Here's a closer look at Houston/San Antonio's newest eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces available for events this fall. The new and renovated Houston/San Antonio venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fundraisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, team-building activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Puttery Houston
A stylish, over-the-top mini golf course just for adults opened in September in downtown Houston's Sawyer Yards neighborhood. Puttery Houston offers three different nine-hole courses themed around either the Rocky Mountains, a cacti-filled desert, or an old-school library. A full venue buyout of the two-story space can accommodate up to 600, with many different individual spaces for private events. The lounge areas can accommodate up to 12, a courtyard offers room for 65 guests, parlor dining offers room for 45, den dining accommodates 35, and the solarium offers room for 90. In addition, the space includes VIP lounges and high-tech AV capabilities. For hungry groups, Puttery's event menu prioritizes shareable options like a seafood board with shrimp ceviche and smoked salmon, beef sliders, ancho wings, and arancini balls. Planners can also add on a bar cocktail cart for a fun spin on serving up signature cocktails.
Photo: Courtesy of Puttery
Il Bracco
A popular Italian-inspired neighborhood restaurant and bar in Dallas branched out to Houston in August with the opening of an Il Bracco outpost at the corner of Post Oak and San Felipe. Expect to find crowd-pleasing dishes like focaccia with ricotta and roasted garlic, chicken piccata, and bolognese on mafaldine noodles with slow-cooked beef, lamb, and pork ragu. Partners Robert Quick and Matt Gottlieb enlisted Texas architect Michael Hsu of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to transform a former California Pizza Kitchen into a glamorous 6,000-square-foot space that's notable for its dark wood and punchy artwork along with its own patio, bar, and cocktail lounge. The restaurant seats 160 inside (including at the bar) and 35 outside.
Photo: Courtesy of Il Bracco
Ladino
Lamb belly ribs, roasted beets, and chicken halloumi are on the menu at Ladino, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with a wood-burning oven that opened in San Antonio's Pearl district in September. Ladino is from Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group and represents the company's first foray into San Antonio. The menu draws on flavors from Spain, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Israel, and Ladino's dining room echoes that Mediterranean feel with serene colors and eye-catching light fixtures. The restaurant can seat up to 70 in the dining room or can host up to 125 standing guests for receptions. Ladino spans 1,425 square feet indoors and 1,245 square feet outdoors with a 930-square-foot patio. A bar above the dining room seats up to 40 with colorful, low-slung custom couches in a space spanning 405 square feet indoors, plus 315 square feet on the balcony.
Photo: Courtesy of Ladino
CounterCommon Beerworks & Kitchen
Family-friendly brewpub CounterCommon Beerworks & Kitchen opened in July in Houston's Bellaire neighborhood. Here, beer is brewed on-site in a space that's conducive to private events. Pair brews like "Playoff SZN" German pilsner with food influenced by Asian and Latin American cuisines, such as lemongrass chicken bao, kimchi-topped burgers, or chicharrones with creamy avocado dip. The space embraces an industrial vibe, with a sleek bar and polished floors. CounterCommon boasts 100 seats inside in the restaurant dining area, 22 seats at the taproom bar, and 36 seats in the outdoor patio. Full buyouts can accommodate more than 200 seated and standing guests.
Photo: Courtesy of CounterCommon
Frida at Flora
Flora, a Mexican restaurant in Houston's Buffalo Bayou neighborhood designed to look like a "glass treehouse," unveiled a new private room in June. The Frida private room at Flora is painted vibrant red and features large windows and ornate chandeliers. Frida can seat up to 50 guests, and planners can also rent Flora's new patio for an additional fee (although there's no additional seating on the patio). The private dining space serves as just that, as opposed to an event space, meaning there's no room flips, ceremonies, outside food and beverage, confetti, glitter, or installations. Instead, planners can occupy Frida for a dining affair, which is available at a food and beverage minimum with pre-fixe menus for three hours. Dishes at Flora include chicken with green mole and mixed grill platters with a selection of seafood and meat served with salsa, rice, beans, and tortillas made in-house.
Photo: Kirsten Gilliam
AC Hotel by Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk
In downtown San Antonio, AC by Marriott opened its doors in October in the home of a former mixed-use office space. The hotel will soon be joined by an Element by Westin as a dual hotel property, and will boast a rooftop bar and lounge called 1 Watson (both are slated to open later this year). The new Marriott property offers 181 hotel rooms and spans floors 13-20 of the building with a design that focuses on warm-wood tones and a neutral color palette. Upon completion of the development, both hotels will share 4,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Highlights include the Rio Vista meeting room, spanning 2,374 square feet; the 187-square-foot Media Salon; and pre-function space with 880 square feet of gathering space.
Photo: John T. Campos & Associates, Inc.
