Rudyard’s British Pub and Grill

No no no. Upstairs comedians suck. Bartender is even worse. It was all so horrible It was awkward. Do not waste your time. Oh and upstairs stinks like old man hairy dirty balls!

Rudyard’s is a nice little place. It’s pubby, as one would expect, and has a small but quaint outside seating area. There is a pretty good selection of beer here — I got the Imperial Rye I.P.A., which was good, and definitely had a good balance of hoppiness rarely found in IPA’s. They don’t do pitchers, so that may be a downside, but there’s definitely enough to choose from. Thursday night’s special (the day I went) was $ 1.50 off IPA’s and $ 8.95 curry (keep in mind those are 2 different promotions you don’t have to get both).
I got the curry and was very impressed, though I must say for $ 8.95 I was hoping for a bit more food. I was still very hungry after eating it but maybe that’s just me.
My friends got the Margherita pizza and the Pork Sandwich. These were both good but not great. Neither of them are something I would ever eat if unless I just wanted the convenience of being able to eat at the bar.
To be fair, I am mostly reviewing this as a restaurant because I was there pretty early in the night. I don’t know if it has a good crowd or how the atmosphere is later on at night.
The bottom line is that, as a restaurant, it’s not somewhere I’d go when there are so many (better) others to choose from, but if you’re looking for a cool pub with pretty good bar food, it’s a nice place to go and have a beer.

I came here with a friend who choose this place because she could bring her dog. So I guess if you have a dog, this place would be worth an extra star to you. The place has a nice welcoming dive-​y feel with good punk-​ish music playing which was not so loud that you can’t talk, but instead provides a nice background. This is a change from most bars which are more sports focused, though sports was on the TV. The burger was rather mediocre for $ 11, though the ability to get tots instead of fries is a nice change. Drink prices are nothing special, about $ 5 a beer. I guess that most people are coming for the shows upstairs (you have to buy tickets) or just for the neighborhood bar feel.

I have always been a fan of Rudz. It is almost the perfect corner neighborhood bar, and they have recently done a deep clean of everything. While that has taken care of some of the hard to get grime, they have not lost their soul, and the vibe just shines that much brighter. Service is always on top of things, and while I am not a fan of everything on the menu, somethings always surprise me. Like Shepard’s Pie on Wednesdays, curry night, or the fantastic ribeye steak sandwich with full on pungent horseradish sauce that is amazeballs. The beer dinners are still great, and they have just had their 100^th dinner.
Oh, and did I mention they have basically doubled their tap list. While they have always been big supporters of breweries like Saint Arnold and Real Ale, they have stepped up to have one of the better beer lists in Houston.
An awesome and classic vibe, deep cleaning and some updates, darts, great music (both live and from the juke box), an interesting food menu, yep I love this funky little spot more and more every time I come.

This has been a hangout for my husband and me for years. Besides a great beer selection the food rocks! Burger with tots and black bean nachos are a few of my favorites.

Good place to hang out w friends. Decent beer selection and the burgers are definitely a must! Went there on a Sunday night and there was not much going on, might have to check it out on a Friday or Saturday night. One of the bartenders was somewhat rude but when she left the next bartender was super nice and helpful.

Came for a show and the sound system was superb. Awesome place to hang out for a few drinks! Parking is limited, come early.

I came here for a friend’s birthday party. I like that there was parking right across the place. I can imagine if there was a good show going on it might be hard to find a spot.
The place inside was kinda dark but as I went towards the dart area behold, light. I want to add that I didn’t go upstairs to see any of the bands playing. We wanted to play darts and unfortunately the bartender was only able to give us one (she gave them all out to play). Alright, so here we are playing darts. well dart. Lol. It was ok I guess. There was only one quarter table to play pool so we waited until one was available. They had pretty good mixed drinks. I had a chilli cucumber mule which was a basically a spicy moscow mule. If I’m not mistaken I believe it was a serrano chili cucumber vodka that gave it the extra kick.
when I checked in I had a coupon for free chips and salsa, something i wish I knew before I ordered. I tell you everyone’s food looked good, but the birthday boy and I only shared a basket of cheese sticks as we ate prior to arriving. It became harder for the bartenders to address us, but I mean, that’s with any bar that’s popular and busy.
When I went to close my tab I had a guy who made awkward conversations with me, not in the shy guy type way, but in the creepy way. It wasn’t a pleasant experience… I had my friend walk me to my car. He kept looking at me close my tab before approaching me. I think he was trying to get my name? I dunno, just one of those things.
I think I would definitely come back here and watch a few bands, maybe play catch-​up with friends. It’s definitely a good hangout place. Even though I didn’t order their famous burgers the cheese sticks I did have were good and the drinks were creative. The one thing I wish they had was the ability to open a tab without the need of keeping your card. I know a lot of places that are able to keep your tab open without having to hold onto your card. But oh well, minor inconvenience.

Not what it used to be. Judgemental and rude staff. I waited tables and tended bar for many many years and cannot think of the last time I let a 0 tip. The b**** behind the bar earned her 0 tip this time.
Is as if bad bad service was not bad enough, when she collects my credit card receipt she tries to have the busboy push me out of a bar, hilarious.

Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Used to live down the street way back when. My dog Halley and I would walk there. They served her water in an ashtray (clean of course).
I have never been disappointed. Been there on my own and with friends. Parking has always been an issue. Hello it is the Montrose area, which is notorious for bad street parking. If you go on off hours it’s no big thing. Going peak times well expect it to be an issue and get ready to walk. That is how it is so deal with it.
My good friend’s ex owns the place. She has kept the same feel for all these many years. So thumbs up for that and great job girl!
Halley puppy walks in merrily looks around and does a happy dance!
(Those of you that read my reviews, now know where my Halley puppy thing comes from. She is a real thing. My heart dog. Crossed the rainbow bridge many years ago. BTW Lillia Connie knew her and loved her to pieces. Still talks about her.)

I came here last night for comedy and their steak night. It’s a standard dive bar with a good but not enormous selection of beer, a couple of TVs over the bar and in the main area, and plenty of old-​school wooden tables and benches.
Food — I actually decided against the steak once I was here in favor of the very popular grilled fish tacos, and I’m very glad I did! The tacos were amaaazing. There are 3 of them, and they come with a side of black beans. The portions are not huge, but in my opinion perfectly sized unless you are JJ Watt maybe (he’d probably need FOUR WHOLE TACOS). My companion got the steak and said he wasn’t too impressed. I did try a bite, and while the steak was definitely cooked to medium rare as requested (and we both definitely prefer our steaks on the rarer side so that’s a huge plus!) it did suffer from some over-​seasoning, in my opinion it tasted like they had salted the steaks too late to get the benefit of the tenderizing effect so all we tasted was salt and a ton of pepper. The meat quality was otherwise decent for an $ 11 steak night. By the way — no one had mentioned this in any of the reviews but it’s a 10 oz. ribeye. It comes with a side of mashed potatoes (looked a bit mealy, and he said the butter & milk weren’t well blended) as well as veggies (solidly done). This is the main reason for the loss of a star.
Service — As others have mentioned, it is approached in an abrupt and somewhat cold manner unless you are a regular. Not rude, but definitely not remotely close to the typical American standard of effusive friendliness. It didn’t bother me, just thought I’d mention it.
Comedy — Was a blast. It’s an amateur night open-​mic held in the upstairs room, with sign-​ups done online prior to the event. The quality varies wildly and in my opinion is part of the appeal. You’re not getting professionals, so some of the jokes were clearly written the day-​of or maybe 5 minutes before, and some of the comics had clearly partaken of mind-​altering substances not on tap at the Rudyard’s bar. But like I said — that’s part of the appeal. Doors are at 7:30, comics go on at 8, we left at almost 10 and they still had more to come.
Parking is great considering the area, there’s a gravel lot (with potholes and all) across the street.

Please… Stop calling places BRITISH PUBS! Has no one ever been to a real pub in Britain?
Its an ok BAR. Pubs (Public Houses) are cozy, clean, friendly, social, and the neighborhoods living room… Having lived many years in England (London and in villages) I have NEVER com across a place call BRITISH PUB in USA that is anything near a British pub… May as well go to an Applebees

So sad. We used to love Rudz, but won’t be returning because Ann is no longer there. The main motivation to be a regular at a bar, is the staff. Sad day.

Decent attempt at a pub in Texas with a horrible wait staff and bar backs. Authentic English attitude towards Americans If you believe stereotypical ignorance towards patrons.
Be careful asking for a glass of water because you will be redirected to the water cooler. Self serve equals a good tip?

Good luck getting any help from these people about show times. I called yesterday and the woman that answered was so rude. I asked what time a specific band went on and she said she didn’t know and that my best bet was to check the site for the lineup, but most of their shows start at 10:30 unless it’s the pre-​show. «How will I know if they’re playing the pre-​show,» I asked? She said she didn’t know, but it started at 8.
Ok…so pre-​show starts at 8, but you don’t know who? «It’s X band.» Argh! Ok… that was my question.
So, I know they aren’t the pre-​show, but I have no idea when they go on and I’ve seen 2 different times posted plus her telling me 10:30.
I get that maybe you don’t know the lineup until the bands show up and tell you, but what’s with the huge attitude? I could tell she wanted to murder me the second she answered the phone. Oh, and their voicemail says something like, «If you want to leave a message, don’t bother because we won’t call you back.» Awesome.
Based on their other reviews I’m guessing good customer service is not thier thing.

One of my favorite places for stand up comedy on Mondays. Great crowd who is very receptive and truly comes for the comedy.
Great drinks that aren’t watered down.

The scene is pretty eclectic depending on the time of day you swing by. Always a friendly atmosphere. Definitely order food if you’re hungry. The tater tots are killer and they occasionally run out. Really everything on the menu is top notch bar food, and they’re usually happy to customize if they have what you want on hand. Also, if you’re there on a weekend during the early afternoon they have some pretty decent BBQ, but once they run out, that’s it! Dog friendly makes the spot even more inviting, so don’t be surprised if a stranger’s pup comes wandering through looking for new friends.

Stopped by here for lunch and was craving the black beans… sadly to say I was extremely disappointed with them, they were no where close to being good. I actually had to throw them away… something has changed in the recipe or even the cook, not sure though. I’ll probably try them again to see if they have completely messed up the recipe or if it was a fluke. I also order the pulled pork tacos and enjoyed them extremely… sweet and spicy, not burn you mouth spicy but just enough kick. They come a bit bare… meat and tortilla with sides of chopped white onions and cilantro… simple wasn’t bad though.

Rudyard’s has deals and events going on around the clock, from steak nights to open-​mic and stand-​up comedy. While I admire their commitment to local artists, they don’t censor their entertainment so you get a whole lot of trash scattered with gems. I went to a stand-​up comedy show and was unimpressed by the tastelessness of some comedians — again, some are really funny, others are shameless. Perhaps a pre-​show aside to their comedians (like «hey, don’t promote rape») would help those lacking common sense.
My 4-​star rating is not a reflection of the artists who perform here, but of the location and amenities. Rudyard’s is a great dive-​bar with all the essentials: games, drinks, and foods.

I was genuinely excited to try Rudyard’s. I’m a huge fan of a good British pub! Added points if it’s divey. So I thought I’d be happy as a pig in shit here.
Really not the case. I had a very lackluster experience here. We were there around 4:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday and it was delightfully neither packed nor empty. I sat at the bar and despite the lack of volume of patrons in the bar it took a few minutes for the bartender to get our order. And then another few minutes to even get them to us. I was thinking I don’t know, maybe she’s been here all day. But later on I overheard her telling another patron she just got here. Huh. Don’t know why you’re dragging your feet then.
We stick around and the bar begins to fill up. To my left, some lady is arguing with a man who says he’s the owner. They’re in some scuffle over a Groupon and the owner is really keepin’ it classy with her… not.
We stayed and got quite the treat. We got to hear the owner (who was sitting at the bar drinking) making fun of a patron at the bar who just ordered a «502 IPA» rather than a «512 IPA». And it wasn’t good hearted, as if they were pals, it was snarky like a high school girl picking on the nerdy girl.
That really turned me off. I don’t like dives that act like they’re better than everyone or people who aren’t «regulars». You gotta accept new people into the fold – how else do you get regulars?! Fine by me, I won’t bother returning to redeem my free chips and salsa with Unilocal check in. Pfffttt. SMH.

I’m going to come straight out and say it… this review is heavily influenced by the fact that Rudyard’s plays host to Joe Apa’s monthly beer and food pairing dinner. That said, any pub that plays host to such a culinary combination on a regular basis should deserve 5-​stars.
I’ve been to 2 of these now over the past couple years, and each time the meal has been artfully executed. They’ll usually have a theme, or have a specific craft brewery or distributor play host. My first time Santa Fe Brewery was featured guest, while my most recent visit was an assortment of fall beers. With the latter in such recent memory, we’ll take this review course-​by-​course to really get your mouth watering:
1.) Black Beluga Lentil Soup, paired with original Oktoberfest — Though it was my first time ever encountering such a soup, this light but hearty starter contained apple cooked in duck broth, w/​slow dough rye bread mixed in as well, a perfect compliment to a medium-​bodied, malty Marzen
2.) Bacon & Gruyère on Cranberry Walnut Bread, paired with Breckinridge Autumn Ale — This pairing made me more nostalgic about the fall weather back home than anything! The caramelly Autumn Aie (really an old ale) tasted like fall in a glass, and help accentuate the sweet yet subtly salty flavors of the sandwich.
3.) Smoked Apple Sausage & Sauerkraut Potato Croquet w/​Spicy Mustard, paired with Alaskan Pumpkin Porter — A traditional Oktoberfest dish, the porter was sweet and thick, and its super smokey aftertaste was a great pair with the smoked sausage.
4.) German Roasted Chicken, paired with Dogfish Head Punkin Ale — Dogfish Head’s full-​bodied Punkin Ale is one of my fav pumpkin beers, though its brown sugar notes were not necessarily the perfect complement to the rosemary and sage spices in the chicken, or the German mustard seed it came with as well.
5.) Chocolate Chip Banana Poundcake, paried with Imperial Oktoberfest — Avery Brewing Co.‘s «The Kaiser» is a hefty beer, and one that should only be paired with strong foods. Joe admittedly said that the last 2 beers should have been swapped, but due to the higher alcohol content of the imperial, it would have been difficult not to end on that brew. Regardless, it went well with the poundcake, a dessert which, served w/​vanilla ice cream, was the perfect end to a hearty fall meal.
And on top of that, they even gave us a Real Ale Oktoberfest to wet our pallets before the meal began. Now that’s service!
One of these days, I’ll need to write an updated review of how this place excels as a great British Pub and concert venue, but for now, we’re sticking with the beer pairings. Rest assured, the list of reasons to visit Rudyard’s does not stop with the meal listed above. Cheers!

Rudyard’s is definitely more than just a pub as there’s pretty much live venue every week of the nights. One of the main reason I come to this place is to support a local non-​profit theater company who host this event called «Grown Up Story Time» every other Tuesday at this pub. But that’s not the point of this review as I want to talk about how great of a pub this is.
First of all, there’s a set amount of draft on taps and it is mostly local beer along with rotating selection of other craft brews. The price of the beer is great especially on a Tuesday. They also have a good selection of food here from chili dog to hamburgers. Then there’s also the monthly food special and daily special. You just have to ask for the list of the monthly special and see the board for the daily food specials. Most of the time the daily food special is definitely getting the bang for your bucks.
The bar is divided into various sections as there’s a small dart room all the way in the back and more darts on the left of the entrance. There’s a pool table and shuffleboard as well but the pool table is actually a bit dingy with bumps on the table and the sticks are pretty much worn out. Then there’s also an upstairs. The upstairs have pool tables and another bar for you to buy your beer and food. But the main purpose for the upstairs is that there’s a stage for various acts and performances to use.
There’s also a good small front patio for the smokers and people watchers to chill. Sometimes the food does come out very slow as when there’s a big crowd and the kitchen gets backed up. Speaking of the crowd, there’s a great mix of customers at this joint, from the early 20s hipsters to 50 something who lives around the block come to have a pint. I would certainly recommend this as a good pub to go grab a pint and talk to your friends or make new friends.