What’s the secret for longtime restaurant success? There are many, but one is to always be doing something interesting, and 58-year-old Brennan’s of Houston at 3300 Smith in Midtown Houston has mastered it. While the restaurant — located in a mansion originally designed by architect John Staub — is continually hosting special tastings and dinners, its newest feature has been about two years in the making. Brennan’s of Houston has revealed that the Courtyard Bar now has a brand-new, expansive area. 

“For 58 years, Brennan’s has been a place where special memories are made, and our goal with this redesign was to create a space that continues to inspire,” said co-proprietor Alex Brennan-Martin via a press release. (Brennan-Martin now runs the restaurant alongside his cousin Brad Brennan.) “The Courtyard Bar is an extension of our hospitality — fine dining, fine casual, if you will. Now we have an inviting haven to unwind, celebrate and indulge, whether on date night or coming straight from the golf course.”

With the new bar comes new bar bites and cocktails. One of the big draws from the new bar menu is Brennan’s of Houston’s faithful rendition of New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp. The dish was made famous by Pascal’s Manale in New Orleans, and it features sautéed, head-on shrimp in a sauce of butter, garlic, and plenty of black pepper. 

The fastidious need not apply. This is a dish for those who don’t mind getting hands-on with their food. “The shrimp comes out swimming in sauce,” says Brennan Martin. “We’ve got the bibs. We’ve got the French bread. We’ll offer them peeled and unpeeled, but half the joy is diving in, getting wrist-deep in it. Licking your fingers is encouraged and part of the experience.”

Other new bar dishes are inventive while not straying too far from Brennan’s of Houston’s Creole and Cajun theme. These include Red Bean Hummus, Savory Beignets With Four-Cheese Fondue, Creole Ceviche Lettuce Wraps and Muffuletta Sliders. The Seafood Nachos are topped with a half-pound each of fried oysters, Gulf shrimp and crab meat — and if you’re feeling extra-swanky or maybe just want to show off a bit, you can add Osetra caviar for an additional fee. There are also raw bar selections and pickled deviled eggs. 

In the unlikely event that something from the bar menu doesn’t catch your eye — or maybe you have a specific hankering — the regular restaurant menu will also be available during lunch and dinner. 

As is proper, Courtyard Bar is serving New Orleans classic cocktails such as Ramos Gin Fizz, Sazerac, and Vieux Carre. There are also seasonal signature cocktails and brand-new frozen drinks like Frozen Brandy Milk Punch and The Irish Channel, a boozy coffee concoction. 

The design was created by architectural firm Studio Red, which also helpedhelp rebuild Brennan’s of Houston after Hurricane Ike started a tragic fire that injured two and burned a substantial portion of the restaurant. There was some sacrifice involved, as the new Courtyard Bar is located where the “Terms of Endearment” room used to be. The formal dining room was named after the movie because a scene featuring stars Jack Nicholson and Shirley Maclaine was filmed in it. A framed photo of the actors in the Courtyard Bar pays homage to the scene and the room. The former Courtyard Bar area is now a casual dining room with Parisian wicker-backed chairs and a view of the namesake courtyard. (Just in time for crawfish season and forthcoming crawfish boils, the new bar has a view of the courtyard, too, which hasgot new lounge seating areas in addition to its wrought-iron tables and chairs.)

For the design, Studio Red was guided by Brennan-Martin’s fondness for different elements from bars across the world, including New York, Paris and, of course, New Orleans. On an even more personal level, Brennan-Martin was also inspired by the homes of famous hostesses Ella Brennan, his esteemed mother and founder of Commander’s Palace, and his aunt, Adelaide Brennan. Design features include walls painted in dusky Parisian blue, tufted bar stools and French toile wallpaper. Black-and-white Carrera tilework is a nod to a style commonly seen in New Orleans. Guests who want to dine at a table rather than the bar can take up residence at the tables along the wall underneath custom cherub lights made from Waterford crystal decanters. 

The centerpiece, though, is the big, horseshoe-shaped bar with a galvanized zinc bar top stamped with the letter “B” for “Brennan” in the corners. This is one of Brennan-Martin’s nods to Paris, and he says it will gain a patina after years of use. 

“We have a real zinc bar top because it’s something I’ve always loved, going back to my days in France,” says Brennan-Martin. “If you found yourself in a new neighborhood, you would ask someone ‘Where is le zinc?’ rather than ‘Where is the bar?’ because they all had zinc bar tops.”

The light fixtures are equally stunning, with the handcrafted mermaid fixtures being a particular achievement, as they are replicas of the ones previously mounted in Brennan’s of Houston’s wine room that were destroyed in the fire. After years of searching, Brennan-Martin commissioned an artist best known for his work on Mardi Gras parade floats to recreate the fixtures. These reference New Orleans’ pirate lore, as the ships were adorned with a mermaid figurehead. 

The new, larger Courtyard Bar will be the perfect venue from Brennan’s of Houston’s frequent wine and cocktail events. A new Casual Wine Tasting Series has been added, and during those classes “Wine Guys” Rich Carter and Marcus Gausepohl will guide guests through tastings exploring regions or wine styles. 

Guess what, vinyl record fans? This will soon be a space for you, too, as Brennan-Martin plans to start hosting Vinyl Nights. The Courtyard Bar will play from what its customers bring in and from its own collection.

For many years, the smaller Courtyard Bar at Brennan’s of Houston has been a genteel hot spot known for cocktails and excellent hospitality. Its new, larger setting infused with nostalgia and meaning sets the stage for Brennan’s of Houston to continue serving guests looking for cocktails and camaraderie for decades to come. 

“Immense care and thought have gone into making our new space a destination bar and another way to enjoy Brennan’s of Houston,” says Brennan-Martin. “We can’t wait to see you there.” 

It’s important to note that the Courtyard Bar is not open late. Its hours are the same as the restaurant’s. Brennan’s of Houston opens daily at 11 a.m. (it just added Mondays, so it’s now open seven days a week). It serves lunch on weekdays, brunch on Saturdays and Jazz Brunch on Sundays until 2 p.m. and reopens for dinner daily at 5 p.m. The last dinner seating is at 8 p.m. 

Phaedra Cook

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.