Urban Social, the woman-owned bar that has helped shape Richmond Avenue's nightlife in recent years, is packing up its tight Upper Kirby strip spot and heading for Midtown. The move brings along its cigar-bar sibling, Urban Smoke, and the team kicked things off with a mid-day St. Patrick’s Day block party that doubled as a farewell of sorts. Regulars say they will miss the Richmond address, but no one is complaining about the promise of more elbow room on busy nights.
For the soft launch at 2204 Louisiana St, vendors Nostalgic Lemonade, Daily Threads, Craig's Kitchen and Goat Munchies set up shop from 3 to 7 p.m., turning the corner lot into a daytime street scene. The event served as both a St. Patrick’s Day celebration and a sneak peek for Midtown neighbors at what the bar plans to bring to the area, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Owner hopes move will be official in May
Ashley Nicole told the Houston Chronicle, "We are hopeful that we'll relocate officially in May." She called Midtown "an area that's synonymous with Houston nightlife" and said the neighborhood offers room for the brand to "grow" and host larger crowds without the parking crunch that dogged the Richmond spot.
What the new address offers
Property listings for 2204 Louisiana St describe a multi-tenant retail building in Midtown with restaurant-ready spaces and significant parking, a combination that could smooth out some of the quirks of the Richmond strip. Details advertised on LoopNet list the address as a retail building with roughly 80 parking spaces and built-in kitchen hoods, giving Urban Social more flexibility for food service and special events.
A neighborhood favorite hitting a bigger stage
Urban Social first opened in 2020 and has operated on the Richmond strip for six years, building a loyal neighborhood following and a strong presence on social media. Menu listings still place the bar at 3917 Richmond Ave, according to MenuPix, and a Click2Houston round-up previously flagged the bar’s Instagram activity as part of its appeal.
Nicole said the Richmond strip will always be a key chapter in the bar’s story, but for now the focus is on finishing out the new space and hiring staff for a full spring opening. Fans are being told to keep an eye on Urban Social’s social channels for the official Midtown opening date as build-out plans wrap up.
