North Texas has a brief window we call patio season each fall and spring. On those fabulously rare days when the stars align and it’s neither swelteringly hot nor frigidly cold, you gotta find a patio and soak it up while you can. Shoulder season dining and sipping packs the most coveted Fort Worth patio restaurants, which can be found spread across many parts of town.
Who couldn’t use a patio guide? Here are the 18 Best Fort Worth Patio Restaurants:
UPDATED: March 11, 2024
Quince Riverside
1701 River Run, Suite 181
This dramatic, new Latin/Asian fusion restaurant, Quince Riverside, is perched overlooking the Trinity River in WestBend. This location is Quince’s second romantic restaurant (the original can be found in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and a third opened recently in Austin).
The wild and wonderful menu includes sushi rolls like the Frida with fresh hamachi bathed in a citrus sauce with the Latin flavors of serrano and sriracha. The patios are now two tiers with expansive riverside views of the Trinity Trails and the Fort Worth Zoo beyond.
61 Osteria
500 W. 7th Street
Restauranteur Adam Jones and chef Blaine Staniford have now opened three downtown favorites. One of Fort Worth’s most notable fine dining restaurants in 2008 ― Grace Restaurant, was followed by a more casual bistro — Little Red Wasp. The duo opened another lavish Italian restaurant ― 61 Osteria in January of 2023.
The menu is filled with house-made rosemary focaccia, grilled octopus, fresh pasta dishes like the popular ricotta-filled serpente, and the primal Bistecca Fiorentina. The new patio is surrounded by mid-century Noguchi sculptures, overlooking Fort Worth’s famous Man With a Briefcase in Burnett Park. What a setting for dinner or cocktails and tapas.
Piola Italian Restaurant & Garden
3700 Mattison Avenue
For the past 18 years, the Albanese family has welcomed guests into a restored bungalow near the Monticello neighborhood. The white tablecloth Italian spot has become a local favorite. At some point, they added “& Garden” to the name because it has become one of Fort Worth’s most prized patios.
Shady and covered, it’s the ideal, all-weather outdoor space to host parties and receptions. Guests enjoy greenery and grapevines, along with heaters and overhead fans to make it feel like springtime year-round.
B&B Butchers & Restaurant
5212 Marathon Avenue
This upscale steakhouse boasts one of the best views in the Shops at Clearfork. Its ideal corner spot overlooks the colorful windmill, the hub greenspace known as the plaza.
There are, of course, some of Fort Worth’s best steaks, plus go-to dishes like lobster mac and cheese, and my favorite Crab Louie salad. But, nothing is quite as ideal as sharing appetizers or brunch with friends while enjoying the bustling scene, with a cocktail or glass of wine in hand.
Piatello Italian Kitchen
5924 Convair Drive, Suite 412
Marcus Paslay’s cutting-edge Italian remains one of Fort Worth’s premiere spots for fresh pasta. The interior underwent a bit of a refresh recently, but the open kitchen with its blazing pizza oven is still the star of the show.
The patio at Piatello is the best in Waterside. It is connected to the restaurant by walls of glass and looks onto the central greenspace and party/concert stage beyond. Umbrellas stand at the ready to provide shade, but its central location provides just enough throughout the day.
Heirloom FW
6700 Z Boaz Place
Chef Kevin Martinez utilizes what’s fresh from the garden in his seasonal creations at the new Heirloom FW. It’s a garden-centered dining spot inside the lush plantings of Archie’s Gardenland. What a brilliant backdrop.
This new outdoor garden-inspired oasis has really caught on. They are now hosting Greenhouse Gatherings, which is a monthly dinner club, as well as private parties in the garden. The menu changes weekly including fresh items like the Heirloom and Motz salad, with heirloom tomatoes, watermelon, and fresh mozzarella cheese.
Rodeo Goat
2836 Bledsoe Street
This top-notch burger joint in Fort Worth’s Cultural District comes complete with a perfect patio. Order up a basket of fresh fried potato chips and one of your favorite burgers, or sample the burgers on the most recent Burger Battle, the choice is yours.
Picnic tables are scattered atop crushed granite with time-worn cinder block walls providing shade and ambiance. The water features on this patio are made from feeding troughs, in case you forgot you were dining at Rodeo Goat.
Gemelle
4400 White Settlement Road
This is one restaurant that is so limited on inside space, it’s mostly patio. So, Tim Love made it epic. The multi-layered patio leads out to a lawn with separate bars, a bandstand, and a hotel pool for his Hotel Otto on-site.
The outdoor space is more than welcoming, it boasts Detroit-style pizzas, fresh salads and pasta dishes, and handmade Negroni’s to wile away a lazy afternoon or evening in high style.
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
111 E. 3rd Street
Downtown Fort Worth’s open-air beer garden is out of this world. You can now find several Flying Saucer Draught Emporiums across the Southeast, but Fort Worth is home to the very first Flying Saucer. You might say it’s the mothership. And it holds up.
This beer mecca serves more than 100 beers, from local brews to hard-to-find international selections, along with a pub food menu. True connoisseurs can camp out on the patio and split the “beer feast” with friends. That’s a large Bavarian-style pretzel stuffed with meats and cheeses, served with nuts, fruits, and spreads.
Maple Branch Craft Brewery
2628 Whitmore Street
This award-winning craft brewery has 20 beers on tap, all brewed in-house. But that’s not all. There is also food at Maple Branch. That includes pretzels, brats, and pizzas to go with the wine and non-alcoholic drinks.
You can kick back inside the shady courtyard-style enclosed patio at Maple Branch Craft Brewery and listen to the water trickling from its central fountain.
Woodshed Smokehouse
3201 Riverfront Drive
Situated along the Trinity Trails, right next to the river, Woodshed Smokehouse was one of the first restaurants in Fort Worth to take full advantage of the city’s waterway. Celebrity chef Tim Love’s new barbecue menu is smokin’ and the relaxed atmosphere with cyclists zipping by, dog walkers strolling past and often a guitarist strumming on stage is ideal whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There’s even a pup menu at Woodshed.
Courtside Kitchen
1615 Rogers Road
Do you play pickleball? You don’t have to at Courtside Kitchen. There is a great menu that is worth the drive by itself, and the lively atmosphere lets you amble around the grounds, find a spot on the patio, or take in a pickleball game or two while you dine or drink.
Courtside also serves up a mean happy hour and brunch, as well as everything from coffee to cocktails.
Maggie’s R&R
1264 W. Magnolia Avenue
Magnolia Avenue’s premier patio space boasts live music on the stage. On the menu at Maggie’s R& R, you’ll find chefy comfort foods like a salmon B.L.A.T., as well as weekend brunches filled with chilaquiles verdes and Maggie’s French toast topped with marshmallow sauce. The drinks menu means a full bar, with some smashing patio punches if you’re so inclined.
Press Café
4801 Edwards Ranch Road, Suite 105
The Trailhead at Clearfork is a coveted shady oasis next to the Trinity River. Felipe Armenta’s hotspot Press Café operates on a waitlist most weekends, but it’s worth the wait. Happy hikers can be found nibbling avocado toast and spreading housemade ricotta atop toasted ciabatta bread.
Press Café also serves one of my favorite brunch items ― eggs in a hole, with its toasted sourdough filled with prosciutto, cheddar, fontina, and an over-easy egg. Firepits warm chilly nights, and fans cool warmer days.
Paco’s Mexican Cusine – Sundance
156 W. 4th Street
Authentic Mexican food from Francisco “Paco” Islas, has been coveted in Fort Worth for years. First at Paco & Jon’s, then at Paco’s on Magnolia. But Paco’s Fort Worth patio overlooking Sundance Square is the spot to sit and soak when temperatures are right.
The Queso Fundido is filled with chorizo and nopales, the chile relleno is topped with tomato sauce and the trout Veracruzana is a real treat. This For Worth patio is also the place for happy hour sips and brunch with friends.
The Bearded Lady
300 S. Main Street
With its move from Magnolia to South Main, The Bearded Lady added a stellar Fort Worth patio to the mix. The vast menu boasts everything from fried leeks to fried pickles, chef-inspired sandwich creations, burgers and greens like the Texas Smoke Salad topped with honey pecans, sliced cherry tomatoes, roasted corn, shredded smoked gouda, a hardboiled egg and house-made dill ranch. The Bearded Lady’s crushed granite patio is filled with picnic tables and shaded by umbrellas.
Joe T. Garcia’s
2201 N. Commerce Street
No Fort Worth patio restaurant list would be complete without Cowtown’s fabled Joe T. Garcia’s. What began as a tiny home in 1935 has expanded into a sprawling tropical oasis over the decades. Filled with pergolas, fountains, and lush plantings, this is patio dining at its best.
The Garcia family adds new features to its gardens every year. The seating capacity has grown from the original 16 on the patio to more than 1,000 today, allowing for elaborate parties and gatherings.
Ascension Coffee
1751 River Run, Suite 151
Fronting the Trinity Trail at WestBend, Ascension Coffee has a view of the river and the Fort Worth Zoo beyond. This coveted Fort Worth patio sees cyclists dip in for refreshment and hosts coffee and brunch like nobody else. The coffee roaster serves many styles from pour-over to Kyoto-style doki-doki cups.
Ascension Coffee even serves “brekky” all day, including power bowls and eggs Benedicts. But the sublime riverside setting is a worthy draw all on its own.
The Fort Worth patio scene is stronger than ever and now is the time to soak in the scene.