Phil’s Wine Lounge

Love the happy hour! Prices are great for wine and food. I have been here twice and the first time service was awesome. Next time not so much. The band added nice background music and played a lot if Gypsy Kings one of my favorite groups.

Three stars is just for the wine list alone. A hell of a selection and beer and wine are my thing. I didn’t recognize but a handful and I love trying new things. So I came during happy hour. Surprised? 7 buck 12 inch pizzas. Had the spicy pepperoni and it was darn good. Just drink some water before going to your wine or it will taste funny. Happy hour is from 4 till 7 Monday to Friday. Half off a list of wines. I think they’re open bottles, not sure but it’s an extensive list! I got there before most of the happy hour crowd and there were only 2 seats at the bar. FYI: the pictures make the actual bar look a LOT bigger than it is. There are some tables in the bar area with mostly Reserved signs and some seating along side the bar.
By about 6pm there was a heck of a crowd. The bartender said Shell was hosting a networking event as well as a young urban professionals thing. I was glad to be sitting at the bar. Left my cutsie sweater there though. Talked to some guys who left with a 400 buck tab and they said the regular food is not worth the price point. So I recommend the happy hour. It’s business casual with ages from 20s to late 40s this night. Oh and free parking in the back if you don’t want to valet

loved this place! great drinks & great food

The bartender downstairs (in Phils’s) is awesome. I forgot her name but she created the cocktail menu. She takes so much pride in crafting the perfect drink– and it shows. During happy hour there are like 12 – 13 cocktails for $ 6 each that are usually $ 10+ other places. I love the vibe, you can sit at the bar or anywhere downstairs and just decompress or have a meeting. Best happy hour in the Galleria/​Uptown area for SURE!

Phil’s and Phillippe embody everything that I love about Uptown.
From the atmosphere — classic upscale modern meets old world chic — to the immpecible service to the amazing food and drinks keeps me coming back for more. It’s a vino lover’s dream — and from 4 to 6:30 — all the open wine by the glass is half-​priced. Not too shabby, but the cocktails stand out in thier own right as well. ‘The Bitter Pill’ will make you fall in love with gin. It’s refreshing, smooth, and at a mere $ 6 during happy hour, your bank account will thank you too. ‘Blessing’ is a little more girly-​drink mode with pomegrante and vodka, but does not turn into an overly sweet concoction. The bartenders are attentive, helpful, innovative, and above all, a pleasure to chat with.

We have a handful of favorite places in the Galleria area and Phil’s is at the top of that list. Valet is exceptional and sets the tone for service before you walk into the door. The décor is sexy and the music is soft enough to hold conversation but loud enough to appreciate what’s playing. Our bartender Kate is part of the reason we go as often as we do. She is attentive, professional, genuine and makes the absolute best drinks in Houston!
My favorite drink is the Garden Variety which I am determined to learn how to make at home. Regarding the food, we aren’t big dinner people but enjoy appetizers with our drinks instead. The meat and cheese tray is amazing; however, we always ask for it without pâté. We were pleasantly surprised by the grilled calamari and love the ceviche. The pizzas are great as well. Like all French food expect small portions with exceptional quality.

Happy hour is totally doable. They have some great drinks, 3 pizzas, and previously opened bottles of wine for half price per glass. $ 5 for forced valet.
Bar staff is very accommodating, nice. It’s not totally crazy in here like Benjy’s is for happy hour.
But what just kind of threw me, something totally ridiculous and unforgiveable… you have a photograph of Philippe himself staring at you with this longing sexyman gaze while you are on the pot. No seriously. Once I realized it was Philippe himself and that he’s actually looking at you through the mirror, it’s hilarious. It’s so utterly ridiculous. WHO DOES THAT?
Clientele are rich people in their 50s. Bar staff are not obnoxious. Unlike the people you are surrounded by.

I’ve always been a fan of Philippe, and most recently, they’ve revamped the swanky downstairs lounge to be more of a wine bar. They still have their amazing menu of cocktails and bar bites, but the new happy hour is what attracts winos — ahem, «wine aficionados» — like myself.
Each and every day, they print up a new menu of all their half-​priced wines by the glass. They’re essentially all the opened/​unfinished bottles from the previous day — not weeks like other places — preserved using an argon-​based system. So alas, you can enjoy a $ 25 glass of wine (at half the price) and splurge on a delicious French cheese plate or charcuterie spread.
Since they cleared off the old building next door — formerly home to Americas — they’ve made room for a quaint patio. They’ve also touched up the interior with a wine wall, a community table for wine tastings (or a large group), new wall paper and a few other new touches here and there.
HH is Mon-​Fri: 4 – 6:30pm
$ 5 house wines (including some bubbly!)
$ 2 Domestic Beers, $ 3 Import Beers
$ 5 Well Drinks, $ 6 Specialty Cocktails
$ 7 Pizzas
Lounge menu:

So this is the rebranded downstairs section of Phillippe Restaurant & Lounge. They made a few subtle changes in décor but mainly they have ramped up their wines. And their happy hour is amazing. $ 6 dollar specialty cocktails, I highly recommend the bramble. Sweet but not overwhelming.
I was able to take advantage of the $ 7 HH special pizzas too. I highly recommend the parisian with duck confit also the Western with pulled pork. Both come on a very thin crispy crust.
The bartender downstairs is a joy and makes your visit so much more pleasant. They are having a lot of construction in this area so it’s a bit hard to find, but it’s across the street from Masraff’s. They offer complimentary valet so take advantage of that!