The weather is finally cooperating, which means it’s time to break out the sweatpants and spend time outside—while we have the temperatures for it! I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a patio where I can sip coffee, enjoy brunch, or have dinner out with friends. Bonus points if I can bring my pup. It turns out that Houston has some great spots for patio perching this time of year.

Sugar Land’s B.B. Italia patio is in the heart of this city’s adorable Town Square. (Courtesy of Kirsten Gilliam)

Luckily, writer Rebecca Deurlein put together a list of the 13 top bar and restaurant patios in the Houston area for easy lounging.

While the complete list is pretty comprehensive, a few gems are tried and true in my friend groups, and those are the ones I want to highlight.

Here are my top four picks from our H-Town patio list. These spots are spacious, good for gathering with a group, and all of these are dog-friendly, so bring your fur baby with you next time you go out for a drink:

⭐ Tiny Boxwoods 

⭐ Truck Yard 

⭐ Axelrad

⭐ Saint Arnold 

Haunted graveyards and spirit-infested roadways await unlucky travelers in Houston’s suburbia. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX) 

It’s finally spooky season, and there’s no better place to get your scare on than in the most haunted places across the Houston area.

With highly rated ghost tours that leave participants shivering and graveyards that top “most haunted” lists, our region is home to numerous spirits and apparitions waiting to get their haunt on. 

Last year, we gave you a rundown of the haunted spots in the more urban areas of our city, but the suburbs aren’t always as quiet and peaceful as people think.

From faceless creatures to witches leaving curses, Houston’s more sleepy neighborhoods are home to ghosts and ghouls that’ll leave you wishing you weren’t such a long drive from the perpetually vibrating bass sounds in Montrose. 

Fioza’s house-made panini and fruit side are the best snack for working or studying at the cafe. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX) 

🎤 Houston might be known for its music and food culture, but musicians in Bayou City are actually struggling to make ends meet. Read this article on how artists are stretching their wallets in H-Town. (Click2Houston) 

🌮 With fall in full swing, Houston is seeing restaurant openings, food events, and menu updates across the metro area. Check out what’s new in Houston’s food scene here. 

🍽 What’s on my plate: 

Fioza is a cafe in Meyerland that is on my go-to list this week, and it’s not for their coffee. My friend recently introduced me to this little spot, and I’ve been obsessed with their house-made paninis and laid-back atmosphere. If you’re ready for a new, low-key coffee shop, this is your sign to pick Fioza!

📦 Amazon is planning to hire over 6,000 workers in Houston to prepare for the holidays. These workers will package, process, and ship deliveries to homes across the city. (Houston Chronicle)

📈 Houston’s job growth rate is now reported to be higher than the US average, with over 154,300 non-agriculture jobs added to the workforce in the last year. (KTRH) 

📣 Texas’ Democratic candidate for US Senate James Talarico joined a union member rally in Houston last week and delivered a speech about workers versus billionaires. (AFL-CIO, ABC 13)

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Anna Raj and edited by Paula Solis.

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