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

The eye-catching 1,500 square-foot patio at Brasserie du Parc is climate-controlled with sliding glass doors.

Houston, new patios, March 2017, Brasserie du Parc

Photo by Mauricio Hernandez

The eye-catching 1,500 square-foot patio at Brasserie du Parc is climate-controlled with sliding glass doors.

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we gotta go

Beard-winning Houston chef shares first details of new Montrose restaurant

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Pasta and cold seafood will be on the menu at House of Louie.

Houston hospitality veterans Bobby Heugel and chef Justin Yu are sharing more details about House of Louie, their new neighborhood restaurant that’s opening this summer in the former Vibrant space at 1931 Fairview Ave. It’s the duo’s first new restaurant since opening Squable in 2019.

Almost a year after announcing their plans for the project, chef Yu, a James Beard Award winner and Food & Wine Best New Chef honoree, shares in press materials that the restaurant’s name and spirit takes inspiration from an establishment operated by his aunts, Betty Louie and Josephine Yeung, for over 30 years in the Los Angeles area.

“House of Louie was how I fell in love with restaurants. There was a magic there,” Yu said in a statement. “It was always a happy place for me, and for all its guests who came from all around the Los Angeles area to go to it. It was just one of those restaurants where it was exactly what you wanted, when you wanted it, but also a restaurant that gave you more than you expected.”

Yu describes the menu as having a “French-Italian soul” that will also incorporate “the smirk of Modern American cooking,” which allows the chef to sidestep criticisms of whether or not his food is a sufficiently authentic version of those two culinary traditions. As with Theodore Rex, his downtown restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide, dishes at House of Louie will be defined by well-sourced ingredients and delicate saucework.

Meals at the restaurant could begin with dishes such as salads or raw seafood items, including yellowtail alla scapece (cured in chardonnay vinegar) or spot shrimp marinated in Pernod with bergamot and fennel pollen. Pastas, which will be in-house, include a fried lasagna with ragu bianco and Comte cheese fondue. Entrees include roast duck and chicken brined with house-made giardiniera, the spicy topping typically associated with Italian beef sandwiches. Of course, vegetables will be well-represented throughout the menu.

Bobby Heugel, Yu’s partner in the Thorough Fare Co. hospitality group and the founder of bars such as Anvil and Refuge, is overseeing the bar’s cocktail program. Expect martinis galore and seasonal cocktails made with Gulf Coast ingredients. One example is the The Fair View, a riff on the classic Rome with a View made with local roselle hibiscus, Becherovka, dry sherry, and gen tian tea, that’s finished with sparkling wine and pineapple.

The duo aren’t ready to share interior photos, but they describe the renovations as a “simple remake” that enlisted support from local craftspeople including Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions), ObjektFab, and Ford Design Finishes. “Just like when you cook a beautiful piece of fish or a carrot that was cared for as it was grown, you do just enough to something beautiful to make it yours,” Yu added.

Joining the project are general manager Tyler Jay Wang, whose resume includes acclaimed Boston establishments No 9 Park and Drink, and executive chef Kirk Thompson, who worked for various Underbelly Hospitality concepts and served as the executive chef at Leo’s River Oaks when it won Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

House of Louie will be open daily for dinner. Friday lunch and weekend brunch service will be added in the future.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Pasta and cold seafood will be on the menu at House of Louie.

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