New York City / Outdoor Dining
Best Outdoor Dining
in NYC
Real gardens, backyards and beer gardens — and an honest read on which “outdoor seating” is just four tables on a loud avenue.
Garden season is on — most of these seat you best before sunset, and the small ones book up.
- 11 verified spots
- gardens & beer gardens
- a boat on the Hudson
- honest space ratings
The short version
- Best backyardFrankies 457 (Carroll Gardens) – the tree-shaded gold standard.
- Prettiest gardenMaison Premiere (Williamsburg) – a New Orleans courtyard for oysters.
- Best beer gardenBohemian Hall (Astoria) – NYC’s oldest, since 1910.
- On the waterGrand Banks – oysters on a schooner at Pier 25.
- Read the fine printGiardino 54 is enclosed and Rucola is sidewalk – not true gardens.
The best outdoor dining in NYC right now is mostly in Brooklyn’s backyards: Frankies 457 in Carroll Gardens (the great tree-shaded garden), Maison Premiere in Williamsburg (the prettiest, all New Orleans courtyard), and Vinegar Hill House (a cherry-tree backyard worth the trek). For a beer garden, Bohemian Hall in Astoria has poured in a huge open-air yard since 1910; for something stranger and better, Grand Banks serves oysters on a schooner off Pier 25. This guide covers 11 verified spots across gardens, backyards, beer gardens and the water – with an honest rating of how real each ‘outdoor’ space is, because some ‘gardens’ are enclosed rooms and some ‘patios’ are just sidewalk tables. No invented deals; the space is the draw.
At a glance
Sorted by how real the outdoor space is, best first. Tap a number on the map to place it.
| Spot | Signature | Area | $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankies 457 Spuntino | Cavatelli, backyard | Carroll Gardens | $$$ |
| Maison Premiere | Oysters + absinthe | Williamsburg | $$$ |
| Vinegar Hill House | Cast-iron chicken | Vinegar Hill | $$$ |
| Aunt Bernie’s Bar & Jardin | Spanish tapas + wine | Murray Hill | $$$ |
| Cafe Mogador | Chicken tagine | Williamsburg | $$$ |
| La Vara | Galician octopus | Cobble Hill | $$$ |
| Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden | Czech beer garden | Astoria | $$$ |
| Loreley Beer Garden | German biergarten | Lower East Side | $$$ |
| Grand Banks | Oysters on a schooner | Tribeca / Pier 25 | $$$ |
| Giardino 54 | Italian, garden room | Hell’s Kitchen | $$$ |
| Rucola | Italian, leafy corner | Boerum Hill | $$$ |
Map: where these 11 spots are
These 11 spread across Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens – tap any pin for the space, the order, and directions.
Pins are numbered to match the table above – tap any pin for details and directions.
The best gardens & backyards
Real, open-air, tree-shaded — the true garden seats. Most take reservations, so book and ask for the garden.
Frankies 457 Spuntino
The gold standard for a Brooklyn backyard. Frankies’ brick-walled garden is roughly the size of both dining rooms combined – tree-shaded, heated, twenty-plus years deep – and it’s the one to send people to when they ask where to eat outside in Carroll Gardens. The Verdict: get the cavatelli with sausage, sage and brown butter (~$30) and the meatballs, sit in the back, stay for hours. The Local Move: weeknights are a much shorter wait than weekend brunch. Worth it.
Maison Premiere
The prettiest garden in the borough, full stop. Maison Premiere’s back courtyard reads like New Orleans transplanted to Williamsburg – ivy, marble, a fountain – and it’s the spot for oysters and an Absinthe Colada as the light goes. The Honest Caveat: it’s seasonal (open now through fall) and fills fast on a warm night, so book. One more: the old $1 oyster happy hour is gone, so come for the room, not a deal. The Why: 30-plus oysters and the best-looking outdoor seat around.
maisonpremiere.com · See our Williamsburg happy hour
Vinegar Hill House
A quiet backyard behind a cottage-y room on a cobblestoned block most people never find. There’s a cherry tree, string lights, and the wood-fired Cast Iron Chicken (~$38) that’s been the order since day one. The Verdict: this is the romantic-dinner-outside pick. The Honest Caveat: the garden is uncovered and unheated, so a rainy or cold night moves you inside – check the forecast before you trek out to the Vinegar Hill edge of DUMBO. Worth it.
vinegarhillhouse.com · See our DUMBO happy hour
Aunt Bernie’s Bar & Jardin
A lush, plant-filled back garden built to feel like a Parisian courtyard, tucked behind a Murray Hill tapas bar. The Verdict: it’s a genuine hidden-garden hang, not four tables on Third Avenue – come for Spanish small plates ($9-16), wine flights, and a slow evening under the greenery. The Local Move: the garden is the whole point, so ask for it when you book. A real find in a neighborhood short on them.
auntbernies.com · See our Murray Hill happy hour
Cafe Mogador
The Williamsburg outpost of the East Village institution, and the better one for sitting outside. There’s a plant-filled back patio plus a skylit, part-covered garden room, so it works rain or shine. The Verdict: order the chicken tagine (~$23) and the merguez, don’t skip the mint tea. The Honest Caveat: it’s partly covered rather than fully open-air, so if you want pure sky, sit on the patio. Reliable, leafy, unpretentious.
cafemogador.com · See our Williamsburg happy hour
La Vara
A small, romantic back patio behind a Michelin-listed Spanish spot on a sleepy Cobble Hill block. The Verdict: this is a date-night patio, not a group scene – the Galician-style octopus and the fideos are the order, plates run $20-32. The Honest Caveat: the patio is modest and books up, so reserve and request it. Quiet, intimate, and worth the reservation.
lavarany.com · See our Cobble Hill happy hour
Beer gardens
For a crowd and a lot of drafts. More outdoor drinking in our best rooftop bars guide.
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
The real thing – NYC’s oldest beer garden, pouring since 1910, a huge tree-shaded yard of picnic tables in Astoria. The Verdict: this is where you bring a group, order Czech lagers ($8-10) and a pile of kielbasa and pierogi, and stay till the tables around you turn over twice. The Local Move: get there early on a warm weekend or you’ll wait for a table. No frills, all history, pure summer.
bohemianhall.com · See our Astoria happy hour
Loreley Beer Garden
A proper walled biergarten courtyard on the Lower East Side – billed as the largest heated indoor/outdoor one down here, which on a July night means real open-air seating, not sidewalk tables. The Verdict: a dozen German drafts ($9-12), schnitzel and sausages, and room for a crowd. The Local Move: it’s covered and heated in the shoulder seasons, so it runs later into fall than most gardens. Easy, beery, group-friendly.
loreleynyc.com · See our Lower East Side happy hour
On the water & the honest picks
A boat on the Hudson, an enclosed garden room, and honest sidewalk seating — know what you’re booking.
Grand Banks
Oysters on a historic wooden schooner docked at Pier 25 – the whole venue is outdoors, on the water, with Lower Manhattan behind you. The Verdict: there’s no better sunset seat in the city, and the oysters (~$4 each) and crudo are legitimately good, not just a view tax. The Honest Caveat: it’s seasonal and walk-in only with a wait at golden hour, so come early or on a weekday. The Why: it’s a boat, on the Hudson. Go.
grandbanks.nyc · See our Tribeca happy hour
Giardino 54
A candlelit, botanical-themed back garden in Hell’s Kitchen doing serious house-made pasta. The Honest Caveat first: this ‘garden’ is enclosed – a roofed, plant-filled room, not open sky – so if you want stars, look elsewhere on this list. The Verdict: as a green, romantic indoor-outdoor room it delivers, and the pastas ($24-30) and slow-roasted suckling pig are the order. Charming, if not actually al fresco.
giardino54.com · See our Hell’s Kitchen happy hour
Rucola
Let’s be straight: this is sidewalk seating, not a garden. But Rucola’s corner in Boerum Hill is a genuinely quiet, tree-lined residential block, so the tables feel a world away from the avenue-side cafe crush. The Verdict: come for the seasonal house pastas and a farm-to-table Northern Italian dinner in the fresh air. Worth It if you want low-key outdoor over a scene; Skip It if you were expecting an actual backyard.
rucolabrooklyn.com · See our Boerum Hill happy hour
Best Outdoor Dining NYC: FAQ
What is the best outdoor dining in NYC?
For a true garden, Frankies 457 in Carroll Gardens and Maison Premiere in Williamsburg lead, and Vinegar Hill House has the best cherry-tree backyard. For a beer garden, Bohemian Hall in Astoria (open since 1910). And Grand Banks serves oysters on a schooner at Pier 25 – the best on-the-water seat in the city.
Which NYC ‘gardens’ are actually enclosed or just sidewalk seating?
Be honest with yourself before you book: Giardino 54’s ‘garden’ is a roofed, plant-filled room, not open sky, and Rucola is sidewalk seating (on a quiet, leafy corner). Cafe Mogador is part-covered. Everything else on this list is genuinely open-air.
Do these outdoor dining spots take reservations?
The small gardens do and fill fast – book Frankies, Maison Premiere, Vinegar Hill House, Aunt Bernie’s and La Vara, and ask for the garden or patio when you reserve. The beer gardens (Bohemian Hall, Loreley) and Grand Banks are walk-in, so arrive early on a warm weekend.
What’s open for outdoor dining in winter?
The beer gardens run latest: Loreley is heated indoor/outdoor and Bohemian Hall has an indoor hall. The uncovered backyards like Vinegar Hill House and Frankies are weather-dependent, and Grand Banks is seasonal and closes in fall – so for cold months, the covered and heated spots are the safe bet.
Where’s the best outdoor dining in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn owns this category: Frankies 457 (Carroll Gardens), Maison Premiere and Cafe Mogador (Williamsburg), Vinegar Hill House (Vinegar Hill) and La Vara (Cobble Hill) are the best gardens and backyards. All take reservations – book the garden.
Last updated: July 2026. Hours, prices and menus change – confirm with the venue before you go. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
