Kamp Houston

Despite the oddities that are 2020, restaurants are still opening albeit with less fanfare than years past.   The folks behind Prospect Park, Lost and Found and countless other bars/clubs frequented by Houston’s black crowd have opened yet another bar in Houston.  This time, they have taken over the space vacated by Beaver’s late last year to create Houston’s newest bar experience, Kamp Houston.

The Setup

The clientele between Beavers and Kamp likely doesn’t have much crossover so I am probably one of the few people who had the privilege of visiting both spots.  Both locations played up the outdoor theme with much of the seating being outside.  With Kamp though, their theme is the camping experience with the waitresses dressed as camp counselors etc.  The indoor restaurant is made up of two buildings with three distinct spaces.  I imagine the second building will be used as a private event space.

The outdoor space is the winner here especially since current state guidelines recommend dining outside when possible.  In the middle of the space, there is a fire pit that is modeled to look like large fire logs.  Then there are large wooden booths that circle the fire pit facing large tvs to watch sporting events.  We grabbed a table off to the side which was perfect.

The Food and Drinks

With any establishment, please know that I am mainly here for the FOOD! We wanted to try so much stuff so we went for the the sampler.  This thing is loaded with chicken, fries, fish, RIBS, potato salad, green beans, sausage all for $55.  It really is a steal considering how much you get to sample and how many people it feeds.

The sampler gives you a good sense of their extensive menu which includes burgers, barbecue fare and other items one might expect on an adult camping or glamping trip.   Our group also ordered grilled corn, tacos and boudin balls.  For the most part everyone liked their food.   The ribs stand out for me and oddly enough the waffle fries!  They didn’t do anything special to the waffle fries, but knowing how to fry them bad boys up right for optium crispiness is a true art lol.

For the drinks I tried the Kamptown Ladies and the Lifeguard on Duty.   As is custom now, the signature cocktails have fun additions like pop rocks or a straw of life savers playing on the the lifeguard name.  I enjoyed the cocktails for and would order the again.

Parking Situation

With Kamp being right on Westheimer, you will have to use the designated parking at the venue.  They have two options, valet or self park and both of them are going to cost you.  $10 to self-park and $20 to valet.   Do I prefer places that have free parking? Absolutely because I am more likely to spend that coin and then some inside the establishment.  But I do not knock anyone’s hustle.  They have a whole team working the parking lot (security and parking cars) and I imagine that costs.

What I WILL say though, is many of the parking attendants were not wearing masks! I know there is a divide about wearing masks.  I personally subscribe to team #MaskUp particularly when you are out in public.  When I rolled up, the valet stopped me to valet my car or to charge for self-park.  Andddd he ain’t have a mask on.  I leaned back in my car and said excuse me where is your mask?!  He then summoned the manager to take my card for self-park.  He also was not wearing a mask!  Me being me, I also asked where was HIS mask!  The first attendant said “You’ve come to the wrong place for that.”  Well, that’s certainly not something I think a valet should say to any customer.

The Takeaway

The valet aside, everyone else was nice and welcoming! Our servers were great and provided us good food and drink suggestions.  Add Kamp to your list of outdoor bars with good food, plenty of seating as well as televisions.  I will also note that the crowd trends a bit younger which may be preferred for some.