Creekwood Grill: Cypress's Go-To Hub for Comfort Food, Live Music, and Family Fun

Food & Beverage

Photo: Nick Rama

Creekwood Grill: Cypress's Go-To Hub for Comfort Food, Live Music, and Family Fun

September 10 2024

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.

The Story

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.

In 2000, he jumped back into the business with Macaroni Grill. After several years with them, he joined Pei Wei, helping to expand the brand in the Houston Market. He spent time as a multi-unit leader with Pei Wei, moving on to open the City Centre location of Yard House. In 2011, he got the opportunity to join the team at Raising Cane’s and opened the FM 1960 and Eldridge location. During his time at Cane’s, his active community involvement led him to meet Mark, which ultimately resulted in their partnership to establish Creekwood.

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

The Name

McShaffry and Sandal went through a multitude of ideas for the name and couldn’t come up with anything that felt like a fit. Both of them wanted something that highlighted their community connection in some way. As longtime Cypress residents, Sandals kids (and his wife as well) all graduated from Cypress Creek High School. McShaffry's kids all went through Cypress Woods High School. “So we put the Creek with the Wood and voila! Creekwood Grill.”

The Vibe

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.”

“We have made more significant changes to the property since we have had it than in any other portion of its history. We remodeled the stage back to its original size and shape, had a couple of garage doors removed, renovated the bar area and expanded the kitchen, all prior to reopening as Creekwood Grill. Major changes over the years since then include fencing in the entire playground and outdoor dining area, adding a covered patio, building and then expanding a party pavilion that teams and families can reserve, improving and expanding the playground equipment, and last year we invested a lot of resources into remodeling the old P.O.’s building and opening it as a 21 and over bar with a different menu.”

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.”

Creekwood Grill is also in their final planning stages of upgrading the play area and outdoor dining area with all new drainage and installing turf to improve the experience of bringing more kids to play at Creekwood.

The Stage and Live Music

The main stage is pretty special at Creekwood Grill. Its history has hosted a number of world famous bands, currently focused on showcasing mostly local Cypress musicians. On occasion, they do have a few artists from the Greater Houston Area and a few more from other parts of Texas. Creekwood Grill has also hosted senators, congressmen, state and local officials and a number of fundraisers for folks that were battling medical issues. On Sundays, they host a church, Cypress Chapel, that has served a group of families for over seven years now, and help host many shared ministry events with them.

The Inspiration

Next door, between a shared courtyard, is P.O.'s Icehouse. Sandal explained that “P.O.’s Icehouse is essentially our playground for adults. We received so much feedback about being so family friendly that it can be quite crazy here on weekends and sometimes people want to enjoy our food and fantastic beverage program in a more subdued environment. We were not utilizing the space that was the former P.O.’s for the first few years we were open, so we decided to remodel and offer a space to our guests that want perhaps a slightly more civilized environment than what Creekwood can sometimes be.”

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.

Sandal: “P.O. are the initials of Philip Dahl’s father, with Philip being the original founder and operator of P.O.’s back in the day. When we were trying to decide what to name this new part of our operation, we wanted to stick with something that recognized and honored the legacy of what this spot has meant to so many Cypress residents over the decades, so I called Philip and asked if he minded if we called it P.O.’s Icehouse. We went with an icehouse instead of a bar or pub as we like the definition of a Texas Icehouse being a local community gathering spot, which was exactly what we wanted to create. Philip gave us permission and actually thanked us for keeping his dad’s name going.”

The Goods

When Creekwood initially opened, they only had burgers, a handful of salads and a few sandwiches. Based on the feedback of the community, the partners realized that their menu was limited and was hindering their dinner sales, as many folks wanted more than just a burger for dinner. The team added Chicken Fried Steak and Chicken Fried Chicken early on, with positive results. The majority of the recipes were originally sourced from McShaffry's collection, along with those Sandal has gathered over the years.

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.

We also asked Sandal what the most unique or talked-about menu item is. “Our Pecan Smoked Wings are very popular and we get quite a few visitors just to try them. Last year, we added a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich that was instantly our top selling non-burger sandwich. At the end of the day, it’s our burgers that people come for, though. Our burgers represent 25% of our total sales, even though they are only about a tenth of the menu.”

The Success

According to Sandal, their success is mostly just listening to their customers' feedback and suggestions. The regulars tell them what they are wanting, and adapting and changing. “Every person on our team has a major contribution to our success.”

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

The Bar

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.

Happy hour is weekdays from 2:00 to 6:00 PM and they offer $1.00 off draft and bottle beers, wine by the glass, margaritas and well drinks. At P.O.’s, they also offer half priced appetizers.

Community

Mark and I both do a lot of work in the community, serving on boards and supporting various charities and foundations, and in Cypress, that makes a huge difference.

The Owner's and Chef's Favorite Meal

If you had to pick your perfect meal from start to finish at Creekwood Grill, what would it be (App, beer/wine/cocktail, Entrée, dessert)?

Sandal: "I love our queso with the spicy Picadillo Beef added, and my current favorite entree is bouncing between the Pollo Borracho or the Mushroom Jack Chicken. I would definitely finish with our Bacon Brown Sugar Cheesecake. For a beverage, if I’m feeling beerish, I would probably have one of our rotating sours, especially if we have any Berliner Weisses on. If it’s wine, then I’ll probably have the Z Alexander Uncaged red blend. If it’s a cocktail, then it’s a Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned."

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

What the Locals are Ordering

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.

Desserts: The cobblers are the most popular.

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

The Specials

Tuesdays are half priced draft beer and Wednesdays Kids Eat Free. Sandal explains, “In the past, we have not done any food features, but we are currently putting together a list of menu items that we will feature on menu inserts for short periods of time and rotate those, probably monthly.”

Private Party Rooms

Creekwood Grill has private party rooms and different event spaces, Sandal explains. Booking a space is simple. Guests can call the restaurant and speak with a manager, or use their online booking request system. Upstairs in the main dining room, they have a space that can be rented in its entirety or just smaller rooms. The Saloon, the main room upstairs, holds 50-60, the balcony holds 28-30 and the Cypress Room holds up to 20. The entire space can hold up to 110. Creekwood Grill has an outdoor pavilion that is great for team parties that holds up to 50, and P.O.’s is available to host parties of 75-100. Cost varies depending on the time of the event and size of the group.

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

The Future

What changes do you see for the future?

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.”

“While we have not done any special dinners in the past, we are discussing utilizing the P.O.’s space for beer or whiskey dinners, so stay tuned for that.”

Maple Bacon Cheesecake. (Photo by Nick Rama)

Wrapping It All Up

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.

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.

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