Located right at Montrose, Big tap selection of mostly Texas beer , as stated service can be spotty but sit at the bar and you will eventually get served

(VIsited 02/2013): Hay Merchant is located on Westheimer Rd off Montrose. Actually didn’t visit on my previous visit to Houston because I couldn’t see the place even though it was right there. Parking is available in the surrounding streets.

The interior is rustic with a lot of wood and brick walls. The doorway opens to the host stand and table/booth seating, with the bar in the rear. Cards on the wall behind the bar list the beers available.

As for the beer there around around 75 taps with Texas breweries like Deep Ellum, Real Ale, (512) St. Arnold and Live Oak. Other domestic craft breweries like Oskar Blues, Victory and Alaskan. Many bottles available too.

Service at Hay Merchant was good on our visit. The server was familiar with the beer and made good recommendations.

Food at Hay Merchant is good and includes some eclectic appetizers like sweet & spicy pig ears.

Overall this is a great spot to visit in Houston. Recommended.

Great addition to the Houston beer scene. As noted 80+ taps and 5 cask engines-sweet! Nice variety of beers-from Texas to Belgium and everywhere in between. Odd but enjoyable food menu. Too bad this is just a haul from my suburban abode. A must visit if you’re in town.

This is a good beer bar. Parking out front, great, if simple atmosphere, a ton of taps and a knowledgeable staff. Not much for food, but if you came here for beer you will walk away happy.

This place was recommended to me by my friends Leslie & Gonzo at the Saint Arnold Brewery. Amazing beer selection (80 or so on draft) rustic interior put together with bits and pieces of old Houston. Love the varied and unique tap handles!

Stopped by during a recent trip to Houston. There were a ton of great beers on tap, including some one-offs from local breweries. I liked the fact there were 5 casks with some exciting offerings. I didn’t try the food, but the beer selection was great. They were a bit pricy, but I can’t complain too much because I think this is the best tap selection in the city.

This place has a cool atmosphere, pretty laid back and a nice place to enjoy the company of friends. Not too rowdy of a bar, which is why I enjoyed it. The food is really tasty and can be a bit pricey, but there are other lower priced items that are just as delicious. The selection of beers is pretty good, but I was really disappointed that they didn’t offer any bottles. I think they could really benefit from this and almost double their selection. I love that they have proper glassware and still give you decent pours if you select a high gravity beer. One of the top places to go in Houston, no doubt about that.

To start, there’s no sign outside. Walked in with no indication of whether or not we should wait to be seated or sit ourselves. We chose the later. A waiter (Alex #10) eventually brought us menus. Haggled over samples briefly (they don’t do tasters but I managed to get 3 sips of beer to chose between) and my friend wisely, quickly got in an apatetizer order. Eventually, Alex came back to take our drink order. Sometime later we got drinks and an appetizer and commenced to wait and wait and wait for plates to split the appetizer and order our meals. We gave up and asked another waiter to facilitate. Finally (!!!) we ordered our meals, and though I asked for grilled onions on my burger ( more haggling), I actually got no onions. Trying to recover some rapport with the waiter, my friend cracks some light hearted joke, which had no purchase with Alex. We glance around and notice many tables waiting to be served. Maybe Alex was the over worked (not likely given the number of other servers) but if that was the case, he never mentioned it. A quick, "We’re super busy, I’ll be with you in a second," would have mollified things, but Alex was completely noncomunicative. The food was amazingly good as was the beer, but the service really negated much of the enjoyment and value of the experience. Alex was MIA there after, and in my frustration, I just went up to the bar and paid cash for my next rounds. At least I got them in a timely manner. The waiter shot to the table to check his tip when we stood up to leave. Wish he’d been that quick with service. In short, it was a shitty experience.

This is my favorite bar in houston, they have a great selection of brews on tap, great food menu and a goos atmosphere. My and my buddies spent a good 5 hours here and i could have spent more time there if we didnt have other plans. The waitress seemed knowledgeable about the beer ans wasnt afraid to give suggestions when asked.

The Hay Merchant is a typical new, trendy "hot spot" that will probably die out in a short while. They do have a great selection of beers to choose from, however getting a seat inside or even outside is a major challenge. Both times I’ve been I have had to wait well over an hour to be seated. It is also loud. I mean LOUD! In addition the servers have been non attentive so I simply cannot recommend this to many people, unless you’re willing to wait. They do make a good burger and have some other delicious menu items. I prefer a less pretentious and less obnoxious place to enjoy a great craft beer.