The Sugar Refinery Grub and Grogs, which opened in April 2017 in Sugar Land, largely mirrors an old-fashioned speak-easy. Servers are dressed in Prohibition-era attire—complete with aprons and hats—and photos on the walls were obtained from city archives, depicting the city’s history and paying homage to the iconic sugar refinery landmark.
The restaurant features various bar food and “grog,” which refers to liquor.
“It’s something different this area didn’t have,” head bartender Zach Hayes said. “It’s a Sugar Land-themed Prohibition bar. We have a bunch of old Sugar Land pictures everywhere from the sugar mill in the ‘30s. …That’s where everybody in this area worked, and it kind of created the economy out here.”
In addition to Hayes, restaurant Manager Raul Aguirre is heavily involved in the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. The restaurant has been popular with customers who seem to appreciate the concept, Aguirre said.
“High-quality [ingredients] and consistency—that’s really what it’s all about,” Hayes said.
The Sugar Refinery has remained competitive even as the food and bar scene evolves in Sugar Land, Aguirre said. The region is more developed than when Aguirre was younger and continues to expand.
“In the past five years, we have now more bars than usual,” Aguirre said. “It’s growing, especially now [that] you have even more restaurants with a variety of wines and [drinks].”
As for expanding to an area outside of Sugar Land, Aguirre said it would not make sense because of the restaurant’s deep connection to the city and its historical sugar-based economy.
The variety of culinary concepts within Town Square also adds a sense of friendly competition, Hayes said.
“We want all the places out here to succeed because it brings more business in general, but we definitely want to be the best place out here,” Hayes said.