Beer Market Co. Coming to Midtown

The mystery Midtown bar from the Pub Fiction gang will become the second outpost for Beer Market Co., CultureMap reports. The Salt N Pepper Group comprised of Blini Hoxha, Fidan Baca and other partners — operators of Celtic Gardens, 3rd Floor, Crisp and the forthcoming Crisp in The Woodlands — opened their first beer focused bar on Studemont last spring. Offering close to 400 brews, the neighborhood bar became an instant hit among craft beer enthusiasts in their late 20's and 30's. Hoxha and company are bringing that grown-up vibe to the lower end of Midtown.

Originally planned for West Gray, Beer Market Company's new Midtown digs at 3304 Milam will open towards the end of the year. Similar to Crisp, Hoxha and company are looking to expand their presence in Houston and throughout the state. "Obviously, we want to grow in Houston as fast as we possibly can, and then we’ll go to other cities in Texas," Baca tells CultureMap. Possible locations could include west Houston's CityCentre and Market Square in downtown.

The upcoming Midtown bar will serve as the group's flagship location, offering 400 varieties of domestic and craft beers, wraparound patio (likely dog friendly) and its familiar menu of burgers and tacos. Whether their forthcoming downtown bar will be similar concept, Fidan says, "we are in developing stages of it."

Midtown is known for its party scene among the younger crowds but bars such as Mongoose vs Cobra, 3rd Floor, recently opened Wooster's Garden (located across the street) and soon Beer Market Co. are providing an alternative. As more bars open to accommodate Houston's growing craft beer obsession, Midtown's party reputation may go the way of Washington Avenue and become a hub for more beer destinations.