the most savvy of IKEA employees. In this warehouse, hundreds of forgotten Tiffany lamps lay dormant. In this group of 20 somethings is a pretty handy electrician and he decides to suspend these dormant Tiffany lamps upside down from the ceiling, and flip the switch… brushing the interior of this once lifeless warehouse in a glow of romanticism and allure. They build out a bar, add a few TVs (this is the 21^st century, people), and never let their parents know that they’ve found this diamond in the rough.
I say 20 somethings because the soundtrack isn’t your mother’s top 100 and the crowds definitely younger than you’d expect, and I can live with this.
While I can’t tell you how I got here or where it is in Houston, nor can I say I wasn’t a little skeptical when pulling into the fenced gravel parking lot in the dark… I really did enjoy this bar. I love Nouveau Art, and Alphonse Mucha, and the mural on the outside (by Anat Rosen, whose murals I now want to stalk all over Houston) nods to his work.
I enjoyed a well made Moscow Mule, and a very stiff drink that was supposed to be Horsefeathers? To the bartender’s credit, I didn’t know what Horsefeathers was till Matt E. explained it to me.
Personally, I think this would be an excellent place to take a date after dinner if it’s going really well, especially if they’ve never been here before… If it’s not going well, save this one for the next date ’cause they’re not going to easily forget this place! There are little nooks and crannies you can escape to, and discuss how much you both love dogs, or listen intently to their story about their 3 years in the Peace Corps while catching whatever is on the two TVs over the bar. Or go with a big group of friends, they have ginormous tables you can all congregate around… maybe bring a pack of cards, but not quarters please, these are antiques, people!
I would definitely head back to this magical warehouse that comes to life behind the walls painted in the style of Art Nouveau for another Moscow Mule and good times!

As many people have pointed out about this location, this is an unique bar with intimately lit bar as the bar is full of Tiffany style lamps and chandeliers with good selection of beer at a good price for being a bar in Midtown. I have been here mostly for after party of an event and/​or parties. One of the perk for this bar is that it has it’s own parking lot with decent amount of parking, did I mention there’s no charge to park in the lot as well?
One of the thing you have to remember is that the bar is really dark and on the weekends, it will be blasting dance music for some reason as in my opinion, it doesn’t really fit to the mood of the bar but hey, I’m not the owner, so I don’t get to say what music should be played there. But for the past few times I’ve been there, there’s always been a special priced drinks for the weekend as it collides with special after party for certain events. It’s definitely a great place to hang out, have a drink, and chill.
Now in my opinion, it could be a great place for a date night for you to take someone you’re just starting to date. However, as I mentioned earlier about the music, it tends to get a bit loud so it’s hard to have an one on one conversation with the person without the possibility asking him or her «What?» or «Could you say that again?» Other than that, this is one awesome, unique bar that hopefully it will be here for the next few years.

Never underestimate the power of 1,000 Tiffany-​style lamps.
I was tired, sweaty and wearing something that definitely didn’t meet my standards for being seen in public, and I just wanted to go home. But one mustn’t be antisocial, and my coworkers were requesting my presence. It’s time to do some drinking.
We make it to the bar, and from the large gravel lot with the flashlight-​toting door guy, I was convinced we were going to some sort of Texas-​roadhouse dive. With visions of dudes in big hats and bigger belt buckles, drinking Lone Star and spitting chaw into cups stuffed with paper towels, I just muttered to myself «Reba, take the wheel!» and walked through the doors. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be a huge understatement.
The first time you walk into Nouveau Antique, you can hardly believe your eyes. There have to be at least a couple of hundred Tiffany-​style lamps, sitting on tables, hanging from the ceiling, or in display cases on the walls. Their dim lights collectively give the spot a warm, sexy glow that is instantly inviting. Rarely do I do this, but we felt compelled to make a lap of the entire bar, just soaking in the ambiance. I was taking Instagram pics of their ceiling. It’s that attractive.
The music they play is definitely crowd-​pleasers, and not what I would typically listen to on the radio, but it works. People were into it, dancing in small groups and having what seemed to be a great time. But if you don’t want to be in the thick of it, there are plenty of nooks-​and-​crannies to disappear with another person or two and have a more intimate experience.
The bartenders were fine. They didn’t blow my mind, and they royally fucked up one of my drinks — though maybe Horsefeathers aren’t as common in TX as they are in the midwest, so I won’t hold that against them. This doesn’t strike me as the type of place you go for fancy drinks, and I’ve learned my lesson. But that being said, if I was with the right group of friends, I’d gladly return.