Punch Line comedy club in downtown is perfection

Thanks to the Things To Do newsletter, I saw Jackie Fabulous (who I've been following for a while) was performing in Houston this weekend and I bought (surorisingly affordable) tickets to her show last night. I had not heard of Punch Line but the website is sporting an interesting line-up of comedians I've seen online and the menu looked legit.

My partner and I got to the venue early (mostly to make sure there was time to eat, I worked through lunch) and there was a whole different and much younger crowd lined up for a show at House of Blues so the people watching was great. It's a lovely, intimate venue with a gorgeous bar and small, classic comedy stage backed by brick and framed by red curtains. I think it seats less than 250 people so there isn't a bad view in the house.

We ordered drinks (2-drink minimum, obvs) and dinner and honestly, the food was levels above the typical bar fare I was expecting – my pizza had a crusty, chewy crust with pepperoni perfectly crisp at the edges and my partner's BBQ brisket sliders were like little smoky pillows (plus I stole plenty of seasoned fries from his plate). I had two refreshing Green Rooms and my partner had a beer and a (pretty plain) Old Fashioned. Everyone working was so effusively friendly and personable – security, ticket scanners, host, escort, waitress, and servers.

The show itself was great, with diverse crowd that barely filled half the seats, although I ended up patronizingly shushing the two chicks behind us that were talking and showing each other photos on their phones during the acts – that didn't stop them so they got called out by Jackie and left shortly after. Comics work their asses off and I really wanted to enjoy the live presentation!

It's a great venue if you love or follow comedy, or a great date night or night out with friends even if you don't. Ubering in and out was a breeze but they have valet and a garage if you drive. Food and drinks are club-priced but the tickets were so fair that we didn't mind. So much better than a big, packed club with rowdy crowds. Highly recommend!