Barback

Montrose · Dive with good drinks

West Alabama Ice House

It's the real Houston ice house experience, nearly a century old, and the single best antidote to a night of fussy cocktails. Bring cash and expect to stay longer than planned.

GroupsGoing soloPeople-watching
Neighbourhood
Montrose
Style
Dive with good drinks
Known for
Running continuously since 1928 · Cheap, cold Lone Star and domestic beer · A dog-friendly outdoor patio with cornhole and horseshoes
Prices
$ · cocktails under $14
Getting in
Walk-ins only
Food
Snacks and small plates
Hours
Daily, roughly 11am-midnight
Address
1919 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77098

Map

Checked: Listed in current 2026 Montrose and dive-bar roundups with no closure signals; a near-century-old neighbourhood institution. Checked Oct 2026.

Photo: an illustration of the mood, not this bar.

Same neighbourhood

Also in Montrose

Craft cocktails$$$ MontroseAnvil Bar & RefugeThe bar that launched Houston's modern cocktail scene in 2009, still dimly lit and unpretentious, with a chalkboard-deep menu of classics and seasonal originals.Walk-ins only Speakeasy$$$$ MontroseRefugeA dim, almost-always-full upstairs room above Anvil, with no overhead lighting and a tighter, more polished cocktail list than its sister bar below.Book ahead Restaurant bar$$$ MontroseRosie CannonballA wood-fired, Italian-leaning room from Goodnight Hospitality, part of a four-restaurant Montrose complex, with a bar program built to match the kitchen.Book ahead