One of the many perks of Los Angeles living is the possibility of year-round al fresco dining . It’s not uncommon to see restaurants set out heaters for mid-December dinners or pull out retractable shades to offer a break from the sun during the peak of summer. The temperate climate makes it easy to enjoy a weekend brunch on a verdant patio or a dinner under the stars (or what can be seen of stars in Los Angeles).
These restaurants all offer some of the best outdoor dining in LA, whether looking for a pizza with a side of views, glasses of wine to the sounds of Moroccan beats, or carnitas in a space that feels straight out of Mexico City. Here are the best restaurants for outdoor dining in Los Angeles. What’s new in this update: Culver City rooftop restaurant Butterfly, French Moroccan destination Zizou, Silver Lake’s Tacolina, all-day cafe Highly Likely, and the Valley’s Firefly join the guide this update.
Leaving the list are the De Buena Planta (which is now Tacolina), Le Champ, and Bar Bohemien. Rebecca Roland is a born and bred Angeleno who will never give up year-round outdoor dining. While it's not exactly a restaurant, her favorite patio is at Walt’s, where she can often be found having a hot dog and a Hamm’s.
Casaléna Casaléna has made the most of the former Villa space, serving a coastal Mediterranean menu in the dining room and open-air patio. The outdoor area looks like it belongs at Restoration Hardware, with a fountain in the center, flanked by neatly-trimmed hedges. The menu blends Mediterranean and Italian influences with dishes like stracciatella with spicy honey and pistachio, fried squash blossoms, and sweet corn agnolotti.
During the weekend, Casaléna serves a brunch of Benedicts, shakshuka, smoked salmon toast, and French toast. A separate menu is available at the bar with casual bites like a crispy chicken sandwich, hamachi crudo, and truffle fries. Also featured in: The 18 Best Restaurants With a Fireplace in Los Angeles Cobi's The Westside has lost some great patios, including Venice’s now-closed the Rose, but Cobi’s remains an outstanding option right off Main Street in Santa Monica.
Sit amongst the plants on the cozy patio, and order South Asian dishes like nasi goreng, beef rendang, and dry-aged branzino with yellow curry. Head over on weekends for a mimosa flight and roti wraps. Also featured in: The Best Rice Porridges to Savor in Los Angeles Where to Revel and Feast on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles Hatchet Hall Set between Culver City and Mar Vista, Hatchet Hall remains a solid choice for dinner on the Westside, especially if looking for al fresco dining.
The outdoor patio feels a bit like dining in someone’s backyard or a community garden, with string lights overhead and an eclectic collection of chairs set at tables. Although the restaurant has seen some chef turnover in the past few years, the menu of Southern fare made with Los Angeles produce is still excellent. Make sure to order the cast iron cornbread.
Book a reservation through Resy . A post shared by Hatchet Hall (@hatchethall) Also featured in: The 17 Best Restaurants in Culver City The 18 Best Restaurants With a Fireplace in Los Angeles Dante Beverly Hills Set on the ninth floor of the Maybourne Beverly Hills, Dante offers an indoor dining room that flows into a patio with views of the Hollywood Hills. The Italian-meets-Mediterranean menu relies on market-fresh ingredients, seafood, and coastal Italian flavors with blistered wood-fired pizzas, crudo, and boozy affogatos.
This is an ideal patio even if not looking for a full meal; it’s easy to pop by for a round of cocktails and oysters. Also featured in: The Best Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles 10 Hot New Brunch Spots to Check Out in Los Angeles Ardor West Hollywood restaurant Ardor goes all out with its luxe patio. Foliage stretches toward tables, with leaf-covered branches and palms that sway as a breeze floats through.
Always start with an order of the milk bread, served with beefsteak tomatoes, rosemary oil, and sea salt. Fire-kissed mains complete the outdoor dining experience, with proteins like grilled branzino, lamb chops, and a 32-ounce tomahawk. Also featured in: The Best Restaurants Open for Christmas in Los Angeles 16 Destination-Worthy Hotel Restaurants in Los Angeles Sign up for our newsletter.
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Please enter a valid email and try again. Butterfly While Zaytinya holds down the main level of Culver City’s Shay hotel, Butterfly occupies the rooftop space, which offers views of the hills, stretching towards the ocean. Jose Andres is behind both Zaytinya and Butterfly, which means the menu is beyond what could usually be expected at a hotel.
Butterfly’s menu offers Mexican dishes that pair well with drinks, like a chicharron quesadilla, fish tacos, guacamole, and ceviche. The Salt Air Margarita comes with an impressive foam on top that tastes true to its namesake. On weekends, head to Butterfly for a brunch of chilaquiles, pozole, and breakfast tacos.
A post shared by Butterfly Tacos, Tequila Y Más (@butterflybyjose) Dulan's On Crenshaw After a two-year transformation, Dulan’s on Crenshaw reopened in January 2024. Owner Greg Dulan still offers his tried-and-true soul food menu but added two outdoor dining spaces to make sure customers can enjoy the smothered pork chops, fried chicken, and candied yams while on the rear patio, or while watching life go by on Crenshaw Boulevard. The patio is covered and lit in the evenings, so the sun is never too harsh even on hot days.
Also featured in: 20 Classic Los Angeles Restaurants Every Angeleno Must Try 11 Delicious Takeout and Delivery Spots in Crenshaw, Leimert Park, and Hyde Park Great White Larchmont Australian-influenced Great White expanded to Larchmont in 2021, bringing with it a gorgeous patio that would feel at home right on the beach. The easygoing restaurant serves a menu that matches its vibes, with dishes like avocado toast, fish tacos, and pizza. Looking towards the busy Larchmont Boulevard, this restaurant offers especially good people-watching.
Tacolina Tacolina has taken over the former De Buena Planta space and its incredible patio tucked in the heart of Silver Lake. Slip through the doorway to be transported to a lush, jungle-like patio that feels like an escape from its city surroundings. The menu is made up of shareable bites like skirt steak tacos, grilled branzino, and taquitos.
Sip on a margarita, or a glass of Mexican wine, and search for any visible stars in the sky over Silver Lake. Also featured in: The Best Restaurants in Silver Lake Botanica Restaurant and Market Botanica’s bright, seasonal dishes that highlight local produce and farmers make even more sense when enjoyed on a warm day, sitting under the sun on Botanica’s patio. Just off Silver Lake Boulevard, the patio feels in its own world, with wooden tables and a covering offering shade overhead.
During the day, opt for a slice of seared cake or a tartine; the dinner menu brings larger dishes like a burger, spiced lamb kofta, and seared bass. Botanica is an ideal place to meet friends, or host a casual work lunch — chances are, everyone will find something they like on this menu, as long as they’re open to vegetables. Book a reservation through Resy .
Also featured in: The Best Restaurants in Silver Lake Where to Sip a Spritz in Los Angeles This Summer Loreto Loreto has cemented its place as one of the best places to dine al fresco since opening in Frogtown in 2023. The Mexican seafood menu from chef Paco Moran is ambitious, with Nayarit-style zarandeado, fish-topped tostadas, and ceviches. In the afternoons between Thursday and Sunday, the patio flips into Mariscos Za Za Zá, which serves more casual ceviches and tostadas.
Also featured in: The Best Sit-Down Mexican Restaurants in LA, According to Eater Editors The Most Romantic Restaurants in Los Angeles Damian Hidden in the back of Damian is a verdant oasis of a patio tucked between the industrial buildings of the Arts District. While the interior offers sleeker vibes for a special night out, the back patio feels a little more casual. Make sure to order the herb-topped guacamole and the duck carnitas, which are both easy to share.
With the patio being covered, bad weather is not really a concern, especially when there are plenty of space heaters spread throughout. Also featured in: The Best Sit-Down Mexican Restaurants in LA, According to Eater Editors The Best Happy Hour Drinks and Deals in Los Angeles Zizou Zizou’s plant-filled interior seamlessly flows into an expansive back patio, lit in warm shades of pink and orange in the evening. Candles flicker on each table as a mix of French hip-hop, Colombian cumbia, and African beats play over the sound system.
The menu leans French Moroccan with dishes like steak frites, tajine, and tarte tartin. It feels like a space unlike any other in Los Angeles, and reasonably-priced bottles of wine just make it even better. Highly Likely Highly Likely’s Highland Park outpost offers an outstanding option for all-day drinking and dining, starting with coffee in the morning and stretching to wine and cocktails as the sun gets low.
The interior looks like something straight out of Palm Springs, with a mid-century design sense with a salami-colored counter and orb-shaped chandeliers. The patio offers a generous amount of seating, shaded by canopies overhead and trees spread throughout. Snack on French toast if headed over for breakfast, or a fried fish sandwich if in search of something more savory.
Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.
m., Highly Likely offers a menu of snackier bites like marinated olives and yuzu deviled eggs. Also featured in: The 16 Best Los Angeles Coffee Shops With Free Wi-Fi Cafe Santorini Set on the second story of a building in Old Town Pasadena, Cafe Santorini is a longtime favorite for Mediterranean fare.
Start with hummus or grilled calamari before enjoying plates of kebab, steak frites, or a Moroccan lamb shank. During warmer months, the patio is covered by a canopy to protect diners from the sun. In the evenings, the outdoor space is lit by candles, making it a great spot for a casual date night.
A post shared by Café Santorini (@cafesantorini).