Urban Smoke — Restaurant in Houston

4 stars for first visit. I'll upgrade to 5 after more visits w/ same experience.

Setting & vibe: I love how the cigar room is separated from the non-smoking lounge area. Both sides have DJs, food and bar. Both sides are rather small, but cozy. Fills up fast during late evenings. Our visit was to the cigar room. Free parking is limited but not impossible. Valet is available and fluctuates between $10 or $20. Carpool if you can. Also note, to order food or drink you are required to EITHER open a tab OR pay each time you order. They do have a portable cc terminal to charge your card right at your table which I appreciate. 20% Gratuity is automatically added to every bill.

Food: Impressive. The wings hold true to the reviews I've seen. Perfectly fried and seasoned. The french fries weren't cheap shoestring fries. The lambchops were tender and good size. Mash potatoes were made from scratch. Fresh spinach. Plating was attractive although I suggest a smaller dinner plate for the lambchop dinner. Pricing was fair. I would definitely eat here again.

Drinks: First, everything but the drink menu has prices. You already know what that mean, lol..and I do not believe in paying top dollar for a drink filled with different syrups and juices but just little liquor. Well, I ordered one drink, The Frenchie ($14.40), and it was very well balanced and tasty so I ordered it 3x. The first time I ordered it as is...the next 2 times I replaced the Whiskey with Cognac (Martell) since cognac was specially priced for the day. Cognac is the better option if you ask me.

Daily specials: I find the overall pricing to be fair considering the quality of food and drink and size of venue. With that said, the daily "specials" aren't much of a savings as their marketing suggests, however, we weren't disappointed with what we spent at all.

Service: We are not needy patrons. All of the staff were friendly and attentive, even as the night got busy. Food came out hot and in great timing.

My only gripe: This new trickery where you're handed the cc machine with only your total showing and asked to choose a tip selection when 20% gratuity has already been added to the bill. You have to request to see your itemized bill. Of course they are hoping you just add an ADDITIONAL tip to the 20% gratuity already added. I have no issues with gratuity being auto-added. However, as an accountant, I do take issue with this unethical method of conning the additional tip out of customers. Yes, I called it a con bc staff is not upfront about the gratuity...and it has become common with many small minority businesses in Houston. Just be upfront. Trust me, customers who appreciate the great service will tip extra anyway. But, if I have to ask you bc you've tried hiding the bill then that 20% is all you...

The only reason they have 1 star is because the nice Hispanic female bartender apologized for the very poor, delayed service my husband & I received. Also, the DJ & live music were nice. Now, to the meat of this review….STAY AWAY! I was already appalled when I showed up for my reservation & was told at check in that my reservation was at the bar & not a table…she stated the tables were for larger groups (as if to say smaller groups are not important enough even though we are also spending money on your establishment!) Little did they know, I had another reservation scheduled for a larger group a couple months down the road for my birthday, but cancelled immediately after this horrible experience! Next, I’m guessing the owner attempted to create a speakeasy feel with the “secret” door leading to the inside, but it was anything BUT a speakeasy atmosphere on the inside. I’ve been to extremely nice speakeasys with really great, unique drinks and was actually seated at nice tables. It was a total experience and this was not that! Also, the drinks were not good! My reservation was at 5:30 and my husband & I did not receive not one drink until 6:15 (we didn’t event get acknowledged until 6:05). Oh also a shout out to the Hispanic man who apparently couldn’t make drinks but did give my husband and I ice water when we sat down at our “reserved bar space”. There was one bar maid/waitress (the skinny darker skinned female with long braids and the white skort) who clearly could care less who came in when because she was only attentive to what appeared to be her regulars…and although several people (regulars) came in AFTER my husband and I, they immediately got service! She literally stood directly in front of my husband and I and acted as if we were invisible…we were never acknowledged by her one time. We will never walk through the doors of this place again and will be sure to share our experience with anyone we can. Please read the negative reviews to make an informed decision on whether or not to grace this place with your...

This place is advertised as a Cigar Lounge, but it's really a Ghetto Bar. I was looking for a Cigar Lounge as a visitor from out of town and stopped in for the evening, I quickly realized that this place is NOT RECOMMEND as a place to visit. As you enter, they have security at the door (Red Flag), as I entered, I was told that I had to be patted down if I wanted to come in. Once inside, you go through a lobby and enter the bar, which has an unpleasant order and a very Shadyside atmosphere and a very rough crowd. They do sell Cigars in the lobby prior to entry, since I made the trip I purchased 2 Cigars ( NOT a very good selection, mostly cheap flavored cigars) I already decided this was not a safe place to be so I left. I do not recommend this business because they put a credit card fee and charge you a mandatory 20% fee on all purchases and service, they have a really small sign advising of fee's, but don't tell you, and by the time you find out, it's already on your charge...