In Texas, the time you can buy alcohol depends on what you’re buying. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations sell beer and wine from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, with sales continuing until 1 a.m. on Saturday nights and resuming at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Liquor stores keep much shorter hours — 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday only. Bars and restaurants serve until midnight on weeknights, 1 a.m. after Saturday, and from 10 a.m. on Sundays with a food requirement before noon.
Beer and Wine at Stores
Off-premise beer and wine sales at grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations run from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, sales start at 7 a.m. and continue through 1 a.m. Sunday morning.1State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code ALCO BEV 105.05 Wine and malt beverage retailers follow the same schedule.2State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.04 – Hours of Sale: Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer
Sunday sales start at 10 a.m. for licensed off-premise retailers and run through midnight.1State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code ALCO BEV 105.05 That leaves a dead zone from 1 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday when no off-premise beer or wine sales can happen anywhere in the state.
Liquor Store Hours
Liquor stores, called “package stores” under Texas law, sell distilled spirits only between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. There are no late-night or early-morning hours.3State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.01 – Hours of Sale: Liquor
Every Sunday, liquor stores are closed. No exceptions. If you need whiskey, vodka, tequila, or any other spirit, plan ahead on Saturday or wait until Monday at 10 a.m. A grocery store next door can sell you a twelve-pack at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, but the liquor store won’t open at all.3State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.01 – Hours of Sale: Liquor
Liquor stores also close on three holidays: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. When Christmas or New Year’s Day lands on a Sunday, the closure extends to the following Monday, so the store misses two days in a row.3State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.01 – Hours of Sale: Liquor These holiday closures apply only to package stores. Grocery and convenience stores keep selling beer and wine as usual, and bars and restaurants can serve on all three holidays.
Bars and Restaurants
Venues licensed for on-premise consumption serve alcohol from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Sunday morning.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages
Sunday service begins at 10 a.m., but between 10 a.m. and noon any alcoholic drink has to be served alongside food. This applies both to mixed drinks and to on-premise beer sales.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages After noon, the food requirement drops and service runs through midnight. That’s why Texas brunch works the way it does: a restaurant can pour mimosas at 10 a.m. as long as there’s food on the table.1State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code ALCO BEV 105.05
Late Hours to 2 a.m.
Many bars stay open until 2 a.m. with a late hours certificate, which extends service every night of the week past the default midnight or 1 a.m. closing time.4State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.03 – Hours of Sale: Mixed Beverages
Whether a bar can get that certificate depends on where it is. In cities and counties with populations of 800,000 or more, including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and their surrounding counties, a licensed business can apply directly. In smaller cities and counties, the extended hours are only available if the local commissioners court or city council has formally adopted them.1State of Texas. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code ALCO BEV 105.05 A bar in a small town may close at midnight simply because the local government hasn’t opted in.
Winery Hours
Wineries with a valid permit run on their own schedule: 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday. On New Year’s Day only, a winery can also sell between midnight and 2 a.m.5Texas Public Law. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code 105.08 – Hours of Sale and Consumption: Winery Wineries aren’t required to close on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day the way liquor stores are.
Wet, Dry, and Mixed Areas
None of these hours apply if the local area has voted against alcohol sales. Texas uses a local option system where voters in each county, city, or justice of the peace precinct decide which types of alcohol can be sold. As of early 2025, only 60 of the state’s 254 counties are completely wet. Three counties remain completely dry, and the rest fall somewhere in between: a precinct might allow beer and wine but not liquor, or permit restaurants to serve on-premise but ban package stores.6Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Local Option Elections
So the statewide 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. liquor window doesn’t help you if the town voted dry for spirits — there won’t be a liquor store to walk into. You can check the wet/dry status of any specific area through the TABC’s website before making the trip.6Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Local Option Elections
Quick Reference
- Beer and wine at stores: 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
- Liquor stores: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
- Bars and restaurants: 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday, with food required before noon.
- With a late hours certificate: service extended to 2 a.m. every night, where locally adopted.
- Wineries: 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday.