Food & Beverage

The My Neighborhood News Cypress Culinary Chronicles series is brought to you by Nick Rama of Nick's Local Eats and spotlights locally owned and operated restaurants in Cypress. Nick's Local Eats is a public Facebook group that brings local restauranteurs and foodies together to share information about their restaurants and offerings, providing a platform to collaborate and support one another. 

Partners Brian Sandel, Mark McShaffry, and Fred Stewart opened Creekwood Grill on August 23, 2018, and quickly became known for their ‘American comfort food.”

No strangers to the restaurant industry, McShaffry and Sandel both lived in Cypress, where Mark’s other restaurant, The Backyard Grill, has been open in nearby Jersey Village for 23 years, while Sandel spent 7 years building the Raising Cane’s brand in the Cypress market. With the partners having well established roots in the community, Cypress was the natural first choice when these hometown gentlemen decided to open their first business together.

Sandel is a native Houstonian who grew up in Alief, and has lived in northwest Houston for over 20 years, ultimately moving to Cypress with his family 18 years ago. Until his recent move to Victoria, Texas,  McShaffry and his family lived in Cypress for more than two decades.

While attending Texas A&M, McShaffry began his career in hospitality at the perennial Aggie favorite, The Dixie Chicken. After graduating, he worked with Houston’s Restaurant, and served as Director of Operations for James Coney Island before opening Backyard Grill in 2001. A little under two years ago,  he purchased a restaurant in Victoria named Aero Crafters, and spent a good deal of his time expanding the business there.

Sandel's career has a few more stops than Mark’s. Brian began waiting tables in the early 1990’s to make some extra cash and, with a few exceptions, has been in the industry ever since. In addition to locally owned “Mom and Pop” establishments, he also spent time with The Black Eyed Pea. Early in his career, Sandel owned a bakery and coffee shop in Austin in the late 1990’s. Sandel briefly left the industry to spend more time with his children while they were young, wanting to be more present in his family than a career in the restaurant industry typically allows.

Creekwood entrance, main dining room, main stage, game room, main patio, outdoor area and playground. (Photos by Nick Rama)

Sandal explained, “This property has a history in Cypress that goes back a couple of generations. The small front building opened in 1980 as P.O.’s Burgers, and for decades was the only restaurant in the area, and a main hangout for kids and families. The larger building was built in 1999 and opened as a bar/honky tonk named Cypress Saloon. Around 2015, Joe Duong bought the property and opened up a Shack Burger Resort location. We purchased the property from Joe in May of 2018 and closed for renovations until August of that year.”

Ice cold local beer, fried cheese curds, fried pickles. (Photos by Nick Rama)

We asked Sandal what sets their restaurant apart from so many others?

Sandal: “We believe the thing that sets us apart from others is the combination of all of the different elements that we have all in one place. We have a stage that artists all love to play, live music every Friday and Saturday, a great facility to enjoy the music from while you dine, an expansive outdoor dining area (that was really born out of the pandemic!) and a large kids play area with multiple playgrounds for the kids to run around. .We also have several private party spaces that can be rented for groups of 10 to 100-plus.”

Patio between Creekwood Grill and P.O’s Icehouse, P.O.’s Ice House interior, P.O.’s bar area, P.O.'s side patio. (Photos by Nick Rama)

We asked Sandal to describe the inspiration behind the name.

Smoked Wings, MacAttack Burger, Chips & Queso. (Photos by Nick Rama)

Several of the items on the menu today, like the Smoked Wings and the Pollo Borracho, came from the family meals they offered  while trying to survive the dining rooms being closed for six weeks during Covid. The response to these new offerings was so positive, that they made their way to the permanent menu. A cool fact of Creekside Grill's salsa recipe is that it's based on Sandal’s little sister’s salsa recipe, modified slightly to make it in larger batches.

Creekwood Grill bar taps, Creek Wood Grill t-shirts, Fortress BeerWorks Viking Blonde. (Photos by Nick Rama)

Creekwood Grill has 40 draft beers, about 25 of which rotate constantly. Although they always feature local beers, they do carry some of the more popular craft beers from other states and occasionally feature imports as well. If you are not a beer drinker, they have a modest wine selection, again featuring a number of Texas wines. Between Creekwood Grill and P.O.'s, they have a full liquor program with a nice menu of featured cocktails. On the P.O.’s side, they feature some higher-end whiskeys and tequilas.

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, Rockport Shrimp Tacos, Chicken Tenders with secret menu item Pesto Fries, Texas Cobb Salad. (Photos by Nick Rama)

Munchies: Fried Pickles (“that we bring in all the way from Michigan because it’s the best pickle!”)

Wings: The dry rub seasoning is the most popular.

Burgers: The Creekburger is the number one selling item on the menu week in and week out.

Sandwiches: Nashville Hot and Chicken Avo generally battle it out for the top spot, with each winning about half of the time.

Tacos: The Rockport Shrimp Tacos are the top selling taco by a wide margin.

Salads: The Texas Cobb Salad outsells every other menu entree other than the Creekburger and Chicken Tenders.

Soups: The Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is the bomb!

Favorites: The only thing we sell more of than our Chicken Tender platter is the Creekburger!

From The Grill: Believe it or not, the regular grilled chicken entree is number one.

Sides: Fries, fries and more fries.

Little Mavericks: Kids love Chicken Tenders.

Wheelhouse Burger, Patty Melt with Onion Rings. (Photos by Nick Rama)

Event spaces:  The Saloon, Cypress Room, The Balcony. (Photos by Nick Rama)

Sandal: "We don’t have a catering team, per se, but we get so many requests to cater meals at schools and car dealerships that we are in the early stages of building out our catering program.”

Maple Bacon Cheesecake. (Photo by Nick Rama)

Creekwood Grill has become a Cypress, Texas community hang out, a place for all ages.

Sandal: "Creekwood is not just about being an awesome place for customers. We work hard to also be an awesome place for the staff. Most restaurants will develop a bit of a family atmosphere but here it seems to be a little different. Several of my staff say that when they are here it doesn't feel like work. It just feels like a different home. Caring about the staff, genuinely caring, as well as our regular customers and our vendors is just as important as providing a great experience and value to our guests.”

5 Words to Describe Creekwood Grill: "Comfortable, fun, family focused, easy, DELICIOUS!"

Creekwood Grill is located at 12710 Telge Road, Cypress, TX 77429. You can reach them by phone at 281-746-6352. For more information, visit their website at creekwoodgrill.com or check out their Facebook page at facebook.com/creekwoodgrill. Their hours of operation are Sunday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Thursday from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Friday to Saturday from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

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By Nick Rama, Nick's Local Eats 

Nick Rama, the founder of Nick's Local Eats, is a passionate foodie who advocates for family-owned restaurants. His dedication and love for food have not only helped him build a popular online platform but have also allowed him to make significant contributions to the local dining scene.