OKRA Charity Saloon

Founded in 2011 by a group of like-minded restaurant and bar owners, OKRA (the Organized Kollaboration on Restaurant Affairs) was established as a public voice for independent businesses in the industry to pursue community and charitable initiatives in the city. An independent, community-supported advocacy group, OKRA is a charitable organization with views on how the industry should operate and engage local communities. The concept is simple: For each drink they purchase, guests receive one vote that they can cast that night for one of four charities selected by OKRA’s members. The charity with the most votes at the end of the month receives the next month’s proceeds. Interested charities submit applications on the OKRA website. Not just a great idea, OKRA is installed in a historic building at Congress and Main, Houston’s primary intersection when it was founded in 1836. The bar space initially opened as the Original Casino Saloon in 1882 and remained open until Prohibition then became a barber shop and a jazz club before returning full circle. Today, OKRA’s central, oval-shaped bar is accented by exposed brick walls with gas light fixtures, and the original circle arch-and-barrel vault ceilings are still intact today.

Image Details