Soon, it will once again be possible to sit comfortably outside for a meal. Lining The Woodlands Waterway, Lake Woodlands, and golf courses around town, The Woodlands’ dining scene offers plenty of ways to enjoy an outdoor dining experience.
As temperatures slowly ease back from summer’s all-time highs, here are eight restaurants with the coolest patios and best views in The Woodlands:
Rose Restaurant and Rooftop
The rooftop bar at Woodlands offers more than just a great view of downtown — it also features an upscale menu featuring flatbread pizzas, steaks, seafood, and shareable snacks. As night approaches, the two-story bar and rooftop restaurant become a full bar, serving wine, pomegranate martinis and eight other cocktails along with upbeat music.
20 Waterway Street, The Woodlands. 832-341-5142, roserooftop.com. Open 5pm to 2am Thursday to Saturday, and 8pm to 2am Sunday to Wednesday.
Barbecue
This South American steakhouse, Churrascos, is located along the main thoroughfare of the waterway. Customers can watch the swan boats and runners go by while enjoying empanadas, ceviches and the signature marinated chimichurri centered under the string lights on the expansive patio.
21 Waterway Street, The Woodlands. 281-367-1492, churrascos.com. Open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Northern Italy
Tables are lined up along the long canal that marks the end of The Woodlands Waterway at the Woodlands Mall location in northern Italy. The restaurant’s outdoor patio surrounds the entire length of the building, while the indoor/outdoor bar serves wines, craft cocktails and local beers.
1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, #403, The Woodlands. 281-292-6935. Open 11am-10pm Monday-Thursday, 11am-11pm. Friday and 10am-11pm Saturday-Sunday.
Landry’s Seafood
Tucked away along a slower corner of The Woodlands Waterway, Landry’s Seafood House offers a relaxing patio with lush plants complemented by plates of seasonally inspired seafood.
1212 Lake Robins Drive, The Woodlands. 281-362-9696, landrysseafood.com. Open from 11am to 9:30pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 10pm on Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sunday.
Kitchen and back bar
Woodlands Staple Back Table features Southern-inspired cuisine—from shrimp and grits to oysters on the half shell and whiskey-braised short rib. The restaurant’s airy terrace overlooks the 18th hole of The Woodlands Resort’s North Golf Course.
2301 N Millbend Drive, The Woodlands. Open from 4 to 10 pm Sunday to Thursday and 4 to 11 pm Friday to Saturday.
Del Frisco Laundromat
Del Frisco’s is a modern American bar and grill offering tranquil views of the Lake Woodlands offset by the bustling restaurant row of Hughes Landing. Menu items range from cheesy egg rolls to bone-in ribeye, while the bar features 12 inspired cocktails and a wide selection of wines.
1900 Hughes Landing Suite 500 Boulevard, The Woodlands. 281-465-0300, delfriscosgrille.com. Open 11am to 9pm Sunday to Monday, 11am to 10pm Tuesday to Thursday, and 11am to 11pm Friday to Saturday.
Fielding local
Creekside Park Gem Fielding’s Local is all open: an open kitchen and outdoor patio seating overlooking the wide open spaces of the Creekside Park Village Green. The local produce-focused American barbecue restaurant cuts its own steaks, bakes its own bread and serves more than 250 wines and spirits at its Watering Hole bar.
26400 Kuykendall Road, The Woodlands. 281-401-9623, fieldingslocal.com. Open from Monday to Sunday.
local to
Local Pour’s patio overlooks Christmas trees lined with lights, sculptures and fountains along the shore of Lake Woodlands.
Customers can recover from eclectic meals and a mostly local beer list by walking along Hughes Landing’s Restaurant Row.
1900 Hughes Landing Suite 350 Boulevard, The Woodlands. 281-419-7687, localpour.com. Open 11am-9pm Sunday, 11am-10pm Monday-Thursday, and 11am Friday-Saturday.