Shaped by life at sea, after operating for a year, Below Deck Bar has become a gathering place for families and locals in Tomball.
Founded on June 28, 2025, by Nicholas Salazar, a Marine Corps veteran and professional sailor, and his wife Christine Salazar, the bar offers a family-friendly atmosphere, centered on affordable, quality drinks and elevated bar food cooked in beef tallow, a method Nicholas Salazar said adds a health-conscious twist to bar food.
The inspiration
Nicholas Salazar said during his time as a sailor for Norwegian Cruise Line, when asked where the party was, he often joked that, like in the Titanic, the real party was always below deck. The inside joke, along with his background as a sailor, led him to create a sailor-themed bar.
Husband and wife Nicholas and Christine Salazar co-own Below Deck Bar TX in Tomball. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
While the bar's sailor-inspired decor pays tribute to its owner's seafaring roots, its most cherished attraction is a community wall displaying customers' prized treasures from beloved pet photos to college flags that tell the stories of the patrons that keep the bar afloat.
Together, these personal mementos transform the bar from a simple gathering place into a living scrapbook of the community it serves.
Below Deck Bar serves a variety of craft cocktails from espresso martinis to gimlets and old fashions. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere
Nicholas and Christine Salazar said the nonsmoking bar caters to customers looking for a clean bar to kick back, have a drink and quality bar food.
From espresso martinis to basil gimlets and beer on tap, the full bar prides itself on offering quality ingredients to craft each cocktail appropriately.
Menu item staples offered include:
Chicken tenders: Lightly breaded and served with fries, tater tots or onion rings
Chicken sandwich: Crispy or grilled chicken, house sauce, lettuce, tomato, American cheese and served with fries, tater tots or onion rings
Bacon PB&J burger: Beef, bacon, peanut butter and jelly, served with fries, tater tots or onion rings
Southeast egg rolls made with pork, shrimp and stuffed with carrots and cabbage
Wings including Asian style, buffalo, lemon pepper, barbecue, garlic parmesan and mango habanero
Below Deck Bar TX offers several beers on tap. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Moving forward, Nicholas Salazar said they are expanding their menu to include a variety of panini press sandwiches.
In addition to its standard services, Below Deck holds several weekly events including:
Monday: Poker night with free admission
Tuesday: Steak night featuring a 16-ounce bone-in ribeye with a loaded side potato for $24.99
Wednesday: Singo Bingo
Thursday: Karaoke night
For entertainment, the bar also features two diamond pool tables, Queen of Hearts games and is holding watch parties with drink specials throughout the World Cup. The bar also supports local charities by donating $1 per customer visit.
