Bari Ristorante Opens Sept. 30 on The Woodlands Waterway, Bringing River Oaks Italian Favorite North
For diners in The Woodlands who have been making the drive into Houston for a night at Bari Ristorante, the trip is about to get considerably shorter.
The Italian restaurant known for house-made pastas, premium European ingredients and tableside presentations will officially open its second location Sept. 30 at BARI Ristorante, 24 Waterway Avenue in The Woodlands. The 9,000-square-foot restaurant will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week, followed by the launch of weekend brunch on Oct. 4.
Some guests may get an earlier look through limited-menu soft openings, but Bari's full menu will become available beginning Sept. 30. Reservations are already available through OpenTable.
The opening also fills a notable restaurant space along The Woodlands Waterway. The address was previously home to TRIS, which closed in January 2025, according to Community Impact.
For The Woodlands, Bari's arrival adds another destination restaurant to an area where dining, entertainment, hotels and offices are clustered around Waterway Square and The Woodlands Waterway.
From River Oaks District to The Woodlands
Bari Ristorante first opened in Houston's River Oaks District in 2023, establishing its original restaurant at BARI Ristorante, 4444 Westheimer Road. The concept was created around an Italian dining experience influenced by the style of Milan and Rome, with a menu spanning seafood, meats, pasta and regional Italian dishes.
The restaurant's identity has become closely tied to food made in-house and dishes that bring part of the preparation into the dining room. Bari's menu includes house-made pasta and sauces, imported ingredients and presentations such as truffle pasta prepared tableside and whole fish service.
The Woodlands expansion grew in part from an audience Bari said was already traveling south to visit the River Oaks District restaurant.
“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. We listened. This new restaurant delivers the quality, energy and hospitality they know while giving Chef Marcelo Mintz and our culinary team room to create something distinctly suited to The Woodlands,” said Pedro Teyuca, co-owner and operator of Bari Hospitality Group.
The new restaurant gives the brand two Bari Ristorante locations while expanding the footprint of Bari Hospitality Group, whose portfolio also includes Houston steakhouse Georgia James and Exilio Latin Flair, a Latin-inspired restaurant that opened in 2026.
What's on the Menu at Bari Ristorante The Woodlands?
Guests familiar with Bari's River Oaks restaurant will recognize several established favorites.
Fritto Misto, Pappardelle Bolognese, Scaloppine and Bari's pizzas will make the move north, along with signature tableside dishes including Branzino alla Griglia, Truffle Pasta and Bananas Foster.
But The Woodlands restaurant will not simply duplicate the Houston menu.
Bari has developed a collection of dishes specifically for the new location, giving local diners something different even if they have already visited the original restaurant.
New appetizers include Tagliere di Carne, featuring prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, finocchiona, bresaola and accompaniments, and Tagliere di Formaggi, a selection of Italian cheeses served with honeycomb, berries and Marcona almonds.
Other additions include Crab Fingers “Scampi” in spicy lemon-butter sauce; Culaccia e Melone, pairing 24-month culaccia di Parma with melon and burrata; Polpo Arrosto with roasted potato cream and roasted-garlic sauce; Breaded Fried Burrata with pesto, focaccia and marinara; and Supplì di Riso, breaded risotto balls filled with Bolognese and mozzarella.
The expanded entrée selection includes Pollo Piccata with lemon-caper sauce, sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes; Scaloppine Sorrentina with cherry-tomato sauce and mozzarella di bufala; and a grilled Chicken Sandwich with pesto, tomato and shallot mayonnaise.
Pasta and rice dishes developed for the location include Gnocchi di Patate with wild mushrooms and house-made sausage, Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe, Risotto al Pesto with prawns, tomato confit and olive dust, and Lasagna Casareccialayered with Bolognese and mozzarella.
Two more additions lean into the tableside service that has become part of Bari's identity: Chateaubriand and Fiorentina, both offered with tableside presentation.
House-Made Pasta and European Ingredients Remain at the Center
Bari describes its approach as a modern expression of Italian dining built around classic culinary techniques and contemporary presentation.
Its kitchens use imported Italian flour for house-made pasta, along with European cheeses, dry-cured meats and fish sourced from Europe. That ingredient-driven approach is central to the menu at both locations.
Italian Master Chef Renato de Pirro and Executive Chef Marcelo Mintz will lead the opening in The Woodlands, with Mintz remaining at the restaurant to oversee day-to-day culinary operations.
Originally from Brazil, Mintz has developed experience across several styles of cooking while working alongside chefs in Italy, Las Vegas and New York. His role in The Woodlands will include maintaining Bari's established dishes while helping give the second restaurant its own culinary personality.
A 250-Seat Restaurant Designed for Dinner, Drinks and Private Events
Bari's new home is considerably more than another dining room.
The 250-seat restaurant carries over colors and design elements associated with the River Oaks District location, including lava-rock wallcovering, wallpaper from Spain and Lladro chandeliers.
More than 3,000 square feet is devoted to the front-of-house area, which includes the main dining space, two private dining rooms and a bar lounge.
Each private dining room can accommodate up to 40 guests and the rooms can be combined for larger events. The lounge can accommodate up to 30.
Behind the scenes, two large kitchens will support regular restaurant service, catering and to-go orders. A separate commissary kitchen will be used to produce Bari's house-made pastas, gelatos, sauces and breads.
That added production space is particularly significant for a restaurant whose identity relies heavily on food prepared in-house rather than simply assembled for service.
Happy Hour and Weekend Brunch Coming to The Woodlands
Bari Ristorante The Woodlands will also introduce weekday happy hour, giving residents another option for an after-work stop along the Waterway.
The happy hour menu is expected to include several guest favorites, including $10 burgers, $10 individual pizzas, meatballs and additional selections.
Weekend brunch begins Saturday, Oct. 4, and will be served Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For residents searching for brunch in The Woodlands, Italian restaurants near The Woodlands Waterway or a new restaurant for date nights, celebrations and private dining, the opening adds a familiar Houston name to the local dining mix.
Bari Ristorante The Woodlands Hours and Opening Details
Bari Ristorante The Woodlands officially opens Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 24 Waterway Avenue, The Woodlands, TX 77380.
Regular hours will be Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Weekend brunch will be served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning Oct. 4.
The restaurant is conducting some soft-opening service ahead of the official debut with limited menus. The full Bari Ristorante The Woodlands menu will be available beginning Sept. 30.
For a community already accustomed to seeing new restaurants and entertainment concepts arrive around The Woodlands Waterway, Bari's opening stands out as something slightly different: an established Houston restaurant expanding after discovering that a meaningful portion of its customer base was already coming from The Woodlands.
Now, those diners will have Bari much closer to home.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more updates on new restaurants, businesses and developments opening inThe Woodlands.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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