I've visited the Westheimer location of Sherlock's (original store in the chain) a number of times over the years. This location has an interesting mix of clientele, including people from different parts of the world (e.g., UK, Ireland, Scotland, Germany) who are in town on business/for conferences and are staying at one of the large hotels in the adjacent Westchase area. The crowd is also more age diverse than you would likely find at many Houston bars. The racial/ethnic composition of the crowds I've observed is also fairly diverse, to the extent that (IMO) anyone could go there and feel comfortable within the crowd - it is not a ""_____"" club or anything, all groups are represented fairly well to the extent that no one would likely feel that 'this place isn't for me' based on demographic factors. That being said, there is a dress code that prohibits 'gangsta'-type clothing, whatever that means these days...
There is never a cover charge except on New Year's Eve. There is live music every night except for karaoke on Sunday nights. The bands can _really_ be hit or miss for me, so I recommend going online to see who's playing on a particular night and finding out what you can about the group before going.
The bar does have servers, but when it's crowded (Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays) you're going to be better off buying your drinks at the bar. Also be prepared for a very crowded situation especially on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar staff is typically very good and friendly. I know several of them personally and many of the staff are sort of like family with each other and 'have each other's backs', so if a customer gets disrespectful and belligerent to the point of causing a serious problem, the doormen will be escorting that person to the parking lot (and 'out of their house'), firmly but nicely ('until it's time to maybe not be so nice'). Oh, and there are HPD officers on-site during the Friday and Saturday evenings as an extra measure of security if someone just can't have a good time without causing some trouble :-0
Drink prices are very reasonable compared to a lot of other places that I've been. Although several of the other Sherlock's/Baker St. Pubs in the chain feature a regular food menu, this location does not.
Sherlock's is not an ""ambiance"" bar (a place to feel special, elegant, or part of the pretty crowd). If you want that, you'll probably have to go inside the loop especially if you're younger and looking for the 'bar with the one trendy name' kind of vibe. It's more of a no-frills 'get your drink on' kind of place.
Pros: Low-key, relaxed atmosphere, decent drink prices, good staff, non-pretentious crowd
Cons: Gets very crowded on virtually all weekend nights, sometimes hard to get a drink due to patrons crowding at the bar for service, and uggghhh.....bathroom attendants
more