The Best Beer Gardens in Houston to Try Out This Summer
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Beer is for all seasons, but beer gardens (or Biergarten), are warm-weather sanctuaries. While a mug of chilled lager, beside a toasty fireplace, sounds enticing in winter, when it’s summer, and the sun’s out, it’s time for al fresco drinking and beer gardens.
Like their beer, Houstonians love their beer gardens. Hence, it’s no surprise that this city houses the best beer gardens. Whether you’re craving a funky sour or hop-heavy, or just some chilled blonde ale with lip-smackingly delicious pub grub, Houston has you covered.
Here’s our toast to 6 best beer gardens in Houston, that offer guzzling brews and cater to beer lovers, with all the beers and local brews you could ask for, as well as delicious food and a fantastic ambiance, to make your night (or day) out pitcher perfect!
1. St. Arnold’s Brewing Company
Texas’s oldest and Huston’s O.G. craft brewery opened its own beer garden and restaurant in August 2018, and it has been a hit among Houstonians ever since. Located next to Saint Arnold Brewery on Lyons Avenue, this beer garden offers a stunning ambiance with a blend of industrial-gothic style architecture, and an outdoor seating space with kid and animal-friendly tables, yard games, and other fun games while enjoying the view of the Houston skyline.
The Saint Arnold menu boasts of made-from-scratch coal-fired pizzas (a must-try!), spicy wings, pretzels (how long do pretzels last?), fried pickled green tomatoes, and of course, St Arnold’s award-winning craft beers.
2. Axelrad Beer Garden
Built on the premises of the historic Axelrad building, which once stood as a famous local grocery store nearly a hundred years ago, this 2000 square feet beer garden is all about celebrating Houston and its rich heritage of breweries. This is a great place to visit if you want to check out Houston’s rich variety of beers. This beer garden offers craft beer and brews ranging from classic St. Arnold’s to newer establishments like Karbach and Buffalo Bayou.
Axelrad’s special attraction is an expansive garden housing indigenous, regional, and heirloom plants and a spacious seating space featuring hammocks. They also have moderately priced steak nights, fire pit gatherings, and open mic nights, making it the perfect spot to enjoy film screenings, video art, and live music events with friendly staff. You can wash it all down with a great selection of over 30 beers and a slice of cheesy pie from Luigi's pizzeria next door.
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3. Height's Biergarten
With a whopping 94 taps and 60 different types of beer, Height’s Biergarten offers one of the most extensive and diverse collections of beers in Houston. Apart from drinks, the heights bier garten menu offers a large selection of pub grubs from pretzels and schnitzel sandwiches to shishitos and Thai-style sausages.
A must-try is the richly meaty and gravy doused pork shank platter that pairs well with their hoppy double IPA. If you’re looking for something light on the palette, try out their range of cocktails that pair brilliantly with their fresh, subtle salads.
The dog-friendly outdoor patio in heights bier garten is lined with wooden tables, swing seats, and hammocks, with cozy fire pits to gather around when the weather gets chilly.
4. City Acre Brewing Co.
The beer and the food at City Acre Brewing Company are both stand-alone reasons to visit this place. Located north of downtown, just off Highway 59, this beer garden offers a cozy, personal outdoor seating - ornated with horseshoes, and surrounded by fruits, vegetables, and herbs that go into the making of their unique beers like coriander-spiced blonde ale – Hitchcock (wait for the Hitchcockian twist of coriander) or IPA Bayouwulf.
City Acre Brewing serves both house-made and local beers, and a mouthwateringly delicious menu of beer-inspired dishes like loaded northside chicken nachos, fries topped off with shredded pork, queso, and jalapenos, shareable tater plates, and urban cowboy burgers with thyme buns (must try!)
They also host quarterly harvest dinners that feature unique beer pairings and other themed events all year round.
5. HTX Social Beer Garden
Social beer garden is a two-storied set up with a state-of-the-art beer garden, featuring a turf in the center surrounded by picnic tables, cushioned chairs, and hammocks.
While social beer garden does not have its own brews, its beer list includes 40 taps and offers beers from biggie breweries; St. Arnold, Buffalo Bayou, 8th Wonder, Karbach, Black Pew, and more. The special attraction of this beer garden is a host of food trucks, that offer cuisines from all over the world from Asian fusion to Tex-Mex BBQ.
Unlike Wooster’s Garden, this place is also kid and pet-friendly (till 9 p.m.) just like Lazy Oaks Beer Garden, with a gaming space on the top floor that’s replete with vintage arcade machines, dartboards, and a billiards table
6. King’s BierHaus
While Pearland’s beloved King’s Biergarten may have closed down, its legacy of good food, fun, and great German beers is continued by King’s BierHaus. From the décor and staff’s attire – that includes faux dirndls and lederhosen – to the food and craft beer, is an ode to the traditional German Biergarten.
King’s BierHaus offers a spacious outdoor seating arrangement with patio chairs, picnic tables and hammocks, live music and events, and an artificial pond with its very own waterfall and footbridge.
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But the star attraction of this place is its fun atmosphere, great happy hour deals, and impressive beer selection, including traditional German beers that are (almost) impossible to find outside of Europe. If you want to enjoy a lively evening with friends while sipping on some delicious brews, look no further than King's BierHaus. They serve 18 different types of German Beers, including Doppelbock, Oktoberfest, and Barock Dunkle from Weltenburger – the oldest monastery brewery in the world (próst!)
They also have a food menu that rivals their beers. A must-try dish is the 'inglorious bastard burger' that has fried chicken schnitzel topped off with Swiss cheese, buffalo sauce, and marinated Jager mushrooms, stuffed within butter flake buns – all we can say is - oooh that’s a bingo!
Here are a few honourable mentions of must-visit places that offer not only great beer but also great food and an awesome ambience, including Spring Street Beer & Wine Garden with rotating food trucks, Wooster's Garden Lazy Oaks Beer Garden, Garden Oaks, and Galveston Island Brewing.
For a taste of the Southwest, try making your own beer garden. If you plan to serve bbq and chili, consider keeping these local artisan producers in mind for spices and sauces.
Looking for the best BBQ spots in Houston? Click here.
