Alamo Drafthouse

The original movie, dining experience. Several have duplicated but none can compare.
Without getting too… whats the word… I dont know.
It’s just you start out with an awesome idea, some little mom and pop place… and then some big commercial enterprise decides to take that idea and make it bigger and better… thats how the world works. Walmart will put your local market out of business. In this case, I hope that never happens. The Alamo is one of my favorite things to do in Houston. I love everything about it, including the hard old seats. I like that you put your order on a peice of paper and don’t push a button to get waited on. I like the prices, the food, and the staff. I love Alamo forever.
Why cant we get some in Cali? They have one shitty place at the Grove where you can get one tiny plastic cup of wine for $ 8 and there’s no food. It sucks ass.

I come here rarely. The food is cheaper than SMG and the theaters are much bigger. But, there’s less selection of food and the chairs are not as comfortable. They are more like regular movie chairs versus the nice office chairs. Sitting and eating is not as comfortable because you have to sit up and reach forward to eat.
I’m not used to and don’t really like how the waiters have to scurry across the theater to take your order and give you your receipt during the movie. It’s pretty much the same as SMG but the office chairs are elevated so when the waiters scurry through they scrunched down and it doesn’t bother me.

Well I’m a fan just because they host some cool events. And you have to be a fan of a place you can order beer & watch a movie.
So the food is decent, but not a 5 star joint. But you know what your going for really. To drink beer and watch movies!

I was here for the Friday the 13^th mini-​marathon. The event was hosted by Roger, and had guests from 8^th Dimension selling their wares. It was an awesome event, and was lots of fun. The guy dressed up as Jason Voorhees was a nice touch.
Parking was meh. You’re at a mall, so don’t expect close parking.
Staff was friendly, waitstaff was decent. The method of ordering food/​drinks was different than other ‘dinner and a movie’ type places. The down side is that they kept bringing food that wasn’t yours. (Maybe in an attempt to get you to eat/​drink more?)
The food was adequate. We had chips & queso, fried pickles, and a few drinks. A friend had a burger that he enjoyed.
It was a great experience, and I’m on the look out for more of these events.

It’s hard to write this review without comparing it to the other location on Mason which is my «regular» Drafthouse movie theater.
The good: drinks and food while watching a movie? BRILLIANT. I loved the chips and queso and the BBQ chicken pizza was delicious.
The bad: the bathrooms smell like piss :(. The service was veeeeeeerrrryyyyy slow. We got there 30 minutes before the movie started and we must have waited at least 10 – 15 minutes before we got our first pitcher of beer. Granted, there was only one waiter and a trainee, but there were only 8 people in the theater! The queso took forever (but at least they came and told us after 10 minutes that it would be a while longer and offered to bring me some salsa to hold me over till the queso was ready so that was good customer service).
We went to this location because the movie time was convenient (middle of the day) and we’d probably come back but I prefer the other location better (newer, cleaner, and better service).

Me and my friends used to frequent this place when we felt like having dinner and a movie together. Unfortunately, we will not be back due the treatment we received last weekend.
Since it was opening weekend of the Hunger Games, we expected the theater to be full and settled on some seats that were pretty close to the screen. No big deal, we were just excited to see the movie and order some food. We save 2 seats for my friend and her sister which wasn’t a big deal to me since there were plenty of open seats in the rows in front of us.
There are a few people who ask us if the two spots we’re saving (one with my friends purse in it) is available and we tell them that they’re saved. Then this one guy comes and asks us if the seats were available and we say no. He stands at the aisle for a while and then says «your friends aren’t here, you can’t save seats» or something of that sort. He then proceeds to step on my shoes, pick up my friend’s purse and sit down. Meanwhile, his pregnant girlfriend is pushing up on me trying to make her way through. After going back and forth with these people, the manager finally shows his face and lets them have the seats. I would understand if this was a full movie theater with no seats left but there were literally seats available right in the row in front of us. Its not like it would of made that much of a difference.
And the only reason why we had to endure fighting for our seats was because our friend was held up at the box office. Her sister is 14 and they wouldn’t let her in because it was PG-​13 and she didn’t have ID to prove she was of age? Seriously? First of all, since when do you card for PG-​13 movies? Second of all, since when do teenagers under the age of 16 have IDs. And third, my friend is 23 and old enough to be a guardian. Ridiculous!
So after all this we leave and proceed to get our tickets refunded. The manager is there and demonstrates child like behavior by laughing and joking around with his employees. There was no sorry or how can we make it better. He was just silent, crossed his arms, and ignored us. That is not how a manager acts in the service industry and is a poor representation of Alamo Drafthouse.
I hope the choice he made that night was worth the 4 tickets and the food we had already ordered. I also hope it was worth not having our business anymore and having a bad review on Unilocal.
If you would like a dinner and movie experience, pass on this place and head on over to Star Cinema Grill.

Last night a friend and my husband went to Alamo Drafthouse for the first time and we all felt, «wow, why have we never been here before?!» It was a great place to be after work. We went for the Office Space Quote Along and went home after bashing a fax machine, having delicious drinks and food, receiving mini staplers, and flair for our outfits.
This was such a blast and for my workaholic husband, it was a great way for him to unwind and relax. He was a bit annoyed by how far it was from central Houston, but I thought it was well worth the drive.
Fabulous experience and I’m definitely subscribing to their emailing list! :)

Love, love LOVE the Alamo Drafthouse! Of course, this location compares with none of the locations in Austin but it doesn’t matter… I’m still so very happy to have an Alamo Drafthouse in Houston :)
For those of you weirdos who have yet to try this place out, allow me to give you a quick briefing on why this theater puts all other theaters to shame…
–They don’t make you watch commercials before the movie! I *hate* going to see a movie only to have to get there early and watch 9 million Coca-​Cola commercials and be inundated with pointless movie trivia that loops every 3 minutes. At the Alamo before the lights dim, they are actually showing entertainment that halfway relates to the movie you are about to watch.
–Free drink refills that I don’t have to get up to obtain. Other theaters may offer this as well, however it requires me to leave the theater and miss my movie. Not here… I just put my little piece of paper up and BAM I have another diet Coke in front of me.
–Ummmmmmm, you can drink alcoholic beverages there??? Yes, a huge plus indeed.
–They have a sense of humor (like haha but seriously…) about d-​bags that typically ruin going to movie theaters. Are you sitting next to a loud, obnoxious person that feels the need to update their FB status every 5 minutes in addition to checking their emailing and texting? Alamo has a pretty much a zero tolerance policy on this type of behavior.
Not to mention, that the food here is pretty delish as well. Pass on other theaters… this place is definitely your best bet if you actually want to spend the pretty penny it costs nowadays to view a movie in the theater. Highly recommend!

My boyfriend has joked that going to this Alamo Drafthouse is like travelling the Oregon Trail. So yes, I’m one of those stereotypical yuppie Houstonians who doesn’t dare venture outside the loop. However, as a former Longhorn, I have a special place in my heart for the Alamo Drafthouse. Who doesn’t love an independently owned theater with a twisted and quirky sense of humor? I can’t get enough of their quote-​alongs. The Drafthouse will pick older comedies and show them on the big screen with classic quotes highlited karaōke-​style. Talking and quoting out loud is encouraged and even more fun when everybody participates. They usually hand out silly props to throw or make noise at certain points throughout the movie. The overall experience is very interactive and unique.
The food is good and the beer list is always impressive. I recently went and noticed they had a great selection of seasonal winter beers. The food comes out quickly and is always well prepared.
I’d go to the Alamo Drafthouse all the time, if only it were closer to my house in the Heights. Once they build a new one in my neighborhood, you bet i’ll be there anytime I’m interested in catching a movie. But for now, I’ll save the experience for special occasions– like quote alongs. Make sure you check their calendar of events regularly for special showings because there’s always something going on!

If I could I would give this 3.5 stars. I think Alamo is starting to really focus on their beer! Anyway, I was disappointed to see an all-​around price hike of a couple bucks on their menu. $ 11 for a personal margherita style pizza is a little steep. I guess you pay to eat during a movie.
The price hike would be fine with me if the food was really good. They have high brow stuff on the menu but it’s not done as well as you’d hope– I would stick to the burgers. Last night I had the stuffed portabello. The stuffing was only on top of ¼ of the mushroom, and the mushroom was pretty drastically undercooked (sad!). We really like Alamo but maybe it’s better to go for dinner first then just grab a beer with the movie.

Love the atmosphere and the Nobody Under 18 policy they usually have. The commercials and events they host usually lead to a pretty good time. It’s a fun place to hang out with your friends and I have some pretty good memories doing Rocky Horror, Troma Thursdays and Sing Alongs. When Harry Potter came out last summer they had a «butter beer» drink that was really good. I love their menu design, and how they named them after famous movies and quotes.
My only complaint is the food and prices. Granted most food at theaters are pretty high, but their food is also very VERY bland tasting. Even the cake is pretty bland. I wish I could get something better tasting for what I was paying for.

I have not found that much difference between this location and their other Houston location, Mason Road. They have a full bar, amazing beer selection and better than most «dinner and a movie theater» food faire. West Oaks is closer to where I live, way over near downtown Houston, however we usually hit the Mason location because we have never seen anyone under 18 there. On Tuesday’s matinée, Alamo has baby day the only time little kiddos are allowed. Out of all the «dinner and a movie theaters» the Alamo is the least family or kid friendly. If that’s what you need, this is not your theater, Movie Tavern or Studio Movie Grill are where you should head with the kiddos in tow and by kiddos I mean under 18. You won’t find a kid’s menu at the Alamo!
Tickets are regularly $ 9 and $ 7 for matinée and students with ID. You can purchase tickets online through
, but they only sell the regular priced tickets and they will charge a $ 1 booking fee per ticket ordered.
recently started selling tickets, but their fee is $ 1.25 per ticket. Check out my review of the Mason Road location to get the jest of what the Alamo is all about.
Barely beat out by the Mason Road location, this is my second favorite «dinner and a movie theater.» The location is around the other side of the mall if you are coming from Westheimer and Highway 6.
Watch out for their signature events, girlie night, sing-​alongs, quote-​alongs and tough guy cinema. Usually cult classics or just things wacky it’s something fun and different, and it’s always nice to catch your favorite movies here whether you caught them the first time in theaters or not. I love the Rolling Roadshow that offer outdoor screenings, lately in Market Square Park in downtown Houston. You can usually find the screening schedule here —

Wednesday ³⁄₃₀ was the Horror Movie Mix up. Three horror flicks from the 80s mashed up and edited for only the best parts. While that is going on you throw in some hand puppets that bring back a sense of Mystery Science Theater 3000 meets USA Channels «Up All Night» series from the early 90’s!
Management has all kinds of great stuff planned with this group called «The Action Pack». Besides horror movie mash ups there are quote-​a-​longs to cult classics, sings-​a-​longs to music videos, and this programming called «Hecklevision» where you get to text in jokes about the movies pop-​up video style.
Best part… It was all FREE! Just the cost of whatever you are drinking and/​or eating. A great marketing plan on what would normally be a very slow weeknight.

I’ve only been here for a movie and dinner. It’s a nice change compared to your regular stale movie theater. Alamo is packed with a lot of personality. They recommend coming early so that you can get settled and not feel rushed looking through the menu. It’s a drag sitting through the pre-​showing crap at other theaters, me and my friends make sure to time it where we arrive when the movie starts. However, Alamo shows funny videos that have you cracking up and wanting to tweet about it. We came an hour early but it whizzed by with food selection and funny videos.
The food isn’t all that great. It’s overpriced mediocre food but a lot better than the overpriced salty nachos and dry hot dogs you find at another theater. I like the option of having a root beer float while watching Jason Stratham jump off of a roof.
There seems to be a lot of fun events like sing-​a-​longs and pajama parties. Checking one of these events is on my to do list!

I love this place and you should too! I love that they still offer student discounts (college too!) and have reasonable pricing. So many movie theaters have gotten to be $ 10+ per ticket and Alamo has not. While this location isn’t quite as awesome as the original on 6^th Street, it can’t be docked a star for simple geography. Speaking of geography, this place gets sketchy at night. I generally always walk back out to my car expecting a window to be smashed. Thus far, I’m always pleasantly surprised with an intact vehicle. However, the sketchiness is again not Alamo’s fault and I refuse to take a star away for that.
My movie-​going experience has always been pleasant and I will continue to go here even though it is quite a drive. I prefer the matinée showings when possible so that the theater isn’t crowded (and loud). Their buttered (real butter) popcorn is better than most. I pretty much get their Porky’s Pepperoni Pizza 80% of the time and it never lets me down. The milkshake is also rockin.

I love Alamo. I went to Alamo in Austin all the time and this was my first time to the Houston location.
I just feel like you can’t beat Alamo. The servers are nice and quick to come by and get your order. The seats are real theatre seats. The tables are easy to reach.
I love that they always put time and effort into the pre-​show clips. They research what the movie is about and who is in it. Then you get to see nothing but those types of clips. Example: We saw Black Swan. The clips before the movie were either ballerinas or Natalie Portman clips.
I also love that the inside of the theatre is old school red drapes all over all the walls. They don’t allow kids which makes my heart swell. The last two theatres I’ve been to in Houston have had really obnoxious and annoying kids either talking over the movie the whole time or screaming and running up in down the aisles. No worries here! If you are a parent and want to take your kids, you can. They just can’t be unattended or under 7, except Tuesday’s are Baby Day.
The only complaint I feel anyone could ever make about Alamo is that it is expensive. But I feel given that it’s an adult environment with anything you want at your finger tips, it’s worth the extra cost.
Also when we went they had a special if you check in on Facebook and show it to your server, you get a free Alamo Drafthouse Pint glass. Sweet!

I have been to Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks when it first opened. It was a new concept to Houstonians where you can order real food and beer while enjoying first run movies. The first time I entered the theater, I find it odd where every other rows of seats are now tables with menus, papers, and pencils on it.
My overall experience from Year 1 until now has been nothing but praise. The waitstaff have been trained really well on the customer service, on remembering and writting down additional details on the scratch sheet of paper with the food order on it, and dropping off the right check to the right person.
The food runners are overall good on delivering the right food to the right person, or at least the right table. I do remember I had occasionally where incorrect food was dropped to my table and I had to be interrupted by my movie viewing experience just to let them know this isn’t my food. But it is really rare this happening during all my visit to the Drafthouse.
The food menu has been very stable, and they always have a seasonal menu attached to the main menu. The beer selection is top notch and they are one of the only venue that gets a keg from St. Arnold’s Divine Reserves. They also have a Growler which let you buy pitcher of beer for a cheaper price. They also have a beer passport for people to check in and get cool prizes just by drinking beers at the theater.
Overall, Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks had it’s up and downs and currently it’s very stable in the high end of the fun scale. If you have an out of towner who never visit a movie theater that serves beer, this would be the place to go to have a great time.

This is my favorite movie theater in Houston; even though it almost is not even in Houston. Still, I drive from downtown just to go see movies there. The people who work there seem like they enjoy working there and are enthusiastic about movies. This one of the things that makes it better than the other theaters with the same concept (food and beer service during the movie). Also, the beer selection is excellent with several rotating beers and the occasional hard to find beer.
They also have really fun special events such as beer dinners, classic movies, and special local screenings.
I recommend showing up about 30 minutes early for the show, because they usually provide pretty good entertainment before each movie.

LOVE the concept of not allowing teenagers, babies, and children into the theatre unless it’s a kids’ movie, and even then, anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. They have baby matinees throughout the month, so if you do have a baby, you can go without attracting too much attention if your baby cries.
Food’s decent. There isn’t a full bar, but they at least serve margaritas, mimosas, sangria, beer, and wine. You have to sit on the edge of your seat to eat, but the lack of children is worth it. Service is usually pretty good. Wait staff are always asking if you’ve been here before and do a good job of explaining the concept, how to order, etc. They’re also very conscious of crouching so they’re not blocking the screen.
Keep up the good work.

This place is really good (but not quite great). As you can see from other reviews, it’s an older style theatre that has had every other row removed and replaced with long tables. It’s great to be able to do dinner and a movie all at the same time. My husband and I frequent this location often as it is just north of Sugar Land. The great thing about Alamo Draft house is that it isn’t full of kids. They have a policy about the age of the kids that can come and thank goodness! They do have matinees on Tuesday where babies are welcome, so moms can get out of the house and see a show (be aware of this so you don’t show up on a Tuesday afternoon expecting a quiet theatre). They have decent but expensive food and a bar (I don’t know how extensive the bar is but they definitely carry many types of beers and wine). Our favorite menu items: chicken quesadilla, raging bull pizza, potato skins, chips and queso. The 5 dollar milkshake is good but totally not worth the price.
Theatres 1 and 2 are great; they have big screens and tons of seating. Theatres 5 and 6 are tiny and have awful sound.
Pros: you can buy tickets when you get there or online. Free Soda refills! They have great special events. Fewer kids that then typical theatre! Hilarious pre-​show entertainment (old videos from the 70s, 80s, and 90s)!
Cons: Noise control is lacking (you have to ask a server to ask people to be quiet and it really doesn’t do much, but still quieter than most regular theatres). Food is expensive. All the drinks make you need a bathroom run during the movie.
Even with the expensive price tag, this will always be our go-​to movie theatre.