Start in the lobby, and a host will guide you to a special elevator. From there, you’ll be ferreted through a kitchen and out a door, stopping in front of a bookcase. Enter the code into the keypad, and you’re in.
No, you’re not being smuggled across borders or led into an illicit auction. That’s just how you enter Bandista, the speakeasy-style bar inside Four Seasons Hotel Houston. It’s one of the best, most interesting bars in Texas — perhaps the country — and its reputation is growing around the world through a series of reciprocal pop-ups with other great bars.
Bandista opened in 2022 following the debut of Toro Toro, Richard Sandoval’s pan-Latin steakhouse. The project took over what was an old private dining room. It started with the speakeasy concept centered around Prohibition-era tequileros who heroically (and illegally) transported tequila across the U.S. border. But it was otherwise a blank slate for beverage manager Johnathan Jones and the bar team to make their own.
“It was just an empty bar without bottles, a staff or a menu,” says Jones, who worked at top bars like Anvil in Houston and Broken Shaker in Chicago before joining Four Seasons. “They said to have fun with it, so we knew we had an opportunity to do something great.”
The bar seats 20 total patrons — eight at the bar and 12 in the adjacent lounge. Three bartenders run the show, giving Bandista one of the higher staff-to-guest ratios you’ll find. Jones says that lets the bartenders really spend time with each guest so they can dial in the perfect drink.
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Kiln to Table features tasting menus from top chefs, custom ceramics and so much mezcalMost of the menu has roots in classic cocktails, and the drinks are meant to feel familiar while pushing boundaries. The bar uses scientific techniques like clarification and vacuum distillation to take things to the next level. The Ritual, for example, is a clarified milk punch similar to the classic El Diablo (tequila, lime, ginger beer) but also features purple carrot, green poblano liqueur and palo santo. The bar has clarified Campari to make a clear Negroni Sbagliato. They even created their own gin by distilling individual botanicals to mirror a scent at the Krigler perfumery in the lobby and then enlisted it in a Martini.
The menu’s packed with good options, but if you’re feeling adventurous, try the Dealer’s Choice. It’ll see you answer three on-the-spot questions, which bartenders will use to create a bespoke cocktail just for you. “You’ve never had it before, and you’ll never have it again,” Jones says.
Outside of regular service, Bandista has been busy hosting pop-ups with visiting bars from around the country. They’ve welcomed New York icon Employees Only, Jewel of the South from New Orleans, Bresca in Washington, D.C., Dallas’s Midnight Rambler and, most recently, Four Walls from Nashville. Most arrangements are reciprocal, so Bandista bartenders will ply their trade at the corresponding bars. They also traveled to Madrid in October for the World’s 50 Best Bars ceremony and participated in the Four Seasons Showcase alongside other top Four Seasons bars like BKK Social Club in Bangkok and Argo in Hong Kong.
“The pop-ups are great for helping to spread the name of Bandista, and that Houston is doing cool things,” Jones says. “People often have no idea that Houston is so cool.”
More people will soon find out as Bandista plans its pop-ups for 2025. Several options are in the works now, and they hope to do six next year across regional, national and international bars. That lineup includes a pop-up with Keith Motsi, head barkeep at Virtú in Tokyo. Virtú is currently ranked number 42 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list and number 11 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list, and this author can confirm that it’s one hell of a place. So, keep your eyes out for that one.
Otherwise, you can visit Bandista whenever you want good drinks in a fun setting that’s polished but never stuffy. Start by making a reservation, then show up a few minutes early on the evening in question, and you’ll be whisked away behind the scenes until you reach that fateful bookcase.
The entrance is dramatic, but “we’re still just a bar”, Jones says. “The speakeasy part is really about the entrance and the size, but once you get into the bar, it’s about the drinks and service and creating a special experience. We care more about what happens beyond the bookcase.”
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