Best Bars in Houston’s Chinatown: Izakayas, Sports Bars, and KTV

Houston’s Chinatown — increasingly called Asiatown — runs along Bellaire Boulevard from Fondren Road to Beltway 8, a roughly three-mile corridor packed with Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants, shops, and bars. For this guide, Chinatown means that stretch of Bellaire and the commercial side streets just off it (Clarewood Drive, Wilcrest Drive). The bar scene is anchored by the cluster of venues inside and around 9889 Bellaire Blvd, a shopping-center complex near Beltway 8 where you can walk between four or five bars without stepping outside.

Nine bars below were confirmed open via their official websites or current third-party listings as of October 2026.

The quick list

• For cocktails and food: GiAu Bar N’ Bites or Cafe 101
• For oysters and micheladas: 7 Seas Oyster Bar
• For whiskey and yakitori late at night: Toukei Izakaya
• For soju and K-pop: One Shot Pocha Bellaire
• For premium hand rolls at the bar: NoriNori
• For private karaoke: Happy Zone KTV or Neway Lounge
• For soccer on giant screens: La Cabra

How we chose

Every bar on this list was confirmed open via its own official website or a Yelp listing updated as of October 2026. We focused on the Bellaire Boulevard corridor from Fondren to Beltway 8 and excluded venues whose listings were marked permanently closed (Napa Udon House was marked closed as of early 2026; Freestyle KTV also shows as closed). We skipped venues where the sole offering is a private karaoke room with no walk-in bar — every pick here has a bar or lounge you can walk into without a reservation, or a counter worth sitting at.

Cocktail bars

Cafe 101

9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste 101, Houston TX 77036 · daily 11:30am–2am

The anchor of the 9889 Bellaire Blvd complex, Cafe 101 has been in Chinatown long enough to become the default gathering spot. The menu runs to over 100 Asian-flavored teas and fresh fruit juices alongside cocktails, flavor sakes, and full bar drinks. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday from 4–7pm; reverse happy hour (10pm–2am) is the move if you’re eating late. Hot Sake Tuesday is a weekly special; 50% off wine bottles on Wednesday gives you a reason to plan around the calendar.

Order: a lychee sake cocktail or a fruited fresh-juice drink; snack from the reverse happy hour menu.

GiAu Bar N’ Bites

9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste E200, Houston TX 77036 · daily until 2am

GiAu is an Asian fusion cocktail bar with real ambition behind the drink list: the Smokey Old Fashioned, Asian Matcha-cha, and Watermelon Soju are signatures. The food earns its place — char-grilled manila clams, spicy tuna tartar, fish sauce wings, and pork belly tacos pair well with a cocktail round. GiAu stays open until 2am every night, which makes it one of the few genuine late-night bar stops in the corridor. The brand also has a Katy location for Houston’s westside.

Order: the Smokey Old Fashioned and fish sauce wings.

Seafood bar

7 Seas Oyster Bar

9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste D256, Houston TX 77036 · Mon–Sat 4pm–2am

The Chinatown oyster bar most of Houston doesn’t know about. 7 Seas is at Dun Huang Plaza and serves half-shell oysters, grilled and boiled seafood, catfish fillets, seafood gumbo, crispy fried shrimp, and — crucially — micheladas. The oysters are the reason to come; the micheladas are the reason to stay for a second round. It’s a bar first, with enough kitchen output to make a full stop of it. Yelp lists it as updated September 2026. Check their Facebook page (@7SeasOysterBarHTX) for Sunday hours before you go.

Order: a half-dozen on the half shell and a spicy michelada.

Lounge and bottle service

Neway Restaurant & Lounge

9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste D239, Houston TX 77036 · daily 5pm–2am

Neway is the late-night spot for groups that want table service. The lounge does bottle service and karaoke room rentals; the kitchen stays open until close with pan-fried dumplings, duck wings, and bar-friendly plates. Walk-in bar seating is available on the floor without a room booking. If you want to keep going after midnight and you’re already in the 9889 complex, Neway is the natural next stop.

Order: duck wings and bottle service, or a straight pour at the bar.

Izakaya

Toukei Izakaya

9630 Clarewood Dr Ste A-15, Houston TX 77036 · Tue–Sun 5pm–1am (Fri–Sat until 2am) · closed Mondays

Toukei sits a block south of the main Bellaire strip on Clarewood Drive. It describes itself as a whiskey bar, izakaya, and ramen spot — and that’s accurate. You can anchor a long evening here: start with a Japanese whiskey neat, graze through yakitori, and end with a bowl of ramen if the night runs late. The whiskey selection is one of the most serious in the corridor; if you’re a Scotch or Japanese whiskey person, this is your first stop.

Insider tip: Toukei is a short walk from the main 9889 Bellaire cluster — head here first for whiskey, then walk back to GiAu or Cafe 101 for cocktails.

Order: Japanese whiskey neat or a sake highball; yakitori to start, ramen to finish.

Korean bars and pocha

One Shot Pocha Bellaire

9938 Bellaire Blvd Ste A, Houston TX 77036 · Tue–Sun 5pm–2am · closed Mondays

A pocha is the Korean street-bar concept — casual, loud, and built for drinking alongside food. One Shot Pocha runs soju cocktails at the bar, K-pop on the screens, and a DJ after 9:30pm. Private karaoke rooms are available (check with the venue for current rates; two-hour minimum is typical, reservations strongly recommended on weekends). Walk-in bar seating works fine if you’re not booking a room. This location is at 9938 Bellaire, directly across from the 9889 complex.

Order: a soju cocktail or a beer tower with the bar snacks; arrive before 9:30pm if you want the early-crowd energy before the DJ starts.

Sushi bar

NoriNori

9938 Bellaire Blvd Ste G, Houston TX 77036 · Tue–Sun · closed Mondays

NoriNori is a chic hand-roll and sushi counter with a full service bar and daily happy hour. Head chef Cong Nguyen sources fish directly from Japan, which is why uni and foie gras nigiri end up on the menu at a Chinatown strip-mall spot. The bar component is real: sit at the counter, order the build-your-own temaki set, and work through the cocktail list during happy hour. Friday and Saturday hours extend to midnight. Check the official site (norinorihtx.com) for current happy hour times.

Order: build-your-own temaki set and a happy-hour cocktail.

KTV

Happy Zone KTV

9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste 207, Houston TX 77036 · Mon–Thu 5pm–midnight · Fri 5pm–2am · Sat–Sun 2pm–2am/midnight

Private karaoke suites with quality sound systems, a large multilingual song library, and bar service. Walk-in availability exists, but weekend rooms book out fast — reserve online ahead of time. Happy Zone is in the same 9889 Bellaire complex as Cafe 101, GiAu, 7 Seas, and Neway, making it the natural anchor for a group night that starts with dinner and ends with a private room.

Order: BYOB is generally allowed; ask about the drinks package when you book.

Sports bar

La Cabra

300 Sharpstown Center Ste 1080A, Houston TX 77036 · Thu–Sun 5pm–2am

Houston's dedicated soccer sports bar in the Chinatown corridor. La Cabra opened in May 2025 inside Sharpstown Center, on the western end of the Bellaire corridor at Fondren. Owner Joseph Manglicmot — a former MasterChef contestant and Houston native — built it as a watch-party bar with rotating food vendors: Lafitte’s Seafood, Ceviche El Guero, and Pascual’s Tacos have all run stints. Hours are currently Thursday through Sunday; call ahead if you’re planning a weekday visit, as the bar is expanding its schedule. If there’s a Liga MX or Champions League match, this is where Chinatown watches it.

Best for: a weekend group watch party.

The Dun Huang Plaza bar hop

Four bars in the same building at 9889 Bellaire Blvd — no rideshare or parking shuffle required between stops:

1. Start at Cafe 101 for sake cocktails and a light bite during happy hour (Mon–Thu 4–7pm).
2. Move to GiAu Bar N’ Bites for a round of Asian fusion cocktails and fish sauce wings.
3. Step to 7 Seas Oyster Bar for oysters on the half shell and a michelada.
4. Finish at Neway Lounge for late-night bottle service or a last drink at the bar.

All four are inside or immediately adjacent to the 9889 Bellaire Blvd complex near Beltway 8. Add Happy Zone KTV (also in the same building) to close the night with a private room.

Save this: Chinatown bars checklist

• Reverse happy hour food: Cafe 101, Mon–Thu 10pm–2am.
• Oysters + michelada: 7 Seas Oyster Bar, arrive after 4pm.
• Late-night whiskey: Toukei Izakaya, open until 1am (2am on weekends).
• Korean pocha night: One Shot Pocha, DJ after 9:30pm.
• Sushi bar counter: NoriNori, check the daily happy hour for the best deal.
• Private karaoke: Happy Zone KTV, book the room at least a day out on weekends.
• Soccer watch party: La Cabra, Thu–Sun.
• The full crawl: Park once at 9889 Bellaire Blvd and hit Cafe 101 → GiAu → 7 Seas → Neway in one walk.

For more bars across the city, see the Houston nightlife guide and the best cocktail bars in Houston. The best restaurants in the same corridor are in our Bellaire Chinatown restaurant guide and the best Chinese food in Houston guide. Interested in karaoke elsewhere in town? See Houston’s KTV and karaoke bar guide. More bar guides nearby: best bars in Midtown and best bars in Downtown Houston.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Houston’s Chinatown?

Houston’s Chinatown (also called Asiatown) runs along Bellaire Boulevard from Fondren Road to Beltway 8 in southwest Houston, centered around the 9889 Bellaire Blvd shopping complex near Beltway 8.

What are the best bars in Houston’s Chinatown?

Nine verified bars in Houston’s Chinatown include Cafe 101 (daily happy hour and reverse happy hour until 2am), GiAu Bar N’ Bites (Asian fusion cocktails), 7 Seas Oyster Bar (oysters and micheladas), Toukei Izakaya (whiskey and ramen), One Shot Pocha Bellaire (soju and K-pop), NoriNori (sushi bar with full bar and daily happy hour), Happy Zone KTV (private karaoke), Neway Lounge (bottle service), and La Cabra (soccer sports bar).

Is there a sports bar in Houston’s Chinatown?

Yes. La Cabra at 300 Sharpstown Center Suite 1080A is a soccer-themed sports bar open Thursday through Sunday, 5pm to 2am. It was opened in May 2025 by a former MasterChef contestant and features rotating food vendors.

What time do bars close in Houston’s Chinatown?

Most bars in Houston’s Chinatown stay open until 2am. Cafe 101 is open daily 11:30am–2am. GiAu Bar N’ Bites is open daily until 2am. Toukei Izakaya closes at 1am Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and at 2am Friday and Saturday. Happy Zone KTV closes at midnight on Monday through Thursday and Sunday.

Are there KTV bars in Houston’s Chinatown?

Yes. Houston’s Chinatown has several KTV venues. Happy Zone KTV at 9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste 207 offers private suites with a large song library. One Shot Pocha Bellaire at 9938 Bellaire Blvd has private karaoke rooms ($70/hour, two-hour minimum) plus a walk-in bar with a DJ after 9:30pm. Neway Restaurant & Lounge at 9889 Bellaire Blvd Ste D239 also has karaoke rooms alongside a bar floor.

Can you bar hop in Houston’s Chinatown without driving between bars?

Yes. The 9889 Bellaire Blvd complex (Dun Huang Plaza) near Beltway 8 has Cafe 101, GiAu Bar N’ Bites, 7 Seas Oyster Bar, Neway Lounge, and Happy Zone KTV all within the same building or immediately adjacent. You can walk between all five without getting in a car.