Black and Beautiful

Poured from a tap with about 70% nitrogen mix allowing for a creamy head, much of the taste of draft Guinness stout seems to result from the quality of the bartender's multi-step pour, which you will see at most bars and certainly throughout Ireland.  As with other beers, the age of the keg, the length of time it has been opened, the cleanliness of the lines, tap and the glasses matter matters quite a bit, possibly even more.  The quality of Guinness varies greatly across the city, more so than any other beer.  Sometimes it is thin, weak and overly bitter while other times it is thick, rich, smooth and wonderfully enjoyable.  Below are the most reliable stops for Guinness, poured in the traditional 20-ounce Imperial pint glasses, long strongly encouraged by Guinness (or their distributors), unless noted otherwise, listed in descending order in terms of consistent quality of the pint.

Updated on January 19, 2024.

The Best

​Mucky Duck -  Rapid turnover and watchful care of the lines help ensure that this remains consistently the best-tasting pint of Guinness in Houston by far. By far.  Upper Kirby

The Best of the Pack

The Red Lion - After the Duck, this is the most consistent pint.  River Oaks
McElroy's - 16-ounce pint glass; inconsistent, excellent some times, thin-tasting at others.  Upper Kirby
Pimlico - 16-ounce pint glass.  Montrose
Kenneally's - Back to a standard 20-ounce pint glass for Guinness, it's rather inconsistent, though.  River Oaks
Shay McElroy's - 16-ounce and 20-ounce pint glasses.  Downtown