410 Bistro & Lounge

Shut it down or take it elsewhere, quit trashing Houston.

410 Bistro & Lounge used to be Four and Jones Bar I believe and has been open since November 2008. My first time going there was within the first few weeks of its opening. I had never heard of the place and didn’t attend on going to it but 410 had a street team, whose sole purpose was to pull in people to the club with the lure of getting in for free, which worked for my friends and me. The club lacked a sign on the outside to let people know what the place was, which was bad because you’d be tempted to go to the club next door, Level because it’s more visible. The club had a DJ spinning tunes but mainly a mix of r&b and rap hits from the 90’s and the crowd was very diverse and dressed a bit upscale. The one thing that was kind of wild to my friends I was with were the erotic pictures on the wall. They’re black and white pictures but if you look closely, you’ll see that it’s different body parts of women, cool I guess if you’re a guy looking at it, but not so much for females, well at least myself and the young ladies I was with. When we went to the restroom, we were a bit confused as to where to go because there weren’t any signs to indicate whether the rooms were for men or women. Instead of signs with words, the signs had pictures, on one door was a picture of a key and on the other, a picture of a keyhole. Luckily we entered the right one after a friend of mine with a very perverted mind figured out which one was which due to the pictures on the door (unfortunately I can’t disclose it because it may be a violation of Unilocal T&C lol) All of this was on the first floor.
The second floor which can be entered by going outside to the back entrance and climbing the steep concrete stairs which transports you to a totally different vibe. While downstairs was «classy», this spot seemed to be where you come to let go and get wild. The upstairs is dark but funky in a good way. There’s lots of places to lounge with two bars in close proximity to one another. When you go to the dance floor area, it’s very dark and kind of cramped with limited seating in the area. There’s a female swinging on swing, which some found to be fun, for me, not so much. Towards the opposite end of the club upstairs seems to be a private area with see-​through drapes for those wanting a little privacy I suppose. Turns out that this spot is used for an after hour spots when the club downstairs closes. It’s open from 3am-​6am. All-​in-​all, 410 was okay.
Fast forward to August 2009… wow have things changed in such a small amount of time. While the music spinning by the DJ is more current r&b and rap music, the crowd has changed. The crowd is alot younger and ghetto, and with there being no cover charge, it’s always packed in the tiny space downstairs. With space being so tight, it’s difficult to get to the small dance floor by the dj booth, get to the restroom, and to the other side of the bar. Management there seems to have upgraded the place by decorating it a bit more. What used to be built in seats that were just plain wood with no paint or cushion, now has a coat of paint, cushions, pillows, and drapes to provide separate seating areas. More nice and modern barstools were also noticeable as was a sign on the outside of the club letting people know what the name of their place is. I was told that a staircase would be built in the near future to connect the first and second floor so there would be no need to go outside and climb the steep stairs. Also there’s a plan to open a kitchen there to provide food for the patrons. Even with those upgrades, because of the type of crowd that’s there, the place is really just lacking and unappealing. I think if it could change it’s demographics to cater to like to an older crowd of 25 – 35, it would be a place I’d consider going to every now again.