Let the sound take you away… Off The Record is a speakeasy behind a vinyl shop now open at 416 Main Street. Inside this jazzy little haunt, visitors can lounge on crushed velvet couches, drink music-themed cocktails, and enjoy the sounds of resident DJs.
Opened this past November, Off The Record is housed in the building formerly occupied by Bovine and Barley. At the forefront is a fully operational record store, where visitors can leaf through vinyl spanning genres and generations.
Here, visitors might also notice a misleading “Employees Only” sign in front of a curtain. Herein lies the entry point to the speakeasy. Visitors can then follow the vibes to the mixology room, where the walls are adorned with golden records ranging from Marvin Gaye to Nirvana, velvet booths, and a wraparound bar.
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Off The Record was in part inspired by David Anderson III’s uncle, record industry legend, George Daniels. Daniels was the owner of the eponymous George’s Music Room, the largest independent record in the midwest. Upstairs at OTR is an homage to Daniels, where the space is decorated with photos of him with numerous musicians from Erykah Badu to George Clinton and Beyonce.
“My uncle is a huge inspiration in my life, and he was instrumental in a lot of artists’ careers. We want to pay tribute to that by bringing that touch of history to this exciting new concept in Downtown Houston.”
From behind the bar, OTR serves a variety of music-themed drinks. Such drinks include the Rolling Stone, a mixture of lemongrass vodka, Grey Goose strawberry, elderflower liqueur, mint, and lemon, and Smooth Criminal Thai chili-infused gin, dry vermouth, and pickled okra. Classic drinks, wine, seltzers, and beer is also available.
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Off The Record is now open 416 Main Street. It’s opened from 9 pm to 2 am Thursday through Saturday.