3. MKT Bar: MKT Bar is like a hip downtown loft wrapped inside a bar nestled in a specialty food grocery store surrounded by downtown skyscrapers that serves wine, beer and gelato, and puts Niceguy DJs and live-music quintets from New Orleans in your life.

Lots to swallow? More like lots to groove to and indulge in. MKT, boasting exposed brick walls draped in black and white photography shone with precision lighting, is located inside Phoenicia Market Downtown. (If that discourages you, get past it)

On a recent Friday night, Rocks Off was pleasantly surprised to see that DJ Yves of acclaimed Houston underground group The Niceguys was at the helm of the ones and twos, inducing nostalgia with Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, just before genre-bending New Orleans band Hazy Ray had everyone head-bobbing and very much in awe with a “where in the hell did these guys come from?” live performance.

This experience said two things about MKT: 1) Their Thursday-through-Sunday 1-2 punch of DJ and live band is an unrivaled happy-hour scene in downtown, and 2) every musician worth a stage should want to perform here, as it puts them front and center before a pretty and attentive crowd hungry for good music.

The pizza will make you slap your mother’s mother, and the atmosphere is such that you can have your kids accompany you and no one would judge you. Check out their music events calendar and experience the damn thing. You won’t regret it.

Check out the full article here: Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 7 Downtown Bars