While the Duck is a great music venue, don't overlook their Saturday morning breakfast/lunch. We went last weekend and watched the OU vs UT game (who knew they opened at 11am on Sat) . The outside patio has been redone and there is now a covered area with 2 TVs. It is a great spot to sit outside, have breakfast (their pancakes rock!), watch some college football, all the while sipping on mimosas (or wine, or beer, or coffee :)

We will definitely be back!!!

I don't know where the owner's size or gender have a relevant place in a review about a music/restaurant review. What I do know is the Mucky Duck is the best music listening room in Houston. Musicians love the place because the audience is there to - listen. If standing on concrete floors waiting on the headliner to start after midnight is your thing, there's other places for you. The place is intimate and comfortable with excellent sight lines. If you support live music and/or a specific band then please support the venue that makes it happen. If the owner shows preference to people who are planning to eat dinner at The Mucky Duck understand that that's the way they make their living. The musicians get ticket money. If you eat and drink somewhere else before the show, how do you suppose they keep the doors open? If the Mucky Duck were a music venue only, it rates as a treasure. Where else in Houston are you going to see first rate music and eat excellent food and enjoy a true 20 ounce pint. Again, if The Mucky Duck were only a music venue that serves great food that would be enough. Their wine room is probably the best kept secret in Houston (but for how long). It's one of the most intimate places to spend an evening in Houston. The wine list holds its own with any in Houston and the prices are far more reasonable than the trendy wine bars in town. The wine room is perfect for a birthday, anniversary, engagement or if you're looking for a great place to hold a working lunch meeting out of the office, check it out. Other reviews say the wait staff is lacking. Compared to what? Most music venues in town require you to walk to the bar and order for yourself, so please, enough with that argument. there's a reason The Mucky Duck had been open for nearly two decades. Any venue is capable of an off night but it's by far the exception that this place has an off night. While other music venues come and go, The Mucky Duck obviously is doing it right.

Mucky Duck is a double-edged sword as far as local venues go. It's been around a long time, successful and popular, books good acts, especially folk and Celtic, some country, blues and light rock. The acoustics have always been excellent in my experience. Some would call it an intimate environment, others would say it's crowded with poor service, so arrive early if you can. Get your tickets as far in advance as possible. I always get attitude from the big brunette lady doing the booking. One time she wrote my name on a good table, then she asked me if we were eating. I said I didn't know, and she said, "Well then your seats might move." When I arrived and asked where our table was, she said, "Did you forget?" Whatever. Also I notice they padded these comments pretty well (in June 2002, 28 five-star comments in one day), and the rest of the 5-Star comments seem fawning and hyperbolic. But notice there's a couple people who just gut the Duck in their comments. They sound more honest. The padding tact is smart, but you've been warned. The Duck is okay, but ain't all that.

And that's a listening room. It's not a dancehall or a rowdy bar. It's one of the premier listening rooms in the country. Rusty and his wife have consistantly brought in some of the most talented - even if sometimes not best known - songwriters and musicians in the world. The Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis Christmas shows have been a must for me for years.

I'll admite the waitstaff can be a bit snooty at times and the bartenders could really care less about whether you get a second beer or not...even thought they must make a fortune on booze markups there. And you are packed in pretty tight for the sold out shows.

But if you know all this coming in - and most regulars do - you won't find it a bad place.

Great intimate place to hear music. We appreciated the waitresses knowledge of beers. We tried about 5 different varieties and her knowledge was very helpful. We went to "hear" music and appreciated the rest of the crowd that wanted to "hear" the band. If you want to go somewhere to talk, go over to Bennigans and yap away! Love the "no smoking" rule! Saw Walther and the Cronkites. Great band and appreciated that the sound system didn't blast us out. All the food we ordered was delicious! We'll return again!