Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining Nationwide

For many parts of the USA, the arrival of the summer season means it’s time to dine outdoors. More than backyard grilling, new research shows Americans are seeking out restaurants with outdoor seating, rain or shine.

Outdoor dining table with seaside view_evelynkanter — Photo: OpenTable

New research shows that more than half of Americans (55%) prefer sitting outdoors to dine when the weather is nice, and that a dedicated third (34%) would rather brave unexpected weather than surrender their open-air table.

The survey, by OpenTable data also reveals the cities where outdoor dining reigned supreme in the summer months last year (from May 1 – August 31), with Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. most popular for outdoor dining, including sidewalk dining in busy downtown areas.

It’s the first time OpenTable has conducted a study of best outdoor dining spots, which is now in addition to their annual survey of the 100 best restaurants nationwide.

The new outdoor dining list is culled by analyzing more than 10 million diner reviews and other metrics, including a minimum number of reviews mentioning outdoor dining.

The survey shows that pet owners increasingly seek out pet-friendly dining options, with more than half of dog owners (54%) having shared a meal with a four-legged friend when dining out. Yet nearly two-thirds (65%) say their biggest challenge is finding such restaurants. To help, the list denotes restaurants which are pet-friendly with an * (asterisk).

The list is alphabetical, by city, and the restaurants in each city also are listed alphabetically.

Top Restaurants for Outdoor Dining

Austin

Aba
Canje *
Elizabeth St Cafe
Este *
Honey Moon Spirit Lounge *
Intero *
Josephine House
La Piscina Ceviches & Fajitas
Pecan Square Cafe
Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar *

Boston

Atlantic Fish
Bar Mezzana
Comfort Kitchen *
Forcella
Krasi
La Voile
Ma Maison
Porto
The Nautilus – Boston Pier 4 *
Venezia Restaurant

Chicago

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
Gibsons Italia
Girl & the Goat
Mon Ami Gabi
North Pond
Pizzeria Portofino
RL Restaurant
Rose Mary *
Shanghai Terrace

Los Angeles

Angelini Osteria – Beverly Blvd *
Bacari W. 3rd
Bavel
Bestia
Cabra
Cento Pasta Bar
Fixins Soul Kitchen
Loreto
Petit Trois L’Original
Saffy’s

New York

Cafe Cluny
Cafe Luxembourg
Carmine’s – 44th Street
Casa Mono
La Masseria
Ocean Prime
Red Rooster Harlem
RH Rooftop Restaurant at RH New York
Tavern on the Green
The Odeon

San Diego

Alexander’s on 30th
Born & Raised
Catania
Cesarina
Eddie V’s – La Jolla
Great Maple San Diego
Herb & Wood
insideOUT
Mister A’s
Seneca

San Francisco

Cote Ouest *
Dalida
Delfina Restaurant *
EPIC Steak
Firefly Restaurant *
Foreign Cinema
La Mar Cocina Peruana San Francisco
Nopa *
Scoma’s Fisherman’s Wharf
Waterbar

Washington, D.C.

Amazonia
Ambar Capitol Hill
Bistro Aracosia
Chez Billy Sud
dLeña
Et Voila
Jaleo
La Piquette
Rumi’s Kitchen
Zaytinya *

Survey Methodology –

Consumer Research Methodology: An online survey was conducted by Walr among 2,000 US consumers and collected adhering to MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines to ensure ethical and accurate data collection.

Top List Methodology: OpenTable looked at cities (with a minimum of 200k outdoor seated diners) with the highest share of outdoor dining from May 1-August 31, 2024. OpenTable’s Top Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in the US for 2025 list is generated from more than 10 million verified reviews from 1st April 2024 – 31st March 2025. Restaurants with a minimum threshold of diner reviews were considered and evaluated by a compilation of data points, including diner ratings, percentage of five star reviews, number of alerts set, percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches. Metrics were weighted to comprise an overall score and then filtered for having outdoor dining.

Dining Data: * indicates that the restaurant is dog-friendly as of May 2025. This is subject to change and is at the discretion of the restaurant as to where pets are allowed.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is an award-winning journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.