Updated September 2024
As fall approaches and the weather cools, more and more families are itching to dine al fresco. No matter your location in our city, we’ve got you covered with our list of family friendly Houston patios!
Multiple Locations
- Lupe Tortilla: Great play areas in most locations! The I-10 & HWY 6 locations have play areas and places for adults to enjoy patio drinks. The Katy location has a giant sandbox and a play area.
- Willie’s Grill & Icehouse: This is an extremely popular place to take the kids for families located in Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, Tomball, and also closer in town! Great play areas at several locations.
- Jimmy Changas: A fan favorite! Members of our contributing team love the playscapes in the Katy and Pearland locations.
- Uberrito: Formerly known as Mission Burrito, Uberrito has a few locations around town. The most famous location is the one off of West Alabama, which has a generous space for kids to play in outdoors.
- Red River BBQ: This restaurant has a League City and a Katy location— both have a large covered patio with a huge sandbox.
- Mia’s Table – FREE. SOFT. SERVE. ICE CREAM. And amazing cookies. Kids can see what’s going on in the kitchen through the window, and there are also built-in step stools in the restroom!
Central
- Little Matt’s – Rice Village: Arcade games and a back porch stocked with arcade games. What more could you want?
- Sixty Vines – Rice Village: Sixty Vines has one of the best kids’ menus around for an incredible price point. An added bonus? The child-friendly atmosphere and patio!
- Jenni’s Noodle House – The Heights: The small patio in the back has a huge concrete cylinder turned on its side, which makes a free-standing tunnel for kids to run through. They can also draw on the walls with sidewalk chalk or hit the balance beam.
- Barnaby’s – Museum: Barnaby’s is the perfect spot for families with kids AND pups, and the kids’ menu is just dreamy! Bite-sized sliders, mini corn dogs, macaroni and cheese… I could go on. Any Barnaby’s location is worth the trip, but the Museum District location near the Children’s Museum takes the cake. Here, littles can color or play with the large yard games on the outdoor patio while they wait for their food!
- Cedar Creek – The Heights: Lots of outdoor patio seating, fire pits, and a great selection of craft beer on tap. Kids love the creek that surrounds the restaurant and the bridge that crosses from one side to the other.
- Crisp – The Heights: With a great outdoor space, complete with a fountain, a ping-pong table, and cornhole, this place is made for families. Their menu features gourmet hand-tossed pizzas for the kids, and parents can pair their steak and lobster with a glass of cabernet.
- Cottonwood – Garden Oaks: There’s games, beer, and a mural. It’s also dog friendly.
- Axelrad / Luigi’s Pizzeria – Midtown: While Axelrad is technically a beer garden, it is friendly for kids since they have a bunch of fun hammocks on site as well as extremely friendly staff. Luigi’s Pizzeria shares the same dining space, and there are also various food vendors that will take turns popping up in their shared outdoor space.
- Nonno’s Family Pizza– Montrose: What kid doesn’t love pizza? At Nonno’s, tavern style pizza is served in a square shape— fun! Nonno’s also has a retro arcade area with pinball machines and shuffleboard. Millennials will love the ’90s nostalgia vibes!
- 8th Wonder Brewery – EaDo: You can bring your own food or have it delivered. You can also bring your own non-alcoholic drinks. Kids will love the rocks on the ground, so bring the dump trucks, buckets, and pails to play with while you enjoy a cold one with Downtown Houston as a backdrop.
- Elro Pizza + Crudo – Montrose/Midtown: Elro is a neighborhood pizzeria and crudo bar that was named after the chef’s children! This adorable bungalow restaurant has an adorable patio area. Don’t sleep on the Maraschino soft serve, which is magical for children and adults alike.
- Niko Niko’s – Montrose: Located in the heart of Houston, this Niko Niko’s location has plenty of parking and tons of patio space.
West
- Treebeards Bunker Hill– Memorial: This spacious location has a great patio area— it is the perfect place for families to meet up with other families! Bonus points for the close proximity to the Memorial location of Tiny’s Milk + Cookies!
- Bella Green– Memorial: This patio is located next to the focal point of City Centre Houston, the astroturf-fountain-accented plaza. Ruggles Green has dairy-free options, too! Hop by on the weekend for live music.
- Dish Society – Katy: Their patio is on a green space at La Centerra and perfect for the kids to run around while you enjoy a special treat. They serve local foods and operate with a farm-to-table concept.
- Texas Borders – Richmond: This casual eatery has the best of both worlds— great food for the whole family and a fenced-in playground for kids.
- Live Oak Grill – Sugar Land: Live Oak Grill has been a Sugar Land favorite for over a decade. This extremely family-friendly restaurant is locally-owned and serves up the most delicious Southern home-cooked meals!
South
- MOD Pizza – Pearland: They have a great playground with outdoor covered tables.
North
- Sharky’s Waterfront Grill – Kingwood: This Lake Houston spot is particularly popular with families when temperatures start to heat up. There’s an outside fountain where the kids can play, and you can’t beat the sunsets facing the water.
- Woodson’s – Conroe: Known for their passion for sourcing ingredients locally, this location offers up beers on tap as well as a patio equipped with games.
- Fielding’s Local Kitchen and Bar – The Woodlands: Let the kids play in the adjacent green space and splash pad while you dine outdoors.
- Flower Child – The Woodlands: The made-from-scratch menu at Flower Child works for a variety of lifestyles, from keto and paleo to vegetarian or vegan! Plenty of outdoor seating means the kids can be as loud as they want while you enjoy your healthy {and delicious!} meal.
- Grimaldi’s – The Woodlands: The Woodlands location is on Waterway Avenue and has outdoor seating next to the fountains. There’s plenty of room here for the kids to play!
- Rotolo’s Craft & Crust
- Swanny’s
Please Note: While we make every effort to crosscheck current links and various business details on our guides, we always encourage you to do the same before making final plans. If details are missing or incorrect, please let us know so that we can make every attempt to correct them. And if you know of any other great patios, include them in the comments to continue the list too!
FYI: Uberitto on W. Alabama is closed!
7pm bedtime?! My dog stays up later than that.
Seriously though, we will have to try some of these suggestions when we are in town…
Some more pics would be nice, but I do like the sound of that place with the ping pong!
Live Oak Grill in Sugarland with covered patio with fans and outdoor play equipment for kids! Texas themed place