The Original OKRA Charity Saloon

If you are downtown Houston and want to drink & do it for a good cause? OKRA’s the place. Every month, OKRA has a new set of charities that you can choose as the recipient of the bar’s profits. With each drink you are given a ticket, and there are 4 different charities to give that ticket to. The charity that receives the most tickets gets the money. To date as of writing this review, they have given away $ 684,214.27. The charities have received anywhere from $ 10k-​25k each month. If you are interested in the charities and how much they received or to sign up your charity, go to their website:
.
Besides the warm fuzzies, the cocktails are excellent. Their beer selection is not huge, but the beers they offer are pretty solid. Finally the food. Everything I have tried has been delicious. The revival panini was particularly delicious. Also the milk and cookies are a must if you have a sweet tooth.
The only negatives I can say is that they usually need an additional bartender to get the drinks out quicker (although the bartenders they have a great) and the bathroom situation is kind of small (even the guys room usually has a line).
This place is a must for one of your downtown stops. Get there early because a line often forms after 10pm.

This place was a breath of fresh air after being totally lost for something to do on a sunday downtown I’m from California and wasn’t sure where to go but ended up here and I’m glad I did. The bar bites were awesome and I love the concept of the charity bar Kelly was a great bartender and very attentive next time I’m back in Houston we will be here for sure

We went over for drinks with friends and had an ok time. The drinks were a bit on the light side and there are not many places to sit. The architecture of the bar is pretty unique… like a cross between a barn and arboretum! Still, it gets pretty packed and u might have to wait to get in. They have a pool table and one other table game that I’m not sure what it is. The music they play is more pop and spans from 60s to current day. It would be a great place to chill and talk if the music wasn’t so loud.

Great selection of beers. Bartenders are always courteous and knowledgeable. A good place to grab and drink and chill. Added plus: profits go to a rotating list of charities. This week was focused on animals. Killed two birds with one stone — my drinking helped the forgotten dogs of 5^th ward.

Definitely a great place to eat, drink, and give back. A friend’s social group was having their charity here for the month of December and so I went a couple of times to support him.
The drinks were good and strong enough in my opinion. I had white wine for happy hour the first night and it was probably about twice as much as is normally poured into a wine glass. The next time I had a couple of «daiquiris» and those were good as well. The seating is bad to me. There is a big wooden game in the middle of the room and it would likely be better if they had a couple of tall tables with stools there.
Food? We shared some of their waffle fries and they were nothing special, even when seasoned. I got their BLT panini and while good, it isn’t something I’d run back there for. Now, their grilled cheese? Holy cow! That was awesome and one of the best grilled cheese I’ve had in the Houston area. They put a spicy mayo on it so there is a bit of heat along with the cheese.
The biggest positive is the charity aspect of this place and why it gets a 4^th star from me. For every item you buy you get a ticket. There boxes available for you to vote for your favorite charity. So it’s a way to get some decent food (or an awesome grilled cheese), some drinks, and give back at the same time.

Not impressed at all. I actually didn’t like the place. It was beyond crowded and nearly impossible to get to the bar! I was very tipsy and still remember the experience. I will say, they had decent music and everything you might want to drink, but not the place you’d want to stay all night. If I’m ever in Downtown looking for a good time, I will only go into this place if I’m dragged in.

This place is super fun with good music! The idea of donating is simply genius! I would definitely come back here!

Very crowded with a bad layout — you’ll be in the way no matter where you go. Blah across the board. Okay drinks. Okay beers. Okay music. Definitely the frattiest/​clubbiest of the bars in downtown (a Midtown bar in downtown). Not a place I’d go out of my way to return to.

Great Concept! Helping others in need is a noble cause. However, this has become a hipster hotspot to see and be seen at. I couldn’t even find a place to stand at, last weekend when I was there. So I hopped into the Honeymoon and Little Dipper. Which I believe is also owned by the same guys. If I may suggest, please don’t let more people enter than there is space for. Couldn’t walk, let alone order a drink! Also, I do understand it’s about making money but not at the cost of turning off customers.

I came on a Saturday night, and they bouncer did not let us go in until some people left. We waited 15 minutes for someone to take our drink order. The bar area was very packed, you could barely move. I liked the atmosphere, and the drinks. The back area was also nice. Cool bar.

Have been here a couple of evenings, once busy, once not so much. Both times I had an excellent time. Low-​key atmosphere, dark, on the loud side, but good music. Fine selection of beer and liquor. Food is a step above bar quality. Great to support a local charity at the same time.

The quintessential Downtown Houston bar, and easily the first that comes to mind in the skyline area. Their happy hour game is strong, their food is above-​par, and 90% of the time their cocktails are a home-​run. The variety of drinks they have range somewhere between regular bars and those of the Anvil variety – they don’t have a cocktail menu or speciality list to order from, making it a bit difficult for first-​timers to pick a drink worth having. Fortunately though, their quality is usually on-​par with the other cocktail destinations. If you accidentally default to «whiskey sour» or «gin & tonic,» you know it’ll be damn good.
Weeknights and happy hours are great here. Quiet, relaxing, and the mixologists, when not rushed, will do a kick-​ass job. Perfect for a Thirsty Thursday with the co-​workers. Friday and Saturday nights turn into Mr. Hyde, though – loud, crazy, and can easily take upwards of 30 minutes to get your drink, of which 10 – 15 are guaranteed to be spent grabbing a mixologist’s attention… while sitting at the front of the bar. Looking at him, or her. Dead in the eye. What Anvil does well behind the scenes – in terms of teamwork and covering for busy mixologists – OKRA does poorly. During primetime hours, the mixologists are rushed to satisfy their endless queue of thirsty customers, and the result is usually a (small) standard deviation in overall quality.
Let’s face it– if I’m nitpicking about their «teamwork,» I come here way too often. Short answer: highly recommended bar and is perfect for a first, second, third, or last stop for your night out. Did I mention buying drinks lets you vote for a charity you’d like them to donate to at the end of each month? If anything, be a good person!!! Stop by and grab a delicious cocktail for a good cause.

Great concept and drinks! Oh and the jerkey and fried okra is amazing. Found this place on a blog and we will be back. Love the exposed brick too. I’d live here. Loft life. Lol.

I love the concept behind the bar. I went this Wednesday to support and donate towards charities and foundations. Its a beautiful space and right next to the rail off of Preston. I got the fries, fried okra and roasted cauliflower all delicious. Amazing people and wonderful vibes. It’s truly a hidden gem.

On a Monday night at a downtown watering hole, the last thing you’d expect to find inside is a Bible Study. But we do that every Monday at 6:30 at OKRA, and the staff has been so great about it. We have an 80-​something woman who gets around downtown on a Segway who comes most weeks, and every week the bouncer holds the door open for her as she wheels her way in and then watches over the Segway while she has a seat. Try that at another downtown bar…
So yeah, it’s not your average downtown bar. People are downright nice here. There isn’t a TV set in sight. The cocktails rock. There’s a small food menu of tasty stuff like Paninis and a fantastic cauliflower that is addictive (rasins, pine nuts, some olive oil, and a bit of salt).
I don’t feel like I fit in at most bars, but everyone fits in at OKRA. Come have a drink. And if you’re there on a Monday night, there’s an open seat with a bunch of saints and sinners for you, too.

This place is awesome. I love the concept but aside from that, it’s just a comfortable spot. It’s 7:30 on a Friday evening. It’s less than half full (which I like). Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. I found street side parking but I think I see a valet out front. Bar tenders are friendly enough but they don’t have table service which sort of stinks. I like table service.
Try the okra. It’s really good.

I love the concept behind OKRA. It’s great to see a bar investing into it’s community and allowing its patrons to choose where the money should be given. They have a pretty small (but good) draft beer selection that’s a great deal especially during happy hour.
I wish they had a menu of cocktails to get your mind jogging. Sometimes it’s hard of thinking of what drink to have. However, the bartenders are really helpful in finding a drink to suit your tastes (which is probably why they don’t have a cocktail menu).
If you haven’t been here. Go here. Grab a drink. Support your community.

I really tried to like this place, but it didn’t work out. Don’t get me wrong, I like that they donate to charity, but lately it seems like they’re being a little too charitable with my money. I can’t really do happy hour in downtown because it’s out of my way but in the middle of the week with not that many people there, it seems a bit overpriced to pay $ 10 for a well drink (unless somehow adding 2 ounces of ginger beer to well whiskey is considered a premium drink). Over 100% jump seems a bit much over Happy hour.
Another one of my pet peeves is when I pay cash for drinks and the bartender just assumes that all of the money I paid over the amount is tip. Now if a drink was $ 4.25 and I paid $ 6, of course that’s what it means, but the bartender there just assumed that I wanted to tip $ 5 on a $ 20 bill. In retrospect I should have probably asked for my change and created an awkward moment, but expecting $ 5 for making two well drinks at the bar is a bit much when you consider that’s what most servers get for bringing food and checking up on customers several times get.
Next time I’ll pick a less charitable but more honest place and help out the charity directly.

For those of you who want to contribute to society by getting wasted, this is the place for you. Such an original concept and very cool. Your drink proceeds go to charity. Basically the way it works is you get a ticket for every item you buy i.e. drink, food, etc. There is then an area describing 3 – 4 charities of the month. You put your tickets in the charity’s box of your choice and at the end of the month, the charity with the most tickets gets a full donation.
We were there for happy hour and it was pretty packed. $ 3 draft beers was a pretty good deal with some solid choices on tap including Live Oak Hefeweizen and Fireman’s #4. I also went with a grilled cheese with four different types of cheeses plus sriracha mayo. Along with some parmesan and rosemary waffle fries. Definitely better food than I was expecting.
Unfortunately, the bartender was pretty bad. She definitely didn’t seem happy to be there. Put a smile on your face, you’re working towards a good cause! She never asked us if we wanted another drink, we had to yell at her. Maybe she was just having a bad day, who knows. The bar stools also don’t have back support which I’m always not a big fan of.
But let’s end on a positive note. They’re known for their cookies which are served with milk. Seeing drunk bros munching on cookies and milk at 1 in the morning is a sight to behold. Thank you Okra for making this a possibility and providing us with such cheap entertainment!

So this place has an awesome concept. Over a hundred Houston bar owners got together and opened this cool, concept bar where all the proceeds go to charity’s chosen by the patrons. They make a good solid drink. Great atmosphere. Tamara is the bartender to ask for…

Great bar friendly staff. The best part of this bar is they rotate charities. With each drink ordered they give you a ticket to vote for one of 4 charities that you think should get the money. We tried their house punch really good stuff. In an area full of bars this one is worth going to. The place is one of the busiest too so don’t be discuraged if there is a wait. They have a pool table and shuffle board if you want to have some fun while drinking.

This place was so cool!!! Came in here on a Sunday afternoon and it was hopping, I think there was a shower going on for the second story, but everyone had congregated around the bar anyway… but the bar tenders were still very friendly and greeted me with a minimal wait. We easily found a table and enjoyed the artwork on the walls.
I only tried their beef jerky but it was AMAZING! I want to go back just for the jerky!

Why 4 stars? Because it’s a really neat concept + awesome drinks!
— — —
This is one of the best cocktail bars in Houston according to Unilocal reviews, and friends/​family say the same! The proceeds here go to different charities that they choose every month. All awesome, right? Yes.
The only thing holding me back from star #5, was an unnecessarily rude bartender. I try not to hold the acts of one person against a business too much, but this one stuck with me. Her attitude was this: she was a patron of the bar and we were mercilessly hitting on her.
Reality: We asked her a couple of questions about the drinks, because she was, um, the bartender.
Snootiness sucks. The drinks and the charitable contributions at OKRA don’t!

Extraordinarily cool concept and a simplified drink/​food menu make this a wonderful downtown hotspot.
OKRA is itself a conversation starter. If you aren’t moved to comment on the building or the architecture, you can surely find something to say about one of the four charities vying for the profits of the bar at the end of the month. With each ticket given by the bartenders (a ticket per drink or menu item), you get to vote on which charity gets OKRA’s profits above costs. Very cool concept, and a great way to garner visibility for worthy causes.
While this sets OKRA apart, its food and drinks keep me coming back for more. The panini are amazing, and quite hefty in portion. Try the deep-​fried pickled okra. The beef jerky is made in house and is so tasty! But the waffle fries — oh, the waffle fries. Those are the things dreams are made of. HUGE portion, delicious seasonings (choose one of three, parmesan rosemary, cajun, or salt and pepper), and some crazy addicting sriracha ketchup.
The drinks are also good. The bar toes the lines between hipster and snooty and divey. They have cold Fernet for only $ 3 a shot (be careful — these go down easy and cause quite a hangover). Wine choice is delicious, but limited to red, white, pink, and sparkling. Go for the pink. Some good local beers. Talented mixologists.
It can get crowded, but I’ve never had trouble finding a seat. I believe this is the future of the downtown Houston scene, and I couldn’t be happier.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I’d love this place. The architecture is beautiful.
My four rating is for the architecture, the concept (drink for charity), and the service. They have few beers on tap but more in bottles. This place seems to be more to enjoy cocktails. The bartenders are nice and will work with you to make a cocktail you would like whether it’s something new you want to try or a classic.
We got their waffle fries and they were horrible. I don’t see this place being about the food at all so if you’re hungry, eat else where first.