houston's newest patio bar

New, 2-acre patio bar fires up brick oven pizzas next to White Oak Music Hall

A massive new bar has opened near White Oak Music Hall. Woodland Social brings many of the most popular facets of Houston’s growing patio bar scene to the Near Northside.

Photo by Sean Rainer

The bar's patio includes 10,000-square-feet of turf.

Named for its location at 313 E. Woodland St., Woodland Social unites the brothers behind Piper’s Hospitality Group (Preslee’s Southern Good Eatery and Piper’s Burgers) with White Oak Music Hall developer Will Garwood. The two-acre property has an 8,000-square-foot main bar area and a 15,000-square-foot outdoor patio that includes 10,000-square-feet of turf.

Designed to be both kid and pet-friendly, the expansive patio includes amenities that have been a hit at other patio bars, including lawn games, three volleyball courts, cabanas, hammocks, and a 20-foot LED screen. Inside, patrons will find an 80-foot, 32-seat bar, 18-foot ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Sports fans can follow all the action on the 21, 75-inch TVs.

“Our vision was to build a bar that would stand out and showcase the natural light and outdoor scenery at every seat,” co-owner Justin Piper said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment. “From the glass skylights, floor to ceiling windows, sliding glass doors, Brazilian teak wood ceilings, brick and stucco finishes to the tropical landscaping and spacious outdoor sections, there isn’t a bad seat anywhere.”

“The Woodland Heights area lacked a destination for families with children, was pet friendly, and had the space to accommodate people of all ages to come together and enjoy a lively social atmosphere. We decided that our two-acre footprint was the perfect space for doing just that,” Justin’s brother and business partner West Piper added.

Woodland Social pairs all that space with a robust food and drink menu. The Pipers developed a menu of five, 12-inch brick oven pizzas — available with traditional, gluten-free, or cauliflower crust — that are each designed to feed one or two people. They are:

Classico - Tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, and olive oil
Cheese Please - Mozzarella, provolone, romano, and parmesan
Local Favorite - Mozzarella, provolone, pepperoni, and hot honey
The Veggie - Mushrooms, spinach, mozzarella, and provolone
Meat Me - Pepperoni, Italian sausage, capicola, Genoa salami, mozzarella, and provolone

Since pizza and beer are a natural pairing, Woodland Social offers 20 draft options as well as 20 more in cans or bottles. The wine list includes 30 selections, including more than a dozen by-the-glass.

The bar’s cocktail program offers its interpretations of a number of classics, including the Old Fashioned, Mai Tai, French 75, and, of course, an espresso martini. The bar creates its own syrups and infuses its own bitters, Justin Piper adds.

In addition, it serves nine frozen cocktails, including a watermelon mojito, strawberry daiquiri, and a pineapple margarita. Even better, the frozen cocktails are available in individual servings or as flights of three or six for $14 or $26, respectively. Those who eschew alcohol will find both mocktails and alcohol-free beers.

“There really is not another venue of our size and location that we can compare to,” co-owner Brandon Piper added. “We have over 20,000 square feet of outdoor space and can accommodate over 500 people. To cover parking, we have over 130 parking spaces to accommodate those traveling and not ubering. Woodland Social is a massive indoor and outdoor entertainment destination and will attract sports watchers, happy hour hangouts, families, pet lovers, and people who just want to relax to great music.”

Woodland Social opens at 4 pm Monday-Thursday and 12 pm Friday-Sunday. Patrons under 21 are welcome until 9 pm.

head east

Eagerly-anticipated Houston barbecue joint hosts weekend preview pop-ups

Courtesy of Eastbound Barbecue

Get a first taste of Eastbound Barbecue this weekend.

One of Houston’s most eagerly anticipated new barbecue joints is giving diners a preview of what’s to come. Eastbound Barbecue will host “Sneak Peak Weekends” every Saturday and Sunday beginning this Saturday, December 20, until the restaurant opens in early 2026.

Held at the restaurant’s location in the East End (1105 Sampson Street) from 12-4 pm (or sold out), the weekend service gives diners their first chance to try Eastbound Barbecue’s smoked meats, sides, and desserts. That includes, smoked brisket, baby back ribs, jalapeno & cheese sausage, hatch chili lasagna mac & cheese, herbed potato salad, and more. Save room for the two dessert offerings, salted caramel banana pudding and cookie butter cake.

To distinguish Eastbound’s barbecue, chefs Lopez and Granville use different seasonings than other restaurants, such as rosemary salt in the brisket rub and a miso-caramel sauce that gives its ribs a sweet and savory bite. During the preview, Eastbound’s prices are noticeably lower than many other Houston barbecue joints, with brisket priced at $29 per pound, ribs at $26 per pound, and pulled pork at $22 per pound.

As CultureMap reported in August, Eastbound unites four friends, Ryan Penn, Ryan Powell, Luis Lopez, and Jake Granville, who also held senior roles at various restaurants owned by prominent Houston chef Ronnie Killen. Since then, the four partners have finished many of the improvements they needed to make prior to opening, including closing in the patio and installing offset smokers on the property.

For Penn, leaving the Killen’s organization after almost 20 years was a difficult decision, but one he felt he had to make. “I could have worked for [Killen] forever and been happy. It was more along the lines of, if I don’t do this now, I don’t want to be 70 and wish that I had,” he said at the time.

Courtesy of Eastbound Barbecue

Get a first taste of Eastbound Barbecue this weekend.

news-you-can-eat barbecue openings