flying into East River
The Rustic owners tee up new casual icehouse at Fifth Ward golf course

Birdies Icehouse will celebrate its grand opening on March 18.
The team behind The Rustic is taking over operations at a downtown-adjacent golf course. Birdies Icehouse is the newest project from Dallas-based FreeRange Concepts, which operates The Rustic, Bowl & Barrel, and The General Public.
Formerly known as Riverhouse Houston, Birdies is a casual dining concept that serves a crowd-pleasing menu of bar fare alongside a full range of beer, wine, and classic cocktails. Plenty of TVs and a large LED screen allow patrons to watch all of the day’s games.
Happy hour is available Monday through Friday until 7 pm and all-day on Sundays. It opens at 11 am Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and 9 am on Saturday and Sunday for brunch.
Before or after their meals, patrons can entertain themselves with pickleball, lawn games, or the fully-lit, 9-hole, par-3 golf course. Overall, Birdies occupies 25,000 square feet and can host groups of 20 to 3,000 people.
“Birdies Icehouse was created to be a true icehouse in both feel and function,” FreeRange CEO Kyle Noonan said in a statement. “The focus is cold drinks, big screens and plenty of room to settle in—especially at sunset along the bayou. You can host a corporate event, stop by for happy hour, or catch a game. The space supports all three equally well.”
Birdies Icehouse will celebrate its grand opening on March 18. The celebration will include food, drinks, activations, and more. Details will be shared on Instagram as the event draws closer.
Real estate developer Midway opened East River 9 in 2022 as a destination that’s adjacent to its East River mixed-use development. Located near the intersection of Jensen Drive and Clinton Drive in Fifth Ward, East River is a 150-acre mixed-use development. It’s home to wine bar and restaurant City Cellars HTX and will soon welcome new tenants such as street taco concept La Calle and Japanese restaurant Kyuramen.



