Blue At Brenner’s

BLUE-​autiful Views!
Blue is an excellent spot to enjoy cocktails with a view. The bar is all outdoors on the patio of Brenner’s on the Bayou, so be sure to plan to go when the weather is nice. Service is very friendly, both the bartenders and servers are attentive and pleasant. There is lounge seating and bar tables, as well as some regular dining tables towards the back. There are a few TV’s, but the best way to see them is by sitting at the bar itself.
The drink menu has some unique items — the Pear Martini is my favorite! It’s sweet, but not too sweet — benefitting from a tart kick and a light vodka flavor. Other favorites are the Hibiscus Cocktail and Signature Margarita, both light and fresh instead of overly sweet. There is a light food menu to order from that has sharing plates and easy appetizers, but you can also order from the Brenner’s menu if you sit at the regular dining tables. We have actually preferred to sit on the patio and have dinner rather than inside the restaurant when the weather is nice, but even if you have dinner in the restaurant, this is a great spot for before or after dinner cocktails.
Cheers!

On a rare evening, when the heat stars aligned with the humidity stars to make for blissfully temperate patio weather, I brought my boyfriend to Blue at Brenner’s to have a pretty little cocktail on a pretty little patio for happy hour. Apparently, the service was attempting to align with the temperature, because it certainly was cool too, with a chance of nonexistent. Sitting on the decks below the restaurant, it could be that the servers do not attend to the lounge tables. But its not an unremarkable feat to hike the stairs up to order the next round… after having completed a round of drinks. Or two.
Additionally, the snacks and small plates menu seems not to have changed in quite some time. Seasonally, yearly, or otherwise. We ordered the soft pretzels and veal & ricotta meatballs. The pretzels were stale and overly greasy, while the meatballs were somewhat bland and forgettable. The wines and cocktails on the menu were well selected and a good deal, but were unaccompanied by a water on the side.
I seem to keep coming back to Brenner’s and Blue, and continually return home with the same impression: service is cool, forgetful and somewhat amateurish, while the food is dated and unremarkable. I’ve kept returning, with the hope that the experience quality will live up to the lovely venue. But, enough money’s been spent at this point. Sorry, Blue, sorry Brenner’s.

for a great outdoor patio-​lounge that’s perfect for quiet conversation and relaxing atmosphere this place is the bomb dot com. i hope you like blue because this space is infused with it. the appetizers and drinks complements the whole experience as well. go already!

The cucumber martini is soooooo good. Great happy hour! The patio has great views of the bayou and the grounds. Great landscaping and feel all around. Service was a little slow when I went but besides that everything was great!

We sat out on the patio in the middle of July, but it wasn’t too hot because they have fans blowing on you. They have a great happy hour special with appetizers that are basically meals, and great drinks like a Bramble and fruity martinis. Great for a girls night.

Brenner on the Bayou is a scenic steakhouse overlooking the Buffalo Bayou. Blue at Brenner’s is the patio lounge attached to the steakhouse. Valet parking at the restaurant is free. The patio has a dining area with tables as well as a lounging area with sofas for a cozier atmosphere. For the hot summer afternoons, there are several ceiling fans spread around to keep the air flowing. They have a full menu and inexpensive drink options. If you’re looking for a quiet, comfortable place to relax and catch up with friends, you can’t do much better.

If you’re looking for a nice outdoor patio hangout for either cocktail, happy hour and/​or brunch location this place should be on your list to ‘kick-​it!’ The covered deck overlooking the bayou with the bar and seating is a great place to enjoy these great spring weather days. The food I’ve always found to be good to excellent and its a nice place to people watch too.
Cheers!

Omgosh!!! Found a new love! It’s 50degrees outside, beautiful view, drinks are on point! Fire pits and Enclosed patio (atLEAST while it’s cold :)) YOU have to try this place! Great to sit back have a drink and enjoy each other ! Also, steak is to die for!!!

Great happy hour and a beautiful view! Had the sliders and veal meatballs. Very good!

This really is a nice little spot to enjoy a cocktail and a vibe. It’s so relaxing just sitting on the patio enjoying the bayou view. We had the mini gyros (pretty good) and the veal & ricotta meatballs (pretty bland and dry). I had the Cool Cucumber Martini and my bf tried the blond bombshell (they were okay). I think I just like this place for the view.

such an amazing place for happy hour. Rain or shine they have you covered (literally) outside so that should never be a concern as long as your dressed appropriately. The appetizers are something you will end up coming back for and the drinks are excellently crafted. Perfect for date night or just out with the crew. The décor is tastefully modern and everyone there has a level of class you won’t find on the typical Washington bar scene. They even have mounted TV’s so when your man wants the game and you can’t stand another night on the couch or one more sports bar this is a great option.

This place is gorgeous. Set on one of Houston’s many bayous, the rolling hills and carved watery streams makes for a serene atmosphere. A girlfriend and I met here for Happy Hour, and we were excited to get our drink on.
First thing’s first. Unless you park somewhere off-​lot, valet is required (but free). I had gotten there about 40 minutes before opening, and the valet wouldn’t let me park my car and sit on the outside deck area. How annoying. I had to kill time across the street at a bubble tea place before finally being able to head over.
I had gotten there first and was ready to order some Happy Hour yummies. To my dismay, the waitress told me that they actually don’t have HH on Fridays (yes, it even says it on their menu). Well, great. When my friend got there, we ended up sharing some fries and mini gyros (or something to that effect) and ended up talking for 4 hours. The food was pretty filling and delicious, and the drinks were strong and tasty. The waitress came pretty often at the beginning, and towards the evening (as the sun set and the deck was becoming more packed), she was nowhere to be found.
I would want to come back on a weekday when HH is in full swing!

Blue, you da bomb. Beautiful scenery, great atmosphere, good happy hour. Love coming here every time!

As far as happy hour goes, this place is at the top of my list.
Walking distance from my house, I love the location, and the backdrop of Brenner’s. With the Bayou in the background, and lush landscaping, sitting on the back deck, sipping cocktails on a Summer night sounds like a perfect evening to me. I’ve been to the restaurant a couple of times, but never hung out in the back at Blue, but happy I decided to give it a whirl.
Their Happy Hour menu is fairly extensive with $ 5 wines (actual good ones) $ 5 martinis (coconut cream, berry (my favorite) pear (also looked delish) and some other ones. They have $ 3 St. Arnolds, and other craft beers, and some killer $ 5 Apps. I was pretty darn impressed. We ordered a number of things to share including the $ 5 mini gyros, sliders, homemade pretzels, yummy veal meatballs and truffle fries. They also had chicken satay with peanut sauce, and one other app I can’t remember. The service was top notch, the food was excellent, and the prices were really good! Def. will be back!

I highly recommend checking out this happy hour for the view. The patio is gorgeous! Pretty location outdoors to chill after work or even for a casual date.
They’ve got a few HH items that are $ 5 until 7pm, as well as complimentary valet (super convenient). The sliders are okay (very cute and filling); the truffle fries have an excellent flavor (but our order was kinda greasy as if it’d been sitting for a while) — -I will say though that the mini gyros were packed with flavor and we really enjoyed them with our cocktails – soft pita; roughly chopped, flavorful olives; lots of bright white feta cheese. I ordered the mixed berry martini and it was a bit sweet and licorce tasting for me (maybe its a drink for others).
While all of our servers (between the bartenders and the cocktail waitresses) were wearing smiles and were very polite, the service was very slow. I might try this HH again to give the food, drinks and service another shot, but for any of you who haven’t yet — the view is the feature.
Other positive side note: We ordered the crème brûlée trio dessert (from the regular dinner menu) and enjoyed it.

The only reason this is not a 5 star review is because they need to add a few more fans to the patio area for these hot, hot Houston July evenings ! This was the only flaw myself and my husband could point out for our experience here. We had a Happy Hour with several of our friends on a July evening to celebrate my Birthday. The Patio is beautiful, the views are spectacular, the food was very good for the price and the drinks were very good too. I love that Pear Martini and all of my friends bought me several of them LOL ! We took over one of the corners of the large upper Patio and the fan that was in that area, just did not kick out enough air for our comfort. Now, it got somewhat better as the evening wore on, but at one point it was just not good. This is the perfect Happy Hour spot in the Spring and Fall, just not in the middle of July ! Duly noted.

Add me to the numerous fans of Blue At Brenner’s. Like everyone has said, the scenery and ambiance are absolutely beautiful. Blue At Brenner’s + 70 degree weather = perfection. This place would be great for a first date, a girls’ night out, or a place to relax and have a couple of drinks. The happy hour prices are great ($ 5 cocktails & martinis, $ 6 wine, and $ 5 small plates), and the service is on point.
When my friend and I first got there, we didn’t have anyone attend to us, but shortly after making eye contact with the waitress, she came over, nicely welcomed us, and took our drink orders. I ordered the Pear Martini ( Unilocalers’ recommendation), and my friend ordered the Southern Peach Tea. Both were delicious! We ended up ordering two drinks each. I thought the martini would be too strong since most martinis are overwhelming for me, but this one was perfect. Like most people said, it definitely doesn’t taste like pear though. The Southern Peach Tea wasn’t too strong either.
For food, we ordered the House Made Pretzels, Sliders, Hand Cut Truffle Fries, and Ice Cream Trio (for dessert). The best dish was the Hand Cut Truffle Fries. They look simple, but the fries tasted heavenly, and the sauce they came with was also mouth watering. My 2^nd favorite would be the pretzels. They were not too salted, firm but easy to tear apart, and paired perfectly with the 3 dipping sauces. The sliders were great as well, but they weren’t anything too special. I think the most disappointing dish was the Ice Cream Trio. The macaroons were especially chewy, and there wasn’t very much ice cream. My favorite ice cream of the three was the chocolate since it was rich and dark. Interestingly enough, we got the dessert for $ 5 instead of $ 9, so we were definitely happy about that. I’m not sure if dessert is covered for happy hour or if they made a mistake.
Overall, I loved my experience here. I’ll definitely be back and probably in the near future!

I’d give the bar a 3.5 for a great HH menu and scenery. But a –0 for the service!!! Our server was plum AWEFUL! My friend grabbed a table at about 4:45pm on a Friday and ordered a drink. We arrived at 5:20 pm and seriously waited for 25 minutes until I had to wave someone down to find our server. Throughout the evening service was inconsistent our server would be somewhat attentive then disappear for a while. We actually went to the bar to order a round of drinks and appetizers because we couldn’t spot out server. Our appetizers however came out quickly and the HH drinks were great! We orders the St. Tropez and Fresh Berry Martini both were good. For appetizers we ordered off of the HH menu as well. Sliders, Truffle Fries, Gyros, and Meatballs. All were tasty.
I’m not sure Ill suggest this place again for HH. I’ve been for brunch and I had a very pleasant experience. We’ll see!

Hidden gem on the bayou (hence the name) — on one of the small streets you pass almost everyday on Memorial. Street parking is available but you may have to walk a bit; otherwise, complimentary valet with tip.
There’s a gazebo and water fountain on the side of the bar — really cute décor in the restaurant (multiple stories high). Love their bar — reminds me of the blue lights at Blue Fish, but not as intense. There are heaters outside and fire furnaces which make for great warmth and coziness, but also high potential for things catching on fire. Guess it’s been okay thus far.
I love their happy hour here, 5−7PM on weekdays. $ 5 beers, wines, and cocktails! Their pear martini is delicious, with a tinge of sourness. My go to is their Cabernet, which is one of my favorites.
As for bar food, I suggest: Truffle Fries with Black Truffle Aioli (might want to order 2 … or 3), sliders (comes in 3), soft pretzels (mini ones with 3 different dipping sauces). Meat balls are good but ‘least’ worth it in my opinion. Fries are delicious — crunchy exterior with hot potatoey insides.
Overall, beautiful environment and great service!

Quick Tips: I know everyone says it but the Pear Martini is as good as they say! Be careful about sitting outdoors during summer, because it gets pretty hot. The heat is worth it for the INCREDIBLE view. A great place to impress with a slight casual feel. Amazing happy hour specials, $ 5 for select appetizers and drinks including the Pear Martini. Free valet so go ahead and drive down into their restaurant.
Food: Veg friendly option are the truffle fries and the pretzels with three different types of dips.
Service: prompt
Ambiance: Beautiful view of the park and gazebo as you walk into the bar.