BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Patio Happy Hours

By Dai Huynh, Staff writer | May 1, 2014

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Southern cocktails and Creole-inspired savories highlight Brennan's New Orleans-inspired restaurant’s Triple 7 happy-hour menu.

At the first sensation of gentle breezes, Houstonians hit the deck, the patio, the courtyard and the rooftop terrace. These days, outdoor tables and chairs sprout around every restaurant that has a patch of frontage to call its own. Despite imminent heat, Texans love al fresco dining, especially paired with happy hour.

Brennan’s of Houston (3300 Smith Street) offers a lush tile courtyard that transports diners to New Orleans. Its Triple 7 menu is offered 2-7 p.m. daily and features seven wines, cocktails and appetizers for $7 each, including such noshes as smoked-oyster gumbo and crispy oyster BLT.

Batanga (908 Congress) is made for al fresco dining. Its expansive patio, dotted with umbrella tables, overlooks historic Market Square Park and buzzes with downtown workers during happy hour, when mojitos and sangrias go for $4. A small sampling of its Latin-inspired dishes is featured, including Castilian-style pork ribs and skewered chicken with sweet plantains.

Cook & Collins (2416 Brazos), a Lower East Side Manhattan-inspired restaurant in Midtown that serves updated comfort standards, boasts two attractive patios, one upstairs and an enclosed downstairs lined with blooming orchids. Wall-to-wall windows are opened on pleasant days, and the happy hour menu Monday-Saturday includes $2 off cocktails and half-priced appetizers and signature flatbread pizzas.

RDG + Bar Annie (1800 Post Oak) attracts chic socialites who climb the stairs to a lush Miami Beach-inspired patio overlooking Post Oak Boulevard. The who’s-who crowd gathers at this glamour spot for all-day happy hour, featuring hand-crafted cocktails, along with elegant bites ($3-$9) by Robert Del Grande.

Indika (516 Westheimer) appeals to adventurous palates, with a creative modern Indian bar menu ($4-$8) by talented Anita Jaisinghani. The masala-saffron grilled lamb chop popsicles, potato goat-cheese cakes, pork belly chaat and crab samosas are perennial favorites for patio diners.