Lost Bar Nails Drunk Food, Sports Bar Vibe

Much like the cookie-cutter houses that fill the North Side, (most) bars outside of 1604, hell outside 410, tend to have that same formulaic feel. There’s nothing completely wrong with this strategy, and if it works, it works damn well. Case in point—Lost Bar & Grill.

Finding it isn’t as difficult as the name suggests so put away that compass (as the logo suggests). Lost Bar sits inside a shopping center just past the northwest corner at the intersection of Northwest Military Highway and Wurzbach Parkway. A neighborhood sports bar through and through, Lost Bar wears its purpose on its figurative sleeve. There’s all manners of banners hanging from the ceiling with most hailing from Texas teams, save for the random Denver Broncos and University of Kansas banners. There’s even a Coors Light-emblazoned car hood, so I’m betting Nascar is on the table whenever in season. Football fans can camp out early and take advantage of Lost Bar’s subscription to the NFL Sunday Ticket channel.

Lost Bar isn’t the biggest or most cavernous out there, but it does offer variety by using its digs effectively. Cozy up to the long bar, grab a seat on the patio or get a group together in the dining area with booths and tables for four. Tall faux barrels are also available for groups for a better view of the joint.

On the drink side of things, Lost Bar covers its ground with nine house cocktails that use Texas-made spirits and mixers, including a Ruby Red Cosmo made with Deep Eddy Ruby Red vodka, the T1 Margarita and Texas Honey Tea with Deep Eddy Sweet Tea vodka. I stopped by on a recent Tuesday night with discounts on all Texas spirits and brews. I ordered a pint of Bombshell Blonde ($4), as it was the only Texan brew on tap, as suggested by bartender Michelle.

Regulars, there for Michelle’s birthday and likely because the bar is geared as a chill hang spot, sat along the well-lit bar. Other than the suspect musical selections (although I am partial to Iggy Azalea’s banger “Work” there is no reason for it to play twice in one evening), the crowd was animated but tame, a great combination, which only grew in size as the night progressed.

A visit to Lost Bar wouldn’t be complete without a gander at the snack and full-on meal options. Although the order of individual nachos ($11 with chicken) was tasty, the kitchen should consider a sturdier chip to hold the beans, cheese, olives and tomato, but that really is my only quibble when it comes to the rather extensive menu of insane bar food and flat-out delicious sandwiches. The Pub Club (usually served on toasted sourdough, but Michelle convinced us to go with wheat) was fresh and filling at $10 with fries, but the signature Chubby Melt was as impressive on paper as when placed in front of our group.

Although an engineering degree is probably not required to assemble this sammie, there is something to be said for keeping this beast together, considering so many parts of it could literally go wrong. Here’s the selling point, and no, there’s nothing diet-friendly about it: “Two grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough married by a half-pound ground Angus patty with secret sauce and grilled onions and mushrooms in the middle!” There’s even a warning on the sammie’s addictiveness, and an option to up the ante with jalapeños and spicy aioli. I ordered mine medium (because they do ask how you’d like it prepared, bonus points for that), and was pleasantly surprised. It’s manageable, it’s buttery, it uses fresh onions and mushrooms, and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. I had a few bites before it was packed away to become dinner later on in the week. It’s that rich.

We burned off a few of those excess calories with some Crown cornhole, and a very brief game of giant Jenga (note: sandals and blocks of falling wood don’t mix), as more patrons milled about. My second Bombshell helped cleanse the palate of the Chubby and the tunes (streaming from the internet jukebox in the wall by the entrance) got a bit louder. This isn’t your buddy’s couch, but you won’t have to deal with yappy dogs, bitchy significant others or cramped quarters. Add Lost Bar & Grill to your football rotation this fall and work up an appetite to tackle that Chubby Melt.