Enjoying a leisurely brunch as the warm sun rises on a weekend morning... Savoring celebratory drinks as night falls after a long workday… Indulging in tailgate eats and drinks while waiting for kickoff on a football Saturday… One lovely reason to live in Texas? Patio season lasts almost all year. The Brazos Valley is home to many restaurants and bars with outdoor spaces designed to make spending time with family members and friends even more enjoyable. Each offers a different atmosphere as well as varied activities and amenities. Here are 10 favorites to consider for your next outdoor excursion.
Ozona Grill & Bar
520 Harvey Road, College Station
ozonagrill.com
979-694-4618
Service animals are always welcome.
When asked about Bryan College Station patios, most people immediately think of Ozona Grill & Bar. Its regionally famous outdoor space is widely considered one of the area’s best. Extending the entire length of the building, it can accommodate up to 150 guests at a time. It also backs up to a green belt, which makes the patio feel secluded from the hustle and bustle of its urban location. “The best feature [of our patio] to me is our two large fireplaces — one gas and one wood-burning — which provide comfort even during the cold season,” shares manager Jamie Hamm. “It provides enough space to host live music … and is a perfect atmosphere for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays with mimosa buckets and our build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.” If brunch doesn’t fit into your schedule, consider Ozona’s patio for happy hour drinks, complementary chips, and award-winning salsa Sunday through Friday or on game days, when the patio’s five large television screens broadcast the Aggies’ gridiron battles. Ozona certainly knows how to take the party outside and says it best with its slogan, “Patio life is the life for me.”
The 101
101 S. Texas Avenue, Bryan
facebook.com/101BCS
979-485-2811
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
The ice house-style bar, located in a fully renovated service station, is known for its live music and special events (like punk rock yoga, trivia and open mic nights) and its patio. “Our big push was for music, art, and community,” explains owner Jeremy Stark. “We wanted to create a place where everyone would feel welcome.” Guests can mingle between the outdoor area and indoor bar divided by three garage doors that can roll up to connect the two spaces. The patio includes a covered carport — once home to gas pumps — that provides protection from rain or sun, and families and friends can challenge one another to a game of cornhole on the grassy lawn. Guests can enjoy food and drinks at picnic tables on the lawn or carport, which occasionally serves as a stage for live music. The 101 boasts a full bar and more than 60 rotating craft beers, and food is provided by Mad Taco every morning and rotating food trucks on the weekend. When the sun sets, festive lighting illuminates the space, which is cooled with swamp coolers and misters when it’s hot and warmed with patio heaters when temperatures drops. “Outside feels like a great backyard where everyone can hang out together … and no one has to clean up,” chuckles Stark. “It is the best of both worlds.”
Hullabaloo Diner
15045 FM 2154/Wellborn Road North, College Station
facebook.com Search: Hullabaloo Diner
979-690-3002
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
An Aggieland original, Hullabaloo Diner is one of the most unique and most famous establishments in the Brazos Valley and has been featured on The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The original diner operated out of a restored 1940s airstream trailer that arrived from New York to Texas in 2006. Service inside the trailer closed during the pandemic, but thanks to the outdoor spaces, along with modifications to the hours and menu, the restaurant remained open. Consistent throughout is rustic, eclectic, and whimsical décor that creates an atmosphere that’s the very definition of hullabaloo: commotion. The menu features comfort foods like meatloaf and chicken fried steak on Thursdays, pizza on Fridays, and weekend brunch that includes pancakes, French toast, breakfast burritos, and huevos rancheros.
Guests enter through a rustic courtyard adorned with quirky signs and succulents, and place their orders inside the bar. The next stop is to find a spot at one of open-air areas that surround the bar in a horseshoe. Seating options accommodate various-sized parties, from quaint bistro and game tables with chairs to long tables with wooden and upholstered benches, or guests can stand and socialize at the wooden bar top. Hullabaloo’s patio not only has a roof but can be more or less “open” depending on the elements, which makes it a great choice during unpredictable weather.
Campfire at The Stella Hotel
4100 Lake Atlas Drive, Bryan
thestellahotel.com/campfirerestaurant
979-421-4444
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
Both indoors and out, Campfire at The Stella Hotel fully embraces what many associate with a real campfire: warmth, comfort, and gathering with family members and friends. Campfire’s recently updated menu reflects this commitment to hospitality, offering elevated yet traditional dishes made from quality local ingredients. The crispy Brussels sprouts with house-made pastrami, shallot, and local honey and the smoked cheddar pimento cheese with candied jalapenos and Cajun cracklins, served alongside a signature cocktail, pair perfectly with an evening spent outdoors on Campfire’s expansive courtyard.
The paved patio, covered and somewhat protected from the elements, is dotted with tables and chairs suitable for full-service dining. A more casual area looks and feels like a well-manicured but inviting backyard; here guests can relax comfortably and converse in Adirondack chairs positioned around a fire pit and enjoy Campfire’s close proximity to the Lake Walk stage, which regularly features live music and performances. The patio’s placement on Campfire’s western side contributes to one of its best features: “Bryan College Station is known for its great sunsets with a beautiful array of colors,” describes Food and Beverage Manager Nathan Gutekunst. “From our patio, our guests have the ability to witness this with a great view.”
Casa do Brasil
1665 Greens Prairie Road,
College Station
casadobrasil.com/college-station
979-200-6449
Service animals are always welcome.
All day, every day is happy hour on the patios at the busy Brazilian steakhouse with indoor and outdoor seating. Guests to this restaurant and bar have two patio choices: the intimate cigar patio, tucked away in a corner behind the restaurant, and the expansive main patio off the bar. Both spaces can be enclosed in inclement weather, cooled in the summer, and heated in the winter, making them excellent options year-round.
Patio patrons can order from the happy hour or bar/patio menu, the latter of which features appetizers like the Brazilian empanadas and pan-fried crab cakes, a la carte entrees, access to the massive salad bar, and Brazilian signature cocktails. Patrons can dine at tables or lounge on couches, chairs, and coffee tables arranged living room-style. The main patio in particular offers guests an upscale ambiance with soft lighting, natural materials, and a stunning stone fountain nearby. In the adjacent bar, televisions broadcast the game, and guests can listen to live music on Wednesday and Thursday nights as well as Sunday midday.
The Tilted Pint
4248 Boonville Road, Bryan
tiltedpintpub.com
979-485-2360
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
This neighborhood Irish pub came to life in early 2020 and stayed afloat during the pandemic, in part due to its inviting outdoor areas. The owners aimed to create a homey environment, and they accomplished this goal both inside and outside the restaurant’s four walls. The clean, casual, and comfortable patio has become a destination for both locals and those passing through, where families, friends and neighbors can “gather, unwind, and recharge,” according to the Tilted Pint’s motto. The patio is furnished with large umbrellas for shade during the day, and at night, outdoor lights that hang from a wooden pergola give the space an attractive and inviting glow. The patio is also outfitted with a big-screen television, which remains on all of the time thanks to special water protection so sports fans can follow their favorite teams. There’s also a grassy area with picnic tables where patrons can dine. The Tilted Pint’s outdoor spaces are open year-round, and the kitchen always serves traditional fish and chips, jumbo pretzels with homemade whole grain mustard, an ale cheddar cheese appetizer, and Guinness Bloody Mary cocktail to make every day St. Patrick’s Day!
The Old Post Office (OPO)
102 W. Fox Street, Caldwell
theoldpostofficecaldwell.com
979-324-5194
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
This restaurant and bar operates out of a historic former post office building and has earned a reputation as one of the best music and event venues in the region. This reputation comes from the establishment’s commitment to promote talented local and regional performers and provide a quality venue, which includes an outdoor stage and vast courtyard that promote a connection between music enthusiasts and performers. The patio holds picnic tables for everyday seating, though some guests bring their own lawn chairs to spread out, including under the sprawling shade tree all “dressed up” with an elegant chandelier. In addition to its own concerts, celebrations, and special events, the OPO’s outdoor space is open during downtown community fetes, like Kolache Festival in September, Christmas on the Square in December, Second Saturday shopping, and year-round dining days. Alongside small-town hospitality, the OPO serves up traditional dishes with flair. Start with a beverage from the extensive drink menu along with the bruschetta nachos, and then dive into the hot stamp sandwich made with ham, turkey, mustard, pickles, and jalapenos on Texas toast or the bulk mail burger made with DAR beef and OPO queso on a sweet bun.
Pioneer Smokehouse and Mercantile
309 S. Park Street, Brenham
pioneerbrenham.com
713-876-8416
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
This downtown restaurant boasts three sizable outdoor areas. The Railyard is the newest patio space for drinks or a meal located beside the railroad tracks. “You are a little farther from the flow of regular customer traffic, and a huge pecan tree offers great shade,” says owner Mark Renn. On the other side of the building is the Side Yard, which can seat up to 75 at its German Biergarten tables. “The concrete floor makes the Side Yard the cleanest of the outdoor areas,” Renn shares. “Painted murals on the walls and hanging lights that give a warm glow at night make this the fanciest area as well.” The Side Yard is home to an antique carriage wagon that kids love to climb on for photo-ops. The Backyard is adjacent to this hotspot’s covered deck and cantina and can seat a crowd at picnic tables and chairs. Its pea gravel ground cover is reminiscent of a river bed, and the area is surrounded by troughs in which the restaurant’s peppers are grown. The Backyard is also home to the restaurant’s smoker, on which slow-cooked pit BBQ is smoked with local oak and pecan. If BBQ isn’t what you have a hankering for, try one of the many varieties of stuffed baked potato or a specialty hotdog, and top off the meal with a Dr Pepper ice cream float. “We’re going for natural and relaxed, with kind of a ranch-like feel,” Mark says. All three outdoor spaces are also cooled with giant fans in the summer, warmed with fire pits and heaters in the winter, and will be decorated for the holidays come December.
Cadillac Ranch Bar & Grill
8200 Sandy Point Road, Bryan
cadillacranchbargrill.business.site
979-721-9979
Leashed and friendly pets are welcome on the patio.
This bar, restaurant, and entertainment venue is only open Thursdays through Sundays and packs fun into those afternoons and evenings. Cadillac Ranch offers live music, DJ music, and dancing alongside food, ice cold beer, and specialty cocktails (manager Cody Foreman suggests both Hall of Fame Punch and The Lake Bryan). Particularly popular are Friday night’s all-you-can-eat fried catfish served with steak fries, pinto beans, coleslaw, and jalapeño hushpuppies; Saturday and Sunday’s fried catfish platter; and Sunday brunch. Guests can sit back and relax on the patio while listening to music or dance the night away on the easy-glide dance floor in front of the outdoor stage. Those who enjoy friendly competition can play cornhole, washers, and jenga games, while five televisions broadcast sporting events for those who’d rather watch others compete (Gig ‘Em, Ags!). The outdoor patio is open year-round, with space heaters for warmth during the cooler months. There’s a grassy area and water bowls for four-legged friends, “and we have 10-15 dogs that are regulars!” Cody says. But this locale’s greatest allure is nature’s finest: the magnificent lake view, which is especially stunning as the setting sun slips beneath the tree line on the far side of the lake.
Downtown Uncorked
1551 Greens Prairie Road, College Station
facebook.com/uncorkedwinenwhiskey
979-485-2141
Service animals are always welcome.
This vibrant yet charming wine bar sprouted its roots in downtown Bryan, but relocated to South College Station just last month. According to owner Melba Tucker, Uncorked reopened slowly and gradually, rolling out new drinks and appetizers each week throughout August and September. This “semi-open,” as she describes, went well, and “as of September 20 … everything is 100% up and running!” This includes all of Uncorked’s wines and cocktails, as well as an assortment of delicious appetizers — French and Italian cheese plates, pimento cheese spread, and fresh vegetables with hummus and naan — as well as desserts. The patio space is complete with comfortable couches, loveseats, and chairs as well as end tables made from wine barrels. But its location at a unique community space called The Yard at Caprock Crossing makes Uncorked even more attractive to those in search of an outdoor experience. The Yard’s wide open green space, created for gathering and play, is located just a few steps down from Uncorked’s patio. Melba has additional plans for her outdoor area, including the addition of televisions and themed special events … including a celebration for Uncorked’s 13th birthday on Halloween!
