One of the very best experiences one can enjoy in life is exquisite outdoor dining.
What better way to spend an evening than enjoying great company, delicious food, in a cool summery breeze of a restaurant with an outdoor patio in Texas?
The great thing with these restaurants is that by having a restaurant patio enclosure, they can offer the best of both worlds.
Keeping the patio screen enclosure closed keeps the restaurant cozy when the weather is cool. The restaurant is then transformed into an awesome dining experience as the weather warms up and the enclosure is fully opened, converting the restaurant to an outdoor diner.
In this post, we’re going to have a look at 9 of the best restaurant with amazing outdoor patios in Texas.
We recommend these restaurants for a couple of things
- Highly rated restaurant with amazing food
- Great ambience of an outdoor patio!
Let’s start this list of Texas restaurants with outdoor patios.
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We’ll start this list of outdoor patio restaurants with a recommendation for the seafood fans.
Have a look at Perla’s outdoor patio:
Wouldn’t you want to be eating there right now?
Before we actually speak in detail at Perla’s, let’s have a bit of a look at what people are saying about this outdoor patio dining experience.
Perla’s offers excellent seafood cuisine in a casual elegant setting.
A vast selection of seafood is on offer, from a fully-stocked cold bar, seafood sandwiches, fresh market seafood, the mouth-watering Perla’s Plates and USDA Prime steaks for those who are not in the mood for seafood.
Our next (and quite a few of restaurants on our list) is on the San Antonio river walk. You’ll find that many of the great restaurants with outdoor patios are to be found here.
Bella on the River, River Walk, San Antonio, Texas
Sadly, Bella on the River closed in 2023
At Bella on the River, David and the entire crew serve you with great focus and attention to detail. So much so, that Bella on the River has picked up the San Antonio Express News Critics’ Choice for The Best River Walk Dining for the years 2012, 2013 and 2016.
Their intimate outdoor patio on the River Walk, means it is a really excellent outdoor dining location. It’s literally like walking up, off the River Walk into a small Spanish bistro. If you walk indoors, the natural limestone rock walls, candle-lit tables make it feel just like the Southern European and Mediterranean food restaurant it really is.
But the ambience is not the only great thing about Bella’s.
Chef Sean Fletcher ensures his kitchen crew creates and produces an outstanding menu focused on creativity, balance, quality, and value using Mediterranean food and ingredients.
True to its name, you’ll find plenty of Mediterranean dishes on the menu. Such stuff as the delicious Bruschetta, the Fritto Misto, the Seafood Paella, the Spaghetti all’ Amatriciana and plenty of other excellent dishes are all reminiscent of an Italian trattoria.
And what do Bella’s patrons say about the restaurant?
With Bella on the River being rated #7 out of 4000 restaurants in San Antonio, we’re sure you’ll enjoy this experience to the full.
Our next restaurant with amazing outdoor patios in Texas is Contigo, a bustling pub with a great atmosphere, and most of all a great outdoor space. Rather than your typical pub grub, Contigo actually offers a very different selection of bar food.
But before we discuss the menu, look at this outdoor patio. Doesn’t it look great for a casual outdoor meal?
The Contigo bar is actually part of the Contigo Ranch complex.
In fact, rather than the typical pub grub, you’ll find plenty of food coming straight from the Contigo ranch. The Farmer’s Cheese, Quail, the Ox Tongue Slider, the Pork Liver Pate and the Charcuterie tasting are all great choices.
The Contigo also caters for catering events as necessary for groups.
While our opinion is that the food menu is fantastic, the locals and visitors also have plenty of praise for Contigo.
We continue our culinary trip around Texas’ most amazing restaurants with outdoor patios with a visit to Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant in Fort Worth.
Before we actually discuss the food, have a look at this awesome garden where you can enjoy your food:
The garden is actually one of the attractions of this restaurant, and reviewers mention it over and over again.
The restaurant is also the winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence!
In fact, on TripAdvisor, it’s rated the #13 restaurant in Fort Worth. That’s a great rating, given that there are more than 1300 restaurants in Fort Worth.
Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant has been a Fort Worth staple since when it was founded in 1935 by Mr. and Mrs. Joe T. Garcia. The restaurant has remained in the family ever since, with plenty of rich family history found throughout the restaurant and their famous patio – very well-known to locals and visitors alike.
The menu offers your typical Mexican food, but as can be seen by its TripAdvisor rating, this is of excellent quality. At Joe T’s you’ll find cheese nachos, tacos, guacamole, tortillas, beef and chicken fajitas, pico-de-gallo and lots more.
Once again, it’s best to have a look at what recent visitors to the restaurant have to say about the food and atmosphere.
We’d recommend heading down to Joe T’s if you’re in the Fort Worth area and try for yourself the delicious Mexican food in their “delightful” courtyard.
The next restaurant with outdoor dining space is something a bit different.
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Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden, Austin, Texas
Speaking of Texas outdoor patio’s, we cannot miss Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden.
But why do we mention specifically the outdoor patio? Well, have a look for yourself:
As the mantra of Banger’s goes, it’s all about a wonderful place to eat, drink and hangout.
“Not too rowdy, not too laid back, just a good old fashioned good time.”
Banger’s serves homemade sausage, craft beer, pig roasts, beef jerky and pickled accompanied by Americana and country music.
Banger’s believes that quality food should be made from scratch, and that’s why they have picked up plenty of great ratings, giving them a prestigious position of the #24 of 3066 restaurants in Austin, Texas.
We’d recommend you do what the gentleman is suggesting and visit Banger’s if you’re around Austin!
The Guenther house is a Victorian house with beautiful grounds which also includes a restaurant, set with an indoor restaurant with “Ballroom” style seating and an outdoor patio set in the outdoor arbor areas of the Guenther house.
It’s the dining area on the outdoor patio which puts the Guenther house restaurant on this list of best restaurants with outdoor patios in Texas.
Have a look for yourself.
The photo does not do much justice to the very pleasant experience of dining in Guenther House’s outdoor patio.
It’s no wonder that this restaurant takes the number #16 spot on TripAdvisor from about 4000 restaurants in San Antonio.
The Guenther house is famous for the bread which they make in their own flour mill. They are also quite famous for their waffles.
As for lunch, the mouth-watering specials which you can get to enjoy during your outdoor patio lunch include: The Champagne Chicken Enchiladas, the Pioneer Taco Salad, the French Onion Soup, the San Antonio Quiche, the Chicken A La King and plenty more.
Besides the above, you’ll find a nice selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, pastries and desserts. The Guenther House Restaurant also has the option to cater for group events.
But what do the actual visitors of the restaurant say about it?
There’s a reason why we’ve recommended this San Antonio, Texas restaurant with outdoor patio, and the above sums it up quite nicely.
Although we’re still discussing restaurants with outdoor patios in Texas, we’re back to Italy – italian food that is.
This is another restaurant which has an outdoor patio right by the riverside and that’s part of the reason we think it merits a spot on our list of best restaurants with outdoor patios in Texas.
But let’s do the pictures do the talking shall we?
The restaurant’s name, Zocca, is actually the name of a rustic village in the north of Italy. The restaurant (just like the village) is renowned for its balsamic vinegars, cheeses and a place to enjoy great Italian cuisine on the River Walk.
The menu features traditional italian pasta dishes such as the traditional Tagliatelle with bolognese sauce, Spaghetti with oversized meatballs and Marinara sauce and plenty of other Italian dishes.
And what would a good italian restaurant be without a good pizza? There’s a limited selection, but one cannot go wrong with any of them.
And what do the patrons say about Zucca? The review below speaks for itself.
The restaurant takes the #23 spot out of about 4000 restaurants in San Antonio, which is quite a feat.
Our next restaurant with outdoor patio is also on the San Antonio Riverwalk, but can you blame us for choosing that?
Few experiences can beat dining al fresco by the Riverwalk at Boudro’s.
Have a look for yourself!
Boudro’s, a Texas bistro, is a treasured and popular destination on the San Antonio River Walk.
Their very unique attractions include the prickly pear margarita and the tableside guacamole presentation – where the guacamole is prepared at your table!
Executive chef Robbie Nowlin is known to combine the traditions of South Texas with finesse from the world’s finest restaurants, while the extensive wine cellar complements the chef’s dishes perfectly.
The menu includes such delicious items as the Gulf Coast Sea cakes, the Duck and Sausage Gumbo soup, the Boudreaux’s Shrimp and Grits, the Wood Grilled Atlantic Salmon and the Mesquite Grilled Texas Quail.
After dinner enjoy a vintage cognac or port.
Taking the prestigious #20 spot from all restaurants in San Antonio, we have no doubt you’ll enjoy a great outdoor meal at Boudro’s.
As the review above says, if you’re taking visitors to this restaurant, you’re probably treating them to the very best San Antonio has to offer, don’t you think?
Our final item on this list of best restaurants in Texas with outdoor patios is, not surprisingly, a steakhouse, which incidentally, is a fine-dining restaurant, also on the riverwalk in San Antonio.
The Little Rhein Steak House is very famous for its perfectly prepared steaks, award-winning wine-list and a casual, rustic charm.
Housed in the historic Otto Bombach House, it has a history of being visited by movie stars, professional athletes, politicians and other celebrities – as well as, local residents and visitors to San Antonio.
But what about its outdoor dining setting?
The menu is exactly what one would expect from a fine-dining steakhouse. Such delicious starters as Lump Crab Stuffed Avocado and Crab Claws Cocktail set the tone for the rest of the meal.
As a steakhouse, it serves Texas’s best certified angus beef, with plenty of prime cuts, as one would expect from such a high-caliber restaurant.
And here’s what some of the customers of the restaurant have to say about the Little Rhein Steak House and it’s outdoor dining.
If you’re looking for a great steak, don’t miss the Little Rhein Steak House.
What’s your favorite restaurant with outdoor patio in Texas?
And with that we have a wrap. Restaurants with outdoor patios in Texas are plentiful and thanks to their restaurant patio enclosures outdoor dining in these restaurants are a great experience both in warm weather and those cooler Texas days.
If you’re looking for a good outdoor meal in Texas, we’ve given you plenty of choice for you to choose from with our list of best restaurants with amazing outdoor patios.
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