13 celsius — Restaurant in Houston

I had been waiting to try this place for a while and was SO disappointed. I’ve been recommended this place numerous times and will never be back.

My girlfriends and I went after dinner, and we ended up cutting our night short from the attitude of the bartender. We were not welcomed from the moment we got there and we could all tell. My friends and I were definitely the youngest in the bar that evening, in our mid to late twenties, the rest of the customers were older adults.

We sat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine. Bartender stated she needed to see my ID…no worries about that of course, I’m sure we look younger than we are as well. She then rudely said to my friends “well I’m gonna need to see yours too. All of you.” It was all about the way she said it and her tone. It was not friendly at all and was very apparent from that moment the service we would be getting for “being young”.

The night went on and we could see we were being glared at the whole entire time by her. It was absolutely ridiculous. It then became very apparent this lady was eavesdropping on every conversation. At one point, I asked my friend what flavor her vape was by stating “what flavor do you have?” Never did I say anything about a vape…we could’ve been talking about gum. Next thing you know the bartender is in front of her saying “there is absolutely no smoking” again, it was the way it was stated. The tone so rude. This lady hated us for no reason.

It was at this point my friends and I all started talking about the service and her attitude from the jump. We hadn’t talked about it before because we didn’t want to kill our night. We all agreed she was extremely rude and did not want to serve us just because we were younger. I am normally one to give people the benefit of the doubt and brush it off, but it was just ridiculous. Asked for the check and decided to head down the street to get drinks instead. The last straw? The check being impolitely slid at us. Don’t worry, we couldn’t leave...

If you’re looking for a solid date night spot, and you’re a fan of wine you should definitely consider swinging by 13 Celsius. Tucked away just outside of the heart of Midtown, in what feels more like a townhouse residential area, sits one of the best wine bars you’ll find in Houston

From the outside the bar looks relatively small, but as you walk in the bar is deceptively spacious. There is one of the smallest parking lots in the back, but I wouldn’t hold your breath on snagging a spot there. As mentioned, this is more or less a residential area, and you will mostly likely have to find trees parking. Make sure you double check for “no parking” signs. Midtown is notorious for towing cars

The interior is nicely decorated and intimately lit. You can find seating both inside and out, and there is a long bar you can sit at

The menu offers wines from all over the world, and you can order by the bottle, glass, half glass, and you can also taste. There are a variety of delicious small plates and other snacks to order

The staff was exceptional. A couple individuals took our typical wine preferences and was able to find similar wines that we would enjoy. They could explain why we would enjoy, and they allowed us to taste prior to ordering a full glass. Another served us our small plates and explained the dish and even the history of sourcing some of the dish components and why

It is incredibly easy to get lost in conversation and unwind at this bar. For what it is, I also found the bar relatively affordable. And for anyone wondering about the name, 13 Celsius refers to the optimal temperature for storing and maturing wines

Some tips: Again, ask the staff what they would recommend and let them take you on a journey of exploration. And please, check the “parking...

What a lovely little wine bar. I think the thing that I love most is the space itself; from what I understand, the building itself is quite old and the proprietor chose to not do a complete facelift before reopening which I think was exactly the correct decision. A lot of the paint (on the ceiling and walls especially) is peeling and heavily worn which adds this hauntingly beautiful aesthetic that I absolutely adore. The painted glass and modern art adds a healthy touch of modernity and the bar itself is sleek and modern, blending the two excellently (and the chairs are SUPER comfy!).

The service is excellent and the people who work here definitely have a really great rapport with their regulars. Help with those inexperienced with wine (myself included) comes efficiently and without judgement which I really appreciate.

The wine itself varies as much as wine does and the selection is really impressive; it goes from cheap to wildly expensive and in many different configurations ranging from age, to grape, to whatever else makes one wine different than another. I've never had a full pour of anything I didn't like.

There is also a respectable food offering (this isn't a gastropub) that seems to focus more on quality and with an eye for wine pairings rather than variety but again, I haven't had anything I didn't...