Marquis II Reopens With New Look, New Smoking Policy

West U’s only bar, the Marquis II, recently reopened after being closed for renovations with a new look and a new smoking policy.

The bar, which has been at its Bissonnet location for the last 26 years, reopened on July 15 after being closed for eight weeks.

“It’s literally 180 degrees,” General Manager Al Jara said. “It doesn’t look anything like it used to.”

Prior to the renovations, there was a bar on either side of the room with the restrooms in the middle of the building, which made it feel like there were two different rooms, he said. The bar was also carpeted and had wood paneling on the walls.

General Manager Al Jara stands behind the bar of the newly renovated Marquis II.

During the renovation process, the bar was moved to the center of the building and new bathrooms were built in a corner area of the facility.

Some key elements of the Marquis II, like the juke box, chairs and piano were kept the way they were.

Jara told InstantNewsWestU that the decision to remodel was made because business had slowed down and they “had to evolve.”

According to documents on file with the city, the cost of the renovation project was $80,000.

The Marquis also has a new policy on smoking and is asking patrons to go outside to smoke.

“We could smoke indoors, but we chose not to,” he said.

West U’s code of ordinances allows smoking in bars.

Jara said they don’t consider themselves a “dive bar” anymore, but do still think of themselves as a sports lounge.

Jara said that people thought the Marquis II looked “seedy” before, but he hopes the new renovations will help them become part of the community.

“We’ve always been a neighborhood bar,” he said. “We want West University to be proud of it.”

Jara, who’s worked at the Marquis II for the past 13 years, said it’s nice to see people’s faces when they come in and see the change.

The original Marquis opened in 1942 near Shepherd and Gray Streets. Two of the bar’s waitresses purchased the bar and renamed it the Marquis II, Jara said.

Over the past 70 years, the bar has changed hands four times. The Marquis II is currently owned by George Santikos.

The bar, which is known for its Texas teas, is open Monday-Friday from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The Marquis II doesn’t have a kitchen, but food trucks are parked outside on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.