Bari Ristorante sits at 24 Waterway Avenue and Bar Bludorn sits at 25 Waterway Avenue, facing each other across the street. Bari opened on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Bar Bludorn opened two days later, on Friday, Oct. 2. Both come from Houston restaurant groups opening their first restaurants in The Woodlands. Both take reservations on OpenTable. On paper they look like rivals.
They aren't run that way. One is open every day from lunch on. The other serves dinner five nights a week and stays dark Sunday and Monday. That split decides what a night out on the Waterway looks like this fall, and it's worth knowing before you make plans.
Bari Is Open From 11 a.m. Every Day
Hello Woodlands' opening-day report lists Bari's hours:
- Monday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Weekend brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A weekday happy hour offers $10 burgers, $10 individual pizzas and meatballs.
The restaurant covers 9,000 square feet and seats 250. It has a bar lounge and two private dining rooms that each hold up to 40 guests, and the rooms can be combined. The original Bari is in River Oaks District, and Bari Hospitality Group also runs Georgia James and Exilio Latin Flair. The group's co-owner and operator, Pedro Teyuca, told Hello Woodlands why it came north. "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," he said in the outlet's report.
The menu brings over River Oaks favorites:
- Fritto Misto, Pappardelle Bolognese, Scaloppine and the pizzas
- Tableside Branzino alla Griglia, Truffle Pasta and Bananas Foster
It also adds dishes made only for this location:
- Crab Fingers "Scampi"
- Polpo Arrosto
- Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe
- Lasagna Casareccia
- Tableside Chateaubriand and Fiorentina
Italian Master Chef Renato de Pirro and Executive Chef Marcelo Mintz led the opening, and Mintz is staying on to run the kitchen day to day.
Bari's website gives the address as 24 Waterway Ave. #125 in Waterway Square. It books Woodlands tables through OpenTable and mentions a covered patio for events.
Bar Bludorn Is a Dinner Booking, Tuesday Through Saturday
Across the street, Bar Bludorn's website lists a much shorter week:
- Tuesday to Thursday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Sunday and Monday: closed
There's no lunch or brunch.
Community Impact reports that this is Bludorn Hospitality Group's fifth restaurant and its first outside Houston. The group calls it an upscale tavern, with a private dining room and outdoor patio seating. It takes its cue from the Bar Bludorn in Memorial, which opened in 2024, but the menu is different. Starters include oysters served fried, grilled, raw or dressed, plus steak tartare with potato rosti. Entrées include branzino with salsa verde and black garlic za'atar, bavette steak frites, and duck breast on riso venere. There's also a cocktail list and a deep wine and spirits selection.
The space has history. KHOU reported that the 6,500-square-foot restaurant took over the former Baker Street Pub & Grill space at Town Center. KHOU and the Houston Chronicle had both announced a Sept. 26 opening, so if you watched for it that week and found the doors locked, that's why. It opened Oct. 2.
Which Door Is Open Depends on the Day
Here are both posted schedules side by side:
| Day | Bari Ristorante, 24 Waterway Ave. | Bar Bludorn, 25 Waterway Ave. |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Closed |
| Tuesday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Thursday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Friday | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Saturday | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., brunch until 3 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., brunch until 3 p.m. | Closed |
The two places only compete for the same diners on Tuesday through Saturday evenings. Every other hour of the week belongs to Bari:
- Lunch: Bari is the only one of the two serving it.
- Weekend brunch: Bari only.
- Sunday and Monday: Bari only.
- Late Friday and Saturday: Bari keeps seating an hour after Bar Bludorn closes.
Bar Bludorn runs a tighter schedule, 22 hours of dinner service a week. Bari is open 78 hours a week. Bar Bludorn's dinner window is short, so book a weekend table ahead, especially in November when the holiday calendar fills Town Center.
The Rest of the Block Has Its Own Schedule
These two openings join a street that already had its own rhythm, and several of the established spots have dates on the calendar soon after this post goes live.
- Sorriso Modern Italian Kitchen, at 2 Waterway Square Place, is now the Italian restaurant a short walk from Bari. Its website lists daily breakfast and dinner in its dining room.
- Amrina, at 3 Waterway Square Place, has a ticketed Diwali dinner on Sunday, Nov. 1, per the restaurant's own post.
- The Goose's Acre Bistro & Irish Pub has a double-decker patio overlooking the Waterway. Visit The Woodlands' Waterway Square page lists Philip Smith Acoustic there on Nov. 4.
- Como Social Club has Salsa Nights and live music on Nov. 13, on the same Visit The Woodlands calendar.
- Cyclone Anaya's Mexican Kitchen at 20 Waterway Avenue and Hearsay on the Waterway are still serving. Hearsay's Waterway page has current hours and reservation links.
Monday night has options. Sunday brunch has a large new room. And a 9 p.m. Thursday dinner across the street can easily become drinks at the Goose's Acre or salsa at Como.
Getting There Without Circling
The garage closest to Bari carries the same street number. Visit The Woodlands lists the 24 Waterway Garage with rates starting around $6, and restaurants may validate. The Waterway Square Garage at 1505 Lake Robbins Drive is also paid, starts around $6, and may also qualify for validation. Ask your server about validation before you pay at the gate.
The Waterway Avenue Parking Lot at 18 Waterway Avenue mixes free and paid spaces. Paid rates run $5 to $15, and whether free spaces are open depends on the time and what's happening nearby. Free public parking is also available in the Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue and White lots near Town Center. If you'd rather park once at the Mall, Market Street or Hughes Landing, the free Town Center Trolley runs a 4.1-mile route linking those stops with the Waterway.
Nov. 20 Is When the Block Gets Busy
Both restaurants opened in the quiet weeks before the holidays. That lull ends in late November, when Town Center fills with events:
- Nov. 20 to Jan. 18: The Woodlands Ice Rink. A two-hour session costs $15 for ages 6 and up and $7 for ages 5 and under, skates included. Booking ahead is recommended.
- Mid-November to Dec. 31: Market Street in Lights, with a synchronized light show every hour from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 3 to 8 p.m.: Lighting of the Doves at Town Green Park, 2099 Lake Robbins Drive. Santa arrives by sleigh down The Woodlands Waterway and the night ends with fireworks.
- Nov. 21 to Jan. 3: Holiday on The Waterway, with light displays along the Waterway.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: The Glow and Go 5K at The Woodlands Waterway.
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: The free Market Street Sing Off in Central Park, 9595 Six Pines Drive.
Nov. 21 is the date to plan around. The Doves festival ends with Santa's sleigh on the Waterway, the same evening the Waterway lights go up. That puts the crowd right outside both new restaurants on a Saturday night, when both are open. Bari seats until 11 p.m. that night and Bar Bludorn until 10 p.m. If you want a table after the fireworks, book it on OpenTable now.
If you're making a fall evening of the Waterway, this time with a new reservation on Waterway Avenue, I'm glad to share what I'm hearing around town. When the conversation turns to your own home, you can schedule your free consultation with Kim Kindred and we'll start with what matters most to you.
