Lawless Spirits & Kitchen

The hubs conducted a happy hour Yelp search, zeroed in on Lawless, as there aren't many in the top 10 that we haven't tried, and we made our way over! Lawless gives speakeasy vibes as from the entrance (I wish they'd pull that carpet as there's a stale smell when you walk in), you don't get the full glory of this spot. Now, once you head upstairs, there's a different (and much more exciting) story to be told! The street view, the balcony, the decor, and the "dark loungey" aesthetic is giving! We had a round of drinks ($3 off for happy hour)! The hubs had an old fashioned, and I ordered the pineapple ginger beer -- which is actually on the mocktail list, but I wanted it and added tequila. Danny, our fantastic bartender/server, was excellent (personable and attentive). He manned the bar and checked on us frequently. We ordered the fried ravioli and the meatball appetizers and (although they took quite a while to arrive) they were delicious! All in all, we'd definitely recommend and return with friends. Cheers!

I had an incredible experience at this upscale bar! The ambience was lovely, and the staff went above and beyond, answering all my questions. The vibe was fantastic, and the drinks were absolutely amazing. I'll definitely return for more. The Filetto Di Pomodoro was exceptional, and the Fried Short Rib Ravioli and Wood-Fried Meatballs were so delicious that I forgot to take a picture. Can't wait to visit again!

We went to Lawless on a weekday during happy hour. Their happy hour prices are fabulous. We had about 10 drinks and 6 appetizers for about $200. All the drinks are great; This isn't a place where you have to second guess the bartenders ability to make it right and order something simple instead. In terms of advertisers here's what I tried: Kobe Burger sliders: This was by far my favorite of the appetizers. Comes with a set of three sliders. Brisket nachos: We ordered two plates of these as they come with literally eight chips. Each chip is loaded up with carnitas, beans, cheese, and sour cream. Sweet and spicy chicken taco minis: We ordered one of these. It comes with three mini tacos. Pretty good but nothing to write home about. Buffalo chicken sliders: The chicken was really good and I like the bun but I'm not a blue cheese fan. Had I known that was in them I don't think I would have ordered it. Last chips in the bag: these were really good. Definitely recommend.

Stopped in for a pre-dinner drink. The atmosphere was interesting with a lounge vibe and the drinks were fine. I only had one drink so I can't weigh in too much. The lavender martini was pretty good! This seems like a good place to have a drink or two with friends after work. We walked from our hotel, so not sure about the parking situation. I wasn't blown away by this place but it was nice.

Why someone would recommend the flatbread to us I'm not sure. It was super average and served at room temperature I will however say that the wine was good so I will come back to have a glass of wine or have a cocktail but I'll make sure and eat before hand

This joint used to be State Bar which was a legendary gin joint to wander into to meet a ladykin or zombie, depending on your read of the iconic Casablanca - similar to Pride and Prejudice vs Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. State Bar was one of my favourite neighbourhood watering holes for the ten years I worked and/or lived downtown. Then, State Bar closed. This joint reopened as Lawless and really made some major updates to the space. If you had been to State Bar in the past you will enjoy the first experience of taking that staircase up into an entirely different world.State Bar looked and smelled the same inside for about three generations of lawyers, back when discovery disputes were settled by fisticuffs in the silent era and menacing "why I oughta!!!" schoolyard bully posturing in the Back to the Future era. Now in the Futurama era matters are settled when the largest lawyer just simply eats the other one.Lawless now looks like an upscale hotel bar, in the good way. Everything is proper clean. Not like lick and a promise clean like American tweens will do around the trap to get their socialism bux in weekly allowance but more like Mary Poppins clean, like a British chimneysweep type of person on her hands and knees scrubbed everything twice kind of clean. With a no deal Brexit the British maid category is about to be flooded with desperate ladies seeking work in a real country so our homes are about to be clean enough to start bringing tinder dates home again instead of the pay by the 15 minutes motels out by the airport.The lighting is bright, gay, and elegant which really stands out late at night. The fancy liquor bottles and cabinetry ensconce the VIP seating area. The bar is even more brightly lit making it open and inviting for you and your friendos. There are also tables elsewhere.State Bar was dark and meant to be Transylvanian imposing, like a proper vampire's lair instead of the over the top scene in Lord Harkon's Castle Volkihar in Skyrim where long pigs, blood, and blood chalices are strewn about like it was an edgy aesthetic more than just really not giving a heck about what it looks like when your Dawnguard suitor comes to take your hand in more ways than just the one. Meanwhile Lawless wants you to see who you are chatting up at the bar and think it over one or nine times before taking that tinder date home where she destroys your River Oaks mansion - oh wait, that only happened to that one mayoral candidate, not the rest of us, experiencing what has been dubbed the most expensive tinder date in history.The one and only major downside to this place hit me right in the kvetch - no prices on the liquor menu. They have a great Scotch menu, the other main kind of Scot to admire besides Chibs from SOA. But trying to determine whether you need to show some nip to afford it or take out a ninth mortgage really hits you square in the naches and the oy gevalt when you see that they have Balvenie 14 year Caribbean cask which is sweet sweet mana of heaven delivered unto us by the big man downstairs as an energy granting elixir of life.The bartender had to go in the back and check what my drink would cost before I was going to commit to my favourite drink, because we had already been drinking at the Cottonmouth Club earlier in the evening. She came back with an answer eventually, but still. If your bartender doesn't know what it costs you desitively have a problem somewhere in there. Like I am the first beautiful bitch that ordered it in the history of this place which is odd for a place with such a nicely curated scotch menu, or the whole experience is designed to be a bit mysterious and absurd at the same time. What does it cost? I don't know and you don't know, how fun!!!!The patio is still hella, so that is one thing that did not change in the transition from State Bar to Lawless.Add prices to your menu homeys and everything is aces in this beautiful space with a grand patio.

Such a fun time. Travis the manager was so nice and treated my group. They also have a great rooftop and picturesque decor.

My family and I visited this establishment for a graduation party. The ambiance was nice. I love the quotes around the establishment. The catered food provided was all very good. They offered a nice vegetarian taco, which I very much appreciated. My cousins all liked the chicken tacos and sliders. The servers were great.

We had our wedding here in February of 2024. The space is so incredibly beautiful. It would have been worth it for the view and the vibe alone. To our enormous delight, the staff is also unbelievably friendly and helpful, and the cocktails are to die for.Lawless did not charge an event fee, only the food and beverage minimum, a small fee to do the ceremony on site (ours was $500) and a fee for a day of coordinator (so worth it!). This is a game changer for a wedding budget.We selected the plated dinner, and they were flexible with us on plating when we asked for small adjustments. Every time we had a question, they were extremely responsive. We had concerns about accessibility for our guests with wheelchairs, but the team at Lawless provided detailed instructions on how to access from The Rice elevators. We cannot thank Mel, Emily, Courtney, Morgan, and Caleb enough for making our special day run smoothly and look perfect.

Good bar, great atmosphere but does occasionally break my heart by being closed when I try to go in after work in spite of the posted hours. On these inexplicable instances, I'm forced to go patronize Sambuca and let's say, diplomatically, that it is an inferior experience.