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A quirky new sports bar is set to bring the game of pickleball to the Second Ward later this spring.
The Bumpy Pickle, at 554 Lockwood Drive next to Eastwood Park, will have nine courts for the growing sport, plus five sand volleyball courts, and an indoor-outdoor bar area with almost two acres of space for social distancing. The bar is a project from Good Times LLC, who also opened Sports Creek in Eado in 2017, a bar that has soccer and volleyball courts and seasonal league play.
Food-wise, the Bumpy Pickle will offer brunch, lunch and dinner, though exact details are scant. The bar will also serve craft beer and cocktails. The space will also eventually host concerts, private parties and corporate events.
Pickleball, considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the US, is a combination of tennis, ping pong and badminton, played on a netted court with paddles and a ball. Its popularity is growing in Texas, with more than 2,000 players in Houston and regular games at the Fonde Rec Center off Sabine Street. Recently, a Kansas City chain called Chicken N Pickle announced plans to expand to North Texas.
And when it arrives, The Bumpy Pickle will be yet another Eastside bar focused on big outdoor spaces. East End Backyard, which opened in October 2020, was also created with the intention to give Second Ward and Greater Eastside residents with little or no outdoor space a place to hang out.
Stay tuned for an exact opening date and more concrete menu details form The Bumpy PIckle.
