After six years of pop-up and shared spaces, The Riot Comedy Club will open the doors to its first permanent, dedicated venue at 1925 Washington Ave. on Thursday, August 27.
The 4,700-square-foot space sits on Washington Ave within in the city’s Old Sixth Ward. The showroom seats 170 guests across tabletop floor seating and elevated booths, all oriented toward the stage.
Visitors can also spot 38-foot-wide custom mural of The Riot’s signature astronaut, painted by Houston artist Michael “Madd Kyng” Temple, on the back wall. Interior design was handled by Sara Alicia Luxury Design.
The kitchen will be led by Rob “The Reverend” Mungle — named Houston’s Funniest Person by The Laff Stop in 1995 and formerly director of food management at Outlaw Dave’s Worldwide Headquarters — who will oversee a menu of shareable bites, handcrafted pizzas, paninis, and desserts.
As for the bar, the menu is curated by General Manager Seth Fair, a Society of Wine Educators Certified Specialist of Wine and award-winning mixologist with 25 years of hospitality experience at venues including Brasserie 19, a’Bouzy, and Cafe Annie.
A daytime coffee shop and café, also managed by Mungle and Fair, will open at a date to be announced.
Founded in 2020 by Brian Gendron, The Riot has hosted nearly 3,000 shows and more than 600 comedians — from local newcomers to national headliners — for an audience base exceeding 100,000 guests. The Washington Avenue location is the club’s first standalone space; The Riot also operates Riot Conroe and Riot Riverwalk in San Antonio.
The grand opening night is scheduled for Thursday, August 27. Festivities launch at 6 p.m. with a pre-show party before legendary comedian Andy Huggins takes the stage. Huggins, whose Early Bird Special is currently streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, will be joined by lineup favorites from The Riot.
The event will feature a $3,000 merchandise giveaway, including season passes, VIP passes to The Riot Comedy Festival in 2027, and gift cards.
The venue will be available for private event bookings at comedy@theriothtx.com. A full schedule of upcoming shows is available on the official website and on social media at @theriotcomedy.