Backstreet Café

The peaceful, walled garden outside of this charming bistro is one of the most idyllic places in Houston to dine al fresco, and given Backstreet Café’s close proximity to River Oaks, its leafy courtyard is usually packed with patrons wearing a little something they just picked up in Paris or Milan. The New American cuisine ranges from rich (bacon-wrapped quail with jalepeño cheese grits) to light (the rainbow trout delicately grilled and accompanied by a salsa verde). There’s live music during the café’s popular Sunday brunch, and when it comes to dessert, you must try the “Forty Year Milk Shake;” liquid bliss that is concocted from homemade mascarpone ice cream, Texas honey, Madagascar vanilla and 1971 Don Abala Gran Reserva Pedro Ximenez Sherry—it's enough to share. We love to gush about the patio, but don't get us wrong, the inside of the café has its pluses. When Houston is as hot and humid as a sauna, it’s a cozy and casually-elegant place to dine. 

Don’t even think about parking your own car—there’s not much available space on this tiny island right off of Shepherd, but several valets are at the ready.