Bari and Bar Bludorn on the Waterway, Plus Two Thursday Stages: The Woodlands in October

"Guests from The Woodlands have supported Bari from the beginning, often traveling to our River Oaks District location and asking us to bring the experience closer to home," said Pedro Teyuca, co-owner and operator of Bari Hospitality Group, when the company announced its newest restaurant.

That restaurant opened today, September 30, at 24 Waterway Avenue. Two days later, Bludorn Hospitality Group is scheduled to open Bar Bludorn at 25 Waterway Avenue. It is the group's first restaurant outside Central Houston. Two Houston restaurant groups that used to require a drive down I-45 now hold neighboring addresses on the same street. October's event calendar also happens to be unusually full. Together they make this a month when a big night out in The Woodlands can stay in The Woodlands.

Two Addresses, Two Days Apart

The two openings are best understood side by side, because they are built for different kinds of evenings.

Bari is built at scale. It covers 9,000 square feet and seats 250. Each of its two private dining rooms holds up to 40 guests, the rooms can be combined, and the bar lounge takes up to 30. That makes it one of the larger private-event options on the Waterway, and the timing works for anyone already planning a holiday party or a family gathering.

Its menu brings over River Oaks District favorites like Fritto Misto, Pappardelle Bolognese and the pizzas. It also adds dishes made only for this location, including Crab Fingers "Scampi," Breaded Fried Burrata, Lasagna Casareccia and tableside Chateaubriand and Fiorentina. Italian Master Chef Renato de Pirro is helping lead the opening. Mintz stays on afterward to run the kitchen day to day.

The detail most useful for a weeknight is the weekday happy hour, with $10 burgers and $10 individual pizzas on the list. Hours run 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Weekend brunch starts Sunday, October 4, and runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. More details are on BariRistorante.com.

Bar Bludorn is pitched as a neighborhood spot. The group calls Bar Bludorn its "quintessential neighborhood tavern concept." The Woodlands location is designed by Gensler and pairs Bar Bludorn signatures with new dishes. It joins a group that also runs Bludorn, Navy Blue and Perseid at Hotel Saint Augustine. The opening date has moved once already. Hello Woodlands' original announcement carries a September 26 graphic, and a September 17 update set the new date of October 2. Visit The Woodlands posted the same October 2 date in a September 22 update. Check the restaurant's site before planning around opening weekend.

Hughes Landing Got There First

The Waterway's week makes more sense alongside what Hughes Landing has added since summer. Charolais, from Chef Austin Simmons, was announced open there on July 14. Williams Sonoma followed on September 18 at 1925 Hughes Landing Boulevard, Suite 300.

Charolais at Hughes Landing in July, then Bari and Bar Bludorn on the Waterway in early fall. For dining, that is the bigger change this year. It also matters for the Thursday calendar below, because Hughes Landing is home to one of the two Thursday concert series.

Thursdays Become a Choice of Stages

For most of the fall, Thursday night outdoor music in The Woodlands has meant Market Street. Its free Fall Concert Series runs every Thursday from September 17 through October 29, 6 to 8:30 p.m., in Central Park at 9595 Six Pines Drive. Blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Tents, tables and glass are not.

On October 15, Rock the Row starts its fall series at Hughes Landing, 1900 Hughes Landing Boulevard, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the shore of Lake Woodlands. The series is presented by Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, with additional sponsorship from Howard Hughes. For the last three Thursdays of October, two outdoor stages run on the same night.

The start times are staggered by an hour. Market Street begins at 6, and the Hughes Landing set runs until 9. Market Street's listing points to the restaurant patios around Central Park as a place to eat during the show. Market Street's series ends October 29. Rock the Row keeps going with The Harris County Band on November 5 and Level One Band on November 12. The Township notes that all performances can change with weather or scheduling.

October 1 is busier than a typical Market Street Thursday. Hybrid 7 plays during "Light it up Pink," a breast cancer awareness evening running 6 to 8:30 p.m. Mumford & Sons, with Marcus King Band, plays the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion at 7:30 the same night.

The Rest of October, by Weekend

The weekend calendar is full enough that the new restaurants fit around it rather than replace it. Here are the dated events from the Township, the Pavilion and local organizers, in order.

1. Oct. 2 to 4. Bar Bludorn's scheduled opening falls on the same Friday as the Township's Moonlight Paddle from Riva Row Boat House, 8 to 9:30 p.m., and Family Bingo Night at the Recreation Center at Rob Fleming Park, $5 per person. Saturday brings the free Meet the Fleet from 9 a.m. to noon at 2801 Technology Forest Boulevard, the Run for Hope starting at 2099 Lake Robbins Drive, and Eagle Fest with ZZ Top and Cheap Trick at the Pavilion. Sunday has Cars & Coffee for a Cause at Market Street from 6:30 to 10 a.m., Bari's first brunch service, and TLC & Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue at the Pavilion.
2. Oct. 8 to 10. Village Books hosts actress Jaclyn Smith for a book signing on Thursday, October 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 9955 Woodlands Parkway, Suite F. Hayley Williams plays the Pavilion on October 9. Memorial Hermann 10 for Texas starts at 7 a.m. Saturday, October 10, at Northshore Park, with a 10-mile race, a 5K and a kids' run.
3. Oct. 17. The free Woodlands Wildflower Festival runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rob Fleming Park, 6055 Creekside Forest Drive. Market Street's Fall Fine Arts Show runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the same day. Staind, Seether, Hoobastank and Hinder play the Pavilion that night.
4. Oct. 23 to 25. Hocus Pocus Pops with the Houston Symphony is a free Pavilion show on Friday, October 23. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30. The H-E-B Wine Walk is at The Woodlands Resort on Saturday, October 24. On Sunday, the free Trick or Treat Trail runs 1 to 5 p.m. at the Recreation Center at Rob Fleming Park, 6464 Creekside Forest Drive.
5. Oct. 31. The Montgomery County Heart Walk starts at 8 a.m. at Northshore Park, 2505 Lake Woodlands Drive. MercyMe, with Jeremy Camp, Tim Timmons and Sam Wesley, closes the month at the Pavilion that evening.

The weekend of October 2 to 4 stacks the most together. Bar Bludorn's scheduled debut, Bari's first brunch, a Township paddle, a 10K and two Pavilion headliners all land within roughly 72 hours. For a calmer first visit to either new Waterway restaurant, the midweek gaps later in the month are the easier window, especially Mondays through Wednesdays when neither concert stage is running.

New restaurants on the Waterway tend to come up when people are deciding which part of The Woodlands they want to be near. If that question is on your mind, or you'd just like to know how this fall's openings are showing up in nearby home values, the McCrory Clark Realty Team is glad to talk it through. Start with a free home valuation and a no-pressure conversation about what's changing close to home.