Time to Dine Al Fresco

10 new Houston restaurants with spectacular patios for outdoor dining

If you manage to find fabulous food, terrific drinks and a spectacular outdoor setting all in one place this time of year, you've scored a major trifecta. The restaurants below pull off all three. From a contemporary Italian eatery near Minute Maid Park to a gastropub with fun games from cornhole to foosball, here are 10 new patios to hit up now.

Nobie’s
Look no further than newcomer hotspot Nobie’s in Montrose for delicious seasonal fare from land and sea, doting service, and an intimate 250 square-foot patio, with seating for 20, that offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
2048 Colquitt St.; 346-319-5919

Field & Tides
Heights bistro Field & Tides offers Southern comfort cuisine, from pimento cheese fritters to pan-seared scallops with seafood risotto, and outdoor seating for 32. Come summer, the owners are set to launch a bar and lounge next door, where you can enjoy sips, and snacks from the restaurant’s kitchen.
705 East 11th St.; 713-861-6143

Osso & Kristalla
Downtown’s Osso & Kristalla from Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has plenty of patio game, thanks to outdoor seating for 60, plus two flatscreen TV’s, a state-of-the-art sound system, and a prime location near Minute Maid Park.
1515 Texas Ave.; 713-221-6666

State Fare
Dig into drool-worthy Southern eats, including a smoked double pork chop, hot fried chicken, and fresh shucked cream corn, on the 24-seat patio at Gateway Memorial City restaurant State Fare, which CultureMap readers voted as Best New Restaurant at the recent Tastemaker Awards.
947 Gessner; 832-831-0950

Xochi
Chef Hugo Ortega’s (Hugo's, Backstreet, Caracol) latest concept, Xochi, is a prime destination standout for traditional Oaxacan cuisine paired with an extensive roster of mezcals, tequilas and Mexican craft beers. Indulge on the 775 square-foot veranda located on a prime corner of the new Marriott Marquis Hotel near Discovery Green. The patio has 60 seats, complete with large ceiling fans and a roof outfitted with slats that open and close, so it's a sure thing no matter the weather.
1777 Walker St.; 713-400-3330

Beaver's Westheimer
Up your your bar game when you dine alfresco at Beaver's Westheimer. The outdoor space at Briargrove/Tanglewood gastropub with Southern fare and tasty ‘cue boasts a 5,000 square-foot deck, a fire pit, a bar housed in a repurposed trailer, and games from Jenga to foosball.
6025 Westheimer Rd.; 713-714-4111

Grotto Ristorante Downtown
Enter the downtown locale of Grotto Ristorante at the George R. Brown Convention Center and you can’t miss the front 1,430 square-foot, 40-seat rustic dining space. Two propane fire pits, along with portable heaters and comfy couches, set the mood for a cozy good time if the weather gets chilly. Multiple TV's throughout make every seat the best in the house.
1001 Avenida de las Americas, Suite A; 713-658-0752

Bebidas
Two massive oak trees provide shelter from the sun on the 1,500 square-foot patio at Bebidas Juice, Coffee & Bites near River Oaks. Breakfast and lunch treats are available every day — the avocado toast is popular — and on Wednesdays, load up with fare from a revolving lineup of food trucks (6-8:30 pm). Once a month, get your workout on as various fitness spots (think Big Yoga to Define Body and Mind) host a class.
2606 Edloe St.; 713-554-0023

Hopdoddy Rice Village
Inventive burgers, frothy milkshakes, and ice-cold brews may be the hallmarks of Hopdoddy, but the spacious 4,000-square-foot patio, with a cornhole and seating for 100, at the Rice Village locale is also worth noting.
5510 Morningside Dr., Ste. 100; 281-557-2337

Brasserie du Parc
The terrace at downtown French eatery Brasserie du Parc makes an impression from the moment you walk in. The eye-catching 1,500 square-foot space, climate-controlled with sliding glass doors, features marble tables with wicker bistro chairs, providing seating for 100. What’s more, it’s also the home of a crêperie concept within the restaurant, Crêperie du Parc, which serves up delectable sweet and savory crêpes.
1440 Lamar St.; 832-879-2802

Enter the downtown locale of Grotto Ristorante and you can’t miss the front 1,430 square-foot, 40-seat rustic dining space

Houston, new patios, April 2017, Grotto downtown

Courtesy photo

Enter the downtown locale of Grotto Ristorante and you can’t miss the front 1,430 square-foot, 40-seat rustic dining space

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NY Times names pioneering Houston restaurant to 'greatest Mexican' list

Photo by Julie Soefer Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

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The New York Times included four Texas restaurants on its list of “41 of the Greatest Mexican Restaurants Across the United States.” Published Thursday, August 13, the Texas restaurants on the list are:

Burnt Bean Co., a barbecue restaurant in Seguin
Garcia’s Mexican Food, a Tex-Mex diner in San Antonio
Hugo’s, an interior Mexican restaurant in Houston
Nixta Taqueria, a creative taco concept in Austin

Mostly written by James Beard Award-winning food writers Brett Anderson and Bill Esparza, the duo “visited dozens of Mexicans restaurants across the country over the course of a year” to compile the list, the Times explains.

“This list is not an attempt to rank the best Mexican restaurants,” the duo write. “It is, rather, a mosaic of great places to eat, from food trucks to corner restaurants to tasting-menu counters. We hope it tells an expansive story about Mexican cooking in America today — a dynamic cuisine all its own, and as American as any food.”

As Texas Monthly’s No. 1 ranked barbecue joint, Burnt Bean Co. is already well known for its smoked meats, but the Times also hails its Mexican cuisine, which includes its signature Sunday morning menu with menudo, barbacoa tacos, and brisket huevos rancheros.

“You could call it Tex-Mex barbecue, but it’s just how barbecue is eaten in a state whose Mexican border is more than 1,200 miles long,” Anderson writes

Founded in 1962, Anderson hails Garcia’s for its consistency, affordability, and pioneering combination of smoked brisket tacos. “Garcia’s is what an idealized American diner looks like in this part of the country: housemade salsas, tortillas instead of toast and plates of nourishing food at prices that explain why some customers visit multiple times a day,” he writes.

The article credits Hugo’s for introducing the city’s diners to a deeper understanding of the breadth of Mexican cuisine. “Aged into a fine-dining lion in the cradle of Tex-Mex, Hugo’s still features longtime staples like banana leaf-wrapped cabrito, grilled octopus and sautéed chapulines, not to mention mezcals and Mexican wine,” Anderson writes.

“I’m so glad I took a risk taking that train to Houston and, eventually, opening Hugo’s,” Ortega said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment about being included on the list. “I had no idea how it would turn out, I just knew was it was the food that I grew up eating and it was different than what I was seeing in Houston at the time. It was – and is – the food of my heart, my family, my ancestors. The foundation of Mexican cuisine is making everything from scratch which is what we continue to do every day at Hugo’s, and at our other concepts, too. I am humbled and thankful.”

Operated by Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi, Nixta has drawn lines of Austinites eager for its creative spin on tacos, which includes Asian ingredients such as fish sauce and furikake, as well as a dessert that nods to Mardanbigi’s Persian heritage.

“The reservations-only tasting menu, served Thursday through Saturday, further showcases the couple’s stunning creativity and ambition,” writer Priya Krishna notes. “But most of the time Nixta remains what it always has been: a counter taquería of the utmost excellence.”

Of course, knowing that the list isn’t a ranking makes it easier to understand the decision to pick Hugo’s as Houston’s representative — both for its historical significance and continued excellence. If Anderson and Esparza had decided to seek out a newer option, they could have considered restaurants such as, Michelin-starred Mexican tasting menu concept Tatemó; Modern Mexican-American restaurant Belly of the Beast, which is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Thomas Bille; Maximo, which is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Adrian Torres; or Casaema, the breakfast and lunch concept that earned a spot on the Times’ list of its favorite dishes of 2024.

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Time to Dine Al Fresco

10 new Houston restaurants with spectacular patios for outdoor dining

Enter the downtown locale of Grotto Ristorante and you can’t miss the front 1,430 square-foot, 40-seat rustic dining space

NY Times names pioneering Houston restaurant to 'greatest Mexican' list

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