MKT BAR

Loved the food and atmosphere! Thursday night is steak night! Good food and good vibe!

This place is connected to the Phoenicia Market but the MKT bar wing seems like it’s own place. It is well decorated and a great place for casual date night especially when they have live music.
My wife and I love going during their Thursday Steak Nights! Such a good deal and very good as well. We will definitely be back!

MKT Bar is one of those hidden restaurants that’s a joy to discover. If you’ve ever been to Phoenicia downtown, the specialty grocery store, MKT Bar is their restaurant. The interior is pretty trendy and they often have live music/​DJs. Tuesday and Thursday’s are especially popular as it’s star night. For $ 12.99, you get the chef’s choice cut with chimichurri sauce, a salad, and either za’tar fries (seasoned fries) or a twice backed potato. The restaurant was pretty much full at 6 on a Thursday and the service was still excellent.
Even though the meat was quality, it was a little too fatty for my taste. I did like the chimichurri sauce however. I wish they would tell you the cut of meat beforehand instead of it being a surprise. The salad and fries were good and they also give you a good amount of thin onion rings which was a nice surprise. My dining partner had a twice baked potato which was good but pretty small. You definitely get more food if you go with fries.
We ended our meal with some gelato and they had some interesting flavors. I went with snickerdoodle and cookies & cream because I’m a fat kid. The gelato, however, sounded more appetizing than it tasted. Mediocre gelato, you can get much better at gelato shops across Houston. I’ve also been for brunch and had the chicken and waffles which I enjoyed.

Fantastic place. Great atmosphere with DJ. Great food. Had the Moroccan Sliders and Za’atar fries. A stellar pairing. The sliders were incredible with the cheese and orange. Really fun place will definitely be back.
Bonus points– connected to a really great grocery store with tons more fresh food and pastries. I want to take this place home with me.

There’s something cool and chic about this place. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
It might have to do with the name, which is in all-​caps and has exactly 3 letters before the space and 3 letters after. You could create a lot of symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing art with that name.
It might have to do with the location, which is right smack dab in downtown and is within walking distance to bars and Discovery Green. Downtown always seemed more sophisticated than me.
It might have to do with being inside Phoenecia Foods, a specialized market where you can get cool, unique, healthy stuff like octopus salad. Low carbs, anyone?
It might have to do with the food. The $ 12.99 steak night is quite possibly the best steak for that price point in Houston. Really juicy, really tender, and the tangy chimichurri sauce on top is the perfect complement. The hummus is pretty good as well and perfect for sharing.
It probably doesn’t have to do with the fact that service is generally slow and inattentive. Last time, we had to wave a waiter down after 15 minutes of sitting there with no water.
There’s also something symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing with this review. Can you figure out what it is?

Great staff and service! The food was awesome!!! We came here during a busy time for lunch during the Final Four Festivities and lucky enough to find a table (self seating) and was immediately greeted by a waiter. The food was delicious and very flavorful, their chicken fattoush is my absolute favorite!
They only have wine & beer here, so don’t expect your traditional Mojito or cocktail drinks as they are made with either wine, champagne, beer or sake.

All these people are not wrong. Great atmosphere. Staff completely on point and accomodating. Music play list was so legit. If I lived in Houston I’d shop in the grocery/​market often.
Meat and cheese board, plated with several options & surprisingly large portions… Pizza hit the spot. Wine list needs improvement. I should have gotten beer, the list was much stronger. My mistake.
Thanks MKT Bar. See ya again.

Came on a Fri. night and sat towards the back where the band was performing. Started out with the artisanal meats and cheeses app, which was a very generous portion of an assortment of goodies that they offer in their grocery section. There were 9 things on the plate! My faves were the Armenian cheese, proscuitto, and apricot jam. Next, we had the chilean sea bass and hill country sliders. Both were very tasty, and I especially enjoyed the fennel jam in the sliders — such a unique twist. For dessert, we had the apple baklava and carrot cake bread pudding. Both came with gelato. The portion size for the baklava was enormous — definitely meant for 2, but the bread pudding was a bit smaller. It’s not your typical bread pudding in the sense that you don’t really get the chopped pieces of bread — it was more of a quick bread to me. I preferred the baklava of the 2 desserts, but the gelato (dulce de leche) that came with the bread pudding was tastier. Overall, both are excellent! Our server was very attentive to detail and extraordinarily hospitable. Since we had a small table, he even brought up a stool so we could put the app there while we continued to enjoy our entrees. A great experience — will be back!

Well, alright! Show me what you’re working with then, MKT BAR!
I had first visited MKT at the beginning of the year for an UYE, and at that time I couldn’t really develop a good review on the establishment alone so I decided to return for another visit. This place is cool! It has a nice, laid back, and versatile atmosphere to it. If you look around, you will see businessmen, couples, and even families with kids – Yes, MKT Bar is family/​kid friendly. Love!
I came back on a Tuesday night with my kids for Steak Night. For $ 12.99, you can get a ribeye steak (cooked your way), baked potato or fries, fried onion strings, and a salad. A very good value and everything was flavorful. We also made it in time to catch happy hour and I was able to grab a $ 5 glass of Grenache that was a nice compliment to my steak. My kids ordered pepperoni pizza and the Bayou City Slider meal off the kids menu. The «s» is left off the end of slider for a reason – it only comes with one slider! I don’t think we’ll order that again. In my opinion, the menu is small and a lot of the dishes are just too «busy», so not many things stuck out for me. I will have an open mind but I probably only see myself sticking to the steak dinner and pizza for my kids.
Oh yeah… On this particular night, the dj was jamming! He played lots of hits from the 90’s including hits from Aaliyah, 112, Faith Evans, and Outkast; and he even threw in some newer artists such as Rihanna. My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I also noticed that they have Soul Sessions Saturdays and me being a lover of old school soul music, I’ll definitely be back to check that out.
Free parking, good vibes, good wine, and a nice family atmosphere… I’m a fan!

F*U*N joint! 1) who wouldn’t love Phoenicia market where MKT is tucked within 2) convenient parking 3) cool vibe 4) great music n live entertainment. Complete with intimate dance floor 5) Bar 6) friendly, efficient n knowledgeable staff (especially Greg, our server)
We Enjoyed happy hour Bevs (Karbachs were large n frosty!). The burger was flavorful n cooked to perfection n accompanied by shoe string fries. T-​bone steak dinner was flavorful and plated w/​lightly battered shoestring onions and I substituted roasted Brussel sprouts vs garlic mashed potatoes… all very good. (Only surprise n am not complaining, the steak was as thin as a fork tine).
Wanna know how powerful/​resourceful Unilocal is? I’ve been to Phoenicia Market (a lot) with my eyes n interest solely targeted on the grocery/​specialty side. I looked on Unilocal for a great place close to Toyota Center. MKT pops up. I’m all over it and let’s just say blown away (n lil embarrassed) to discover MKT had been under my nose the whole entire time!

I love MKT Bar! It’s good for a date night or lunch with the kiddos. It’s about a 30 minute drive for me (yikes!) but well worth it. I’ve only ever tried the pizza, but it’s delicious. The staff is very friendly and attentive. They have a ton of events and weekly specials as well as live music.
I took the boys to MKT for an early lunch today. The menu is very limited. They serve brunch from 9−3pm, and your only options are pretty much waffles or pizza. (Of course, you can pick up something from the other side and eat in the restaurant area). I ordered the Valentine’s Day special kid’s meals for the sons, which included a heart shaped pizza, a cookie decorating kit, and a drink. I ordered two, but it was so much food that my boys (ages 3&7) could have shared. One pizza was completely untouched and the other was only about half eaten. The cookie decorating kits were very cute and such a nice touch. They both got two sugar cookies, 3 bags of frosting and 3 small cups of items to use to decorate the cookies (sprinkles, candies, etc). All of this was only $ 5! What a deal! For the adults, we order a pizza to share. Again, it was plenty.
A family outing (2 adults, 2 kids) usually cost us about $ 40. This lunch was less than $ 30! I’m not sure how much a regular kid’s meal cost though. Oh, and we weren’t not charged for our adult drinks (lemonade & Dr Pepper). I’m not sure why, but I left our server a nice tip as a thank you.
It can get really crowded around lunch time so I would advise and early lunch if you don’t want to share a table with someone else or have a long wait. Right at around noon, there were no tables available. Shortly after we asked for the check, a couple asked to sit with us. Hey, if they don’t mind my super active 3 year old screaming, then I definitely don’t mind.
I know this place has free parking, but I was unable to find it. I parked in the green level in the parking garage across the street. It was only $ 2 so that’s fine, BUT the machine only takes cash, which I didn’t have. It would have been nice if there was a sign making me aware of the cash only policy. Nevertheless, the gate attendant let us go. Also, as we were leaving, we noticed the garage had a sign up saying $ 10 for parking. Maybe it has something to do with the time of arrival? We made it at around 11:15am.

Great area on the side of Phoencia Grocery in Downtown. They had a nice selection of beers and a nice varity of food on the menu. I had a glass of Pino Gris that was light and flavorful for a house white. My husband had a cider beer that had a really nice apple flavor to it. Not to tart and not too sweet. A real treat… seriously did not mean to rhyme that.
Plantain chips had a different seasoning to it so it gave it a salty, lime kick. I liked it. Hummus was creamy and tasted homemade. I like that it did not have too much tahini in it as that can tend to make hummus a bit tart.
It can get a bit loud in there as there are cement floors and no ceiling tiles to absorb the noise. So I found myself talking loud just so the people at my table could hear me.
Parking is not very plentiful so if you go, park somewhere else and walk over. If there was valet parking I would have definatly taken advantage of it.

I went for dinner last week. It was bad weather at that time and I really appreciated the free parking garage that is attached. This bar is attached to a real downtown grocery store (Phoenicia). The design of this bar is a little unusual in that being attached to the grocery store gives it a different ambiance that a stand alone bar does.
MKT has a full service bar and a food menu that consists more of a restaurant feel that typical bar food. Some of the steaks and other entrees are more expensive than you would think. There is also a small stage that accommodates singers or other performers to do their thing.
Attending a happy hour event that lasted longer than planned I decided to eat dinner here. Having already munched on some provided appetizers I decided on the fish and chips that come with chickpea fries and a small container of Asian slaw. The food arrived a bout 15 minutes after ordering. I thought the fish was good in taste and gave them a (3.5). I enjoyed them. The chickpea fries were large in size put didn’t turn me on with their taste. I guess God made fries with the idea that they should come from a potato. (2). The slaw was good and tangy (3). My table service was good (3.5).
Like most bars this one gets loud as it is one room with no partitions to help deaden sound. It also has a separate street entrance so you don’t have to go in the grocery store entrance. I have eaten at this place once before and I believe a 3 is fair for the food quality. I am sure that downtown residents like this place because they can walk to it.

What’s not to like about Mkt Bar? It’s not just a bar, it’s a restaurant and offers both alcoholic and non-​alcoholic beverages. I’m a Diet Coke lover, so this worked perfect for me!
I love that the parking garage is connected to the market, which was awesome since we were experiencing a light storm in the area. As we walked past the market check out and past the restaurant tables, I could tell I was going to experience something special. A DJ was busy filling the air with peppy tunes. The Mkt was filled with a diverse group of individuals, who all appeared to be having a great time. Staff offered a friendly smile and warm welcome.
A section of the Mkt had been set up for our event and was easy to spot from a distance. Thank you to the Mkt and Cherry for making this easy for us first timers. Our servers immediately asked for our drink order before we were seated and made sure we had a menu. Service was attentive without being intrusive all evening. My coworker and I chose to split an order of Slider Burgers and Chickpea fries. I loved the slider but am not a fan of the chickpea fries… they’re just not my thing. This place has a lot of things going on, like game night (ping pong, darts, board games, etc…) and a couple of my new Unilocal friends were singing the praises of steak night. I can’t wait to come back with family and friends!!!
So, why four stars instead of five? The tables were so close together we could not move around and mingle easily. A little more space between tables and I wouldn’t hesitate to change my rating to five stars.

Finally got a chance to check out this little eatery tucked inside the Phoenicia grocery store on Westheimer. There is a multi-​level garage attached to the market, which cuts out the hassle of having to find street parking downtown. The seating is first-​come-​first-​serve, and we had to settle for a table off to the side because apparently the place fills up pretty quickly when they have live music. The ambiance was low-​key and slightly dim, with tables full of canoodling couples or colleagues grabbing post-​work beers.
My friend and I went with the Thursday night steak special, which gets you a 7 oz steak, a salad, and a potato-​based side for $ 12.99. Not a bad deal. We ended up getting food insecurity and ordering a queso as well, which may have been overkill. The savory queso was surprisingly good though and very unique, with sweet pita chips and 2 cheeses I’ve never heard of. The steak was thin but cooked well, with a nice chimichurri sauce to give it an acidic kick. The twice-​baked potato side was soft and buttery. Overall the food was above average, albeit not very memorable, and the venue was an interesting change of pace. ⁴⁄₅ stars from me.

Mkt bar is always a safe bet for lunch or weekend brunch. They have a wide variety of options. For brunch, I’ve enjoyed their chicken and waffles. They have a unique take on this as well, lamb and waffles! Ive also enjoyed their breakfast potatoes.
For dinner, their sliders are great option, and good portion. I recently had their hill country and bayou sliders, both are good. Their chick pea ‘fries’ are ground chickpea made into fries, served with a garlic aioli.
Their steak night on Tue and Thurs is a steal! Definitely something to try atleast once. They have delicious gelato and seasonal flavors.

What a cool concept — a lively restaurant tucked in a specialty grocery store. You can park in the One Park place garage attached to the Phoenicia market. Entrance is located on the corner of Austin St and McKinney St. Just make sure you park in the Phoenicia reserved parking spots. Not sure if your car will get towed if you park in the other spots. From the garage, you can take the elevator to get to Phoenicia market and MKT bar.
When we came in, a band was already setting up to play live music. The design of this restaurant was pretty cool too — dark with candlelit lighting, brick walls, and exposed metal pipes. It reminds me a lot of Chicago. There are mostly small tables and booths that can seat 4 people maximum. A couple of long tables are available closer to the small stage area where the band was playing, and further away where you can’t see the band. So, this restaurant can get quite cramped.
We came on a Thursday night for their steak night special. For $ 12.99, I’d say it was definitely worth it. My friend and I asked for our steaks to be cooked medium rare and medium, respectively. These did not disappoint. Our steaks had a nice crust on the outside and a nice grilled, char flavor throughout. The twice baked potato, fried shoestring onions, and the side Caesar salad were delicious as well. All of this was really quite filling.
As for our drinks, we ordered two of their local cider beers — golden cidre and pomegranate cidre. Both were great, but we preferred the golden cidre because it was sweeter. If you like it more tart, then choose the pomegranate cidre. The beers were very affordable. Instead of glasses of beer, we got whole bottles. My advice of you don’t want to drink too much is just to buy a bottle to share amongst yourselves.
Even though we were already quite full, we did manage to order their desserts. But, the ones we ordered weren’t that great. The carrot cake bread pudding was just meh, and the butterscotch ice cream that came with it tasted like menthol. Sorry, that’s the only way I could describe it. The chocolate cake was kind of dry, and it was a little too decadent for us. But, maybe the other desserts may be better.
I kind of wished we had more time to look around Phoenicia market after eating at MKT bar because the food and snacks there looked pretty amazing. I’m excited to come back here again, though, since they also seem to have something going on every day of the week. You can go to their website and look at their calendar of upcoming events. I would definitely recommend coming here to check them out!

I like drinks and steak night at MKT bar, and I love that it’s within Phoenicia, so you can buy wine or desserts. Now that I’m working downtown, MKT is a great option for lunch, too.
A friend and I met for steak night ($ 12.99 for a steak with chimmichurri, a twice baked potato and a MKT salad). I didn’t love the salad. It had olives, grape tomatoes and cucumbers — all things I dislike. The steak was the highlight of the meal, as it should be. It was cooked to my specifications, juicy, nicely charred, and the chimmichurri gave a great herby freshness. The twice baked potato was buttery and had excellent flavor, but mine was room temperature. I feel like these are pre-​made, but mine never got reheated, so I didn’t get the melty goodness I would have liked.
The downside of MKT bar is the layout. The dining area is very long and slim and there is often foot traffic passing by going to and from the store.

We tried Mkt Bar for brunch today. We were a little confused at first. Those places where you seat yourself but there’s no sign saying that always throw me off. Anyway, we took a seat and were helped quickly. Two diet cokes and a milk for he little one later we decided to order the egg white frittata for me, chicken and waffles for the hubby, and some potatoes for the mini one.
Hubby loves the chicken and waffles. He said the cardamom in the syrup was a unique touch, m. I didn’t care for it. He said the chicken was really great. My frittata was ok. It had fresh spinach and feta. I think it needed more feta and not just sprinkled on the top.
The roasted potatoes were the best part. They were crispy on the edges and well seasoned.

MKT Bar is a multi-​purpose establishment. Intimate enough for date night, but social enough for an evening with friends/​family.
I decided to check out Steak Night, which is offered on both Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. I believe the price is $ 13 for a ribeye, baked potato/​fries and a side salad.
For starters, I was highly impressed with the overall look of the restaurant. Great layout for such a small space. The tables aren’t large as a result of size, but it didn’t take away from the experience.
Our server was phenomenal, unfortunately I didn’t catch his name. However, I observed a lot of team work amongst the wait staff, so I would expect the service to be consistent.
Our salads came out shortly after placing our orders. I’m definitely ordering a salad on my next visit, as it was one of the best side salads I’d eaten in a while. The house dressing is legit! We ordered a couple of beers that were on special as well — St Arnold’s and another similar to an IPA. Not my favorite, but for 3 bucks I wasn’t complaining.
The steaks arrived within 7 – 10 minutes and I loved it. I ordered the broccoli ($ 1 extra charge), but a potato was brought out instead. The server kindly fixed the order and left the potato, so I ate both. My girlfriend had the fries and I will definitely get them next time. My girlfriend ordered her steak medium well, but it came out more well done, so she didn’t love it. My steak was a perfect medium and I was tempted to lick the plate.
I’ll be back in the near future and I’m definitely urging my friends to check it out as well. They offer brunch on the weekend’s, as well as host various themed nights. Once you’re done getting your eat on, walk over to Discovery Green. On Thursday’s, you can catch a free concert on the lawn.