Solarium — Restaurant in Houston

Today is my wife's birthday. I thought the brunch board at Holman Draft Hall would be a great birthday celebration in a Covid environment for me my wife, and my friends who all work in public health and non-profit. Unfortunately, the brunch board was the only highlight to our experience.

Upon arrival, we approached the bar to ask how the brunch board experience happens when you have a reservation because there is no host/hostess stand upon entry. We waited for almost 15 minutes as the bartenders ignored our arrival. There wasn't a line of people 5-10 people deep -- there was only one person already in conversation with the bartender; we waited our turn... for almost 15 minutes. Then we watched as the bartender pivoted to ignore us and address some other woman who had approached the bar. The bartender took the menu off the bar in front of us and deliberately put it in the carrier with the cocktail napkins and straws out of our reach. At this point, the lack of service was obvious and intentional. After servicing the other woman and realizing we weren't leaving, we got an exasperated sigh and an eye roll from the bartender as we heard a, "... yes?"

I told her we had a reservation for a brunch board. She just looked at me absently. I asked, "Soooo... Do I tell that to you? How does this work? This is our first time here and it's for a birthday." She told us to walk around the bar and find our name on a reserved table. "Ok, and what about drinks? Do we order them here with you -- the bartender?" She was blatantly ignoring us and not offering help.

'Ya, sure. What do you want?"

We ordered a prosecco liter and was met with another blank stare. My friends had questions about the make-your-own Bloody Marys and she acted as if it was the biggest inconvenience. She filled the carafes and plopped them on the bar in a way where no one from our party was certain as to whether or not those carafes were our drinks. When we asked if the carafes were ours before we grabbed drinks potentially not ours we were met with another eye roll and exasperated sigh.

Considering it was only 11:30 a.m. and I saw this bartender greet several other people happily I can only conclude this attitude was directed and specific towards me, my wife and my friends. For these reasons, I will never return. The gentlemen who served the brunch board were great, but once the board is served, that's it. There's no additional service, no one checks if you need water -- that's it and the end.

Lastly, we had my card on file but my friend ending up picking up the tab. We both got charged. We were told mine would be voided. The charge is on my account at the moment so I will be watching for the return in the days to come.

It takes a lot to make me leave a bad review and it's usually due to service. I can genuinely say this is one of the worst in Houston. The culture of Houston is so inviting and warm that a place like Holman Draft Hall stands out for their lack of hospitality and customer service.

Go to Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. for great service, yummy food, and breathtaking views instead. You...

I’m convinced any good reviews for this place are people who don’t play pickleball and came just for the bar.

We will NEVER be coming back here. We rented a court for two hours to try it out. Although the court was $20 an hour as a new special, it had a nasty dip in it and was constantly collecting water. It's really dangerous if you're actually playing. We asked if we could switch courts, and they wouldn't let us and didn't offer any kind of viable solution or apology or discount.

There's an up-charge on literally everything, probably because they spent way too much money on faux foliage and building out shipping container bays. If you’re eating outside on the patio, good luck you’ll be covered in flies and so will your food.

They kept our IDs the entire gameplay which is also weird. Not convinced the IDs were stored properly or safely in their 'pro shop' which is literally another container where they sell tshirts and $9 high noons.. also why do you need the IDs the whole time? Just photocopy them if you're so invested in someone's identification. If you don’t have an ID or need to leave in an emergency you’re SOL.

The drinks are no less than $12 for mocktails, $15+ for alcohol, and even the canned drinks which should be super cheap start at around nine dollars.

They also force you to pay for valet to park as an insult to injury. So what usually is a fun time where each of my friends spend about $40 a head for a court and some drinks became a financial nightmare and 10000% not worth it. I get what they're trying to do with the uppity vibe and floral stuff but this kind of place will never be successful if they don't cater to people who actually play pickleball. Or, just be a bar. Since they struggle to do both well.

We play weekly and have been to every place in the greater Houston area. I wouldn't suggest this place at all for pickleball, it's definitely the worst one. As a bar it’s fine, but why are you going to a pickleball place to...

My recent visit to Holman Draft Hall left much to be desired, primarily due to the unprofessional behavior of the bartenders. Upon arriving, my friend and I were met with unnecessary rudeness when we were asked to move out of the way of a railing. Despite us already moving, the bartender who has half her head shaved, kept harping on about it, as if our brains were not large enough to comprehend her request, making us feel unwelcome and disrespected.

To add insult to injury, my friend was incorrectly charged for three extra drinks and a seltzer that she did not purchase (if this was even a mistake, that is) When we raised this issue with another bartender, with very long blonde hair and a mustache, the response was dismissive and argumentative, leaving us feeling unheard and frustrated. It's disappointing to encounter such unfriendly service, especially when patronizing a place meant for relaxation and enjoyment. As a result of this experience, I'm hesitant to return to Holman Draft Hall and would caution others to reconsider patronizing it as well. There are many better options in Houston.

Furthermore, the disregard for customer satisfaction has led to the loss of potential business from over 60 individuals for our future events. The management should recognize the impact of their staff's behavior on customer loyalty.

Considering the billing discrepancy, I am contemplating disputing the charges with my bank, as it appears to be a case of overcharging or even potential fraud. It's disheartening to have to take such measures, but it's necessary when faced with such blatant disregard for customer trust.

Overall, the lack of professionalism and respect demonstrated by the staff tarnished what could have been an enjoyable evening. I hope the management takes steps to address these issues and improve the customer experience in the future....