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JR's Bar and Grill

Logo
The 808 and 804 Pacific Buildings, left to right
Address	804/808 Pacific Street Houston, Texas United States
Coordinates	29°44′48″N 95°23′25″W / 29.7468°N 95.3902°W / 29.7468; -95.3902
Website
jrsbarandgrill.com

JR's Bar and Grill is a gay bar in Neartown, Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. Charles Armstrong is the owner.

Description

In an overview of the city's gay landmarks, Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle said JR's hosts dancers, drag performances, and karaoke and wrote, "It's a no-fuss place to congregate". Drag shows included Que Calor featuring Latin queens on Mondays, Charlie's Angels on Tuesdays, Millennial Dolls on Wednesdays, the amateur event So You Think You Can Drag on Thursdays, and The Super Sunday Show, as of 2020. Xtra Magazine's offers the following description of the bar: "very popular, hot young professional crowd, heart of gay Houston, karaoke, martinis, drag shows, amateur strippers and go-go boys".

History

Jr's was established in the late 1970s or 1980s. The bar has hosted and supported the Montrose Makers Market. JR's operates on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Reception

Clint Hale included JR's in the Houston Press's 2017 list of the ten best bars in Montrose. The bar was also named readers' choice for the city's best gay bar in 2019 and 2020. In 2018, JR's ranked number 40 in a list of the nation's most popular gay bars, based on attendance estimates for the last quarter of 2017.

In Eater Houston's 2019 and 2020 lists of the city's "essential LGBT bars", Baylea Jones wrote, "JRs is a laid back neighborhood bar. The expansive space accommodates drag shows, karaoke, and RuPaul’s Drag Race watch parties. Outside is a scenic courtyard patio complete with a fountain and water misters for sultry summer days." JR's was a finalist in the 'Best Drag Show Bar', 'Favorite Bar to Shoot Pool', and 'Favorite Community Bar' categories in OutSmart's 2019 "Gayest & Greatest" list. JR's was a finalist in the following categories for the magazine's 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards: Best Drag-Show Bar, Favorite Community Bar, Favorite Men’s Bar, Favorite Place to Watch Male Dancers, Club or Restaurant with the Best Happy Hour, Club or Restaurant with the Best Martini; the bar won in the Favorite Bar to Shoot Pool category.

In Thrillist's 2020 overview of "Houston’s Most Important LGBTQ Bars", Kathryn Way wrote, "Established in 1978, J...; when people come to town and want to visit a gay bar, they go to JR’s."

References

1. Neartown Super Neighborhood Archived 2020-06-04 at the Wayback Machine; the Neartown Association now shows the super neighborhood boundaries as of 06/04/2019 Archived 2021-06-07 at the Wayback Machine and previously had its own boundaries circa 2008 to 2018 (Retrieved October 20, 2008)
2. "JR's Bar & Grill". Houston Press. Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
3. "JR's Bar & Grill". Thrillist. Group Nine Media. Archived from the original on 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
4. "Best Gay And Lesbian Bars In Houston". CBS Houston. 2011-10-03. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
5. "Reopening the Montrose Bars". OutSmart. 2020-06-03. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
6. Guerra, Joey (2015-09-24). "Houston's gay landmarks". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. Archived from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
7. "What's New in... LGBTQ Houston, Texas". Passport Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
8. Guerra, Joey. "Here are 6 places to see great drag in Houston". Preview | Houston Arts & Entertainment Guide. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
9. "Your Comprehensive Guide to Gay Travel in Houston". Daily Xtra Travel. Archived from the original on 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
10. Year of establishment:
    • This source says 1978.
    • This source says 1982.
    • This source says 1986.
11. "LGBTQ Artist Launches an Outdoor Artisan Market in Montrose". OutSmart Magazine. 2021-02-11. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
12. Rozycki, David (2015-11-24). "Houston's 10 Best Bars Open Around Thanksgiving". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
13. Viggiano, Brooke. "51 Houston Bars That Are Open on Christmas Day". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
14. Hale, Clint (2017-05-04). "Houston's 10 Best Bars in Montrose". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
15. "Best of Houston® 2019: Best Gay Bar". Houston Press. 2019-01-15. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
16. "Best Of Houston® 2020: Best Gay Bar". Houston Press. 2020-01-03. Archived from the original on 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
17. "Four Houston Gay Bars Listed Among 50 Most Popular Nationwide". OutSmart. 2018-02-06. Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
18. Jones, Baylea (2018-06-18). "10 Essential LGBT Bars In Houston". Eater Houston. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
19. Jones, Baylea (2018-06-18). "Houston's 15 Essential LGBT Bars". Eater Houston. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
20. "Gayest & Greatest 2019: Entertainment & Nightlife". OutSmart. 2019-10-07. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
21. "OutSmart's 2020 Readers' Choice Awards Winners". OutSmart. 2020-10-02. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
22. "Gayest & Greatest 2020: Entertainment and Nightlife". OutSmart. 2020-10-02. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
23. Way, Kathryn. "Houston's Most Important LGBTQ Bars". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2021-06-07.

Further reading

• "JR's Bar and Grill". Houston LGBTQ Exhibits (Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University).

External links

• Official website
• JR's Bar & Grill at HoustonLGBTHistory.org
• JR's Bar & Grill at Lonely Planet
• JR's Bar & Grill at Zomato

• 20th-century establishments in Texas
• LGBTQ nightclubs in Texas
• Neartown, Houston
• LGBTQ drinking establishments in Houston