The Den has long been a favorite hangout spot for many UH students, both current and alumni. However, what many visitors don’t realize is that this beloved bar is nearly 18 years old, making it as old as many of the students who stop by.
The beginning
Initially, the bar was not open to visitors under 21. It was the current owner and manager of The Den, Ben Pannell, who opened it up for everyone.
“This decision to me added more to the campus atmosphere, because, you know, most of the students here aren’t even 21,” Pannell said. “You want to give them an opportunity to come in and have the college experience.”
Pannell isn’t the original owner of the bar and took over in 2016 after working and managing several other bars and restaurants.
“This opportunity kind of fell on my lap, and I thought it would be great. I saw a lot of potential,” he said. “When I saw UH, I thought the school was definitely up and coming and going to be something big, which it has. It’s been amazing to watch it transform.”
Transformation to today’s Den, Pannell’s recommendation
Ever since then, Pannell has been transforming The Den to cater to the college life experience each student deserves.
Be it the atmosphere or the menu, Pannell always wanted The Den to be more than just a bar spot.
“When I first took over, I noticed it was more of a bar atmosphere, and I wanted it to be more like a campus community,” he said. “I wanted it to be a comfortable hangout rather than a bar with a bunch of people just getting drunk.”
One major change that led to where The Den is today was when Pannell decided to launch more food options.
“You want people to come here and have a good time, enjoy themselves, relax, take away the stress of your finals and the day-to-day school, and have some laughs with your friends,” Pannell said.
Today, the menu varies from sandwiches and burgers to nachos and flatbreads. All these items were personally incorporated by Pannell himself.
Pannell recommends trying out the 0-4-4 Sandwich at least once at The Den, as it’s their most famous item on the menu.
“Our biggest sandwich, the 044, I can’t take credit for; it was already here,” he said. “I made it better. Added some stuff to it, but the buffalo sauce, the bread and the whole idea for their sandwich, they (original owners) came up with the concept.”
The sandwich was one of the things Pannell decided to keep because he loved it so much. The only change he made from the original recipe was replacing the blue cheese with ranch.
He also recommended trying out the Cherry Limeade, the bar’s signature drink.
Safety measures
However, apart from providing food and drink options, Pannell’s main focus is to provide a safe space for students to experience college life.
“Everybody in here, I kind of picture them being my son or daughter. I want them to be safe and to have fun responsibly,” Pannell said. “In a lot of cases, we’re the first bar experience for students. I want that first experience to be something that they remember and also give them a safe place.”
Pannell makes sure that no visitor feels over-served. He wants to set the standards in a way that when visitors go to other places, they compare them with The Den.
Alumni connection, fate stories
Often, visitors can see alumni coming back to The Den every now and then.
When alumni come back, they have good memories. They relive them, feel nostalgic and feel like coming back over and over again, Pannell said.
Pannell’s goal of making The Den feel more than a bar probably worked because he even mentioned a few incidents where two people met at the bar, fell in love and ended up getting married.
“I’ve been to three weddings of people that met here at The Den,” he said. “There’s another one that comes to my mind, where the guy came in here and he met his wife. He was a student and she was a bartender here.”
The couple is now married with two kids. He talked about more such incidents that led to people finding their fate because of The Den.
“I’m sure there are more such incidents where people met at The Den and are now together,” Pannell said.
The force behind The Den
Regular visitors know all the servers working at The Den and can agree that each person behind the bar always has a smile on their face.
Most servers have been with the bar for a really long time.
“That’s one thing I’m the most proud of, that my employees seem to stay a really long time,” Pannell said. “But I firmly believe in treating everybody the same and treating everybody the way I’d want to be treated. The results are, they stay a long time.”
Being in their positions as a server and bartender before, Pannell understands that their job isn’t easy and requires a lot skill.
New additions
While Pannell has no recent plans to expand The Den, the plans for introducing more items on the menu are underway.
Pannell wants to introduce more budget-friendly eating options for students.
“I hate how expensive things have gotten and that I’ve had to raise prices on a lot of stuff,” he said. “So I’m designing a new menu and coming up with a budget menu, where we can focus on college students who are on a budget.”
While the bar won’t get rid of the staple items, they are planning to introduce concepts like happy hour or a late-night budget menu, which would provide good food items for less.
The Den launches The Daily Cougar
With new additions coming to the menu, The Den and The Cougar have collaborated to release a limited edition cocktail called “The Daily Cougar” that will be available starting Monday, Nov. 17 and throughout spring 2026.
The cocktail will include Jack Daniel’s Blackberry Whiskey, pineapple juice with a splash of cranberry garnished with orange and cherry. The drink was created by The Den’s bartender Chucho.
news@thedailycougar.com
