In his careful study of Texas barbecue, Onur Gulbay learned not only nuances of smoking beef, but the rituals of eating it. When the Turkish American built out the Frelard restaurant, he prioritized creating a place for people to spend the day hanging out, drinking beer, and, yes, ordering meat. The sprawling sheltered area with plenty of tables and firepits makes it welcoming for big groups and families, even if the small set skips the city’s best brisket in favor of mac and cheese. 

Covered, heated, and blessed—that’s how Yasuaki Saito’s sacred spot keeps guests seated on the wooden deck to the east of the canal-side bakery. The graveled open air picnic tables to the west add even more outdoor seating for people lining up for the cardamom knots, low-key fantastic burger, and drinks from seasonal sibling Heave Ho! on summer evenings.

You’d swear this Carillon Point patio was airlifted from Southern California. It sits mere feet from Lake Washington, with deep, cushioned couches and plexiglass walls that don’t waste one iota of view. But the cocktails and chef Gabriel Chavez’s guacamole with totopos and chile en nogada deserve as much attention as the surroundings. No surprise: In nice weather, this place is a capital-S scene. 

Utilizing the best parts of its home in some of Seattle’s oldest houses as it should, Ballard’s sweetest trattoria offers a duo of outside options: The tables on its shady side patio give romantic pasta twirlers plenty of privacy, while the street-facing front porch gives diners a great view for people-watching over antipasti.

For a city with vast lengths of shoreline, Seattle has few stretches of busy urban beachfront. Alki—and Harry’s in particular—shows us what we’re missing out on without more places to bask in sunshine and salty air over brunch. The sidewalk café nails the coastal grandmother vibes, pairing them with a menu that knows exactly the upscaled basics its customers want: shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads, and crispy fish sandwiches washed down with plenty of sparkling rosé.

The trellis overhead and shady umbrellas on Lenox’s back patio go a long way toward shielding diners from the hubbub of Belltown, with an assist by the many plants. But the truly transportive element, as with inside the restaurant, is chef Jhonny Reyes’s menu of Caribbean-rooted cuisine: the oversized empanadas, coconut- and sazón-scented greens, and crispy skinned lechon.

The ferociously legit White Center brewery now has a second taproom location with a beer garden that faces Alki Beach. Not to mention 12 taps, wine, cider, NA drinks, and decidedly non-NA slushies, plus snacks. An overhang provides shade (but not too much), heaters offer a boost on cooler nights. (Worth noting: the original Future Primitive also has a roomy patio.)

This Peruvian spot has come a long way since its food truck days. It now occupies a vivid orange building on Roosevelt with a walled-in yard big enough for 70 people. It has heaters, some shelter, a TV, retro astroturf, even a neon “Don Lucho’s Patio Life” sign. The lomo saltado and pisco sours, though, are anything but kitsch.

There’s a reason this unrivaled water-facing beer garden shows up on every "best patio" list known to humankind. It’s Marination's signature food—kalua pork tacos, aloha fries, loco mocos—in a counter service spot that’s mostly patio. And what a patio. Umbrellas and strings of lights festoon picnic tables; an expansive view of Seattle’s skyline provides a backdrop. Cocktails and draft beer add to the festivities.

Fonda la Catrina’s little sibling next door serves the same caliber of Mexican food with a focus on mariscos, or shellfish. The fish tacos are a destination unto themselves. So is the patio, a walled-off retreat filled with string lights, mezcal drinks, and just the right amount of sun.

This slightly haphazard little cafe on the Portage Bay shoreline has a threefold patio situation: A covered sun porch-type area so open you might as well be outside, an actual patio that appears to float over the bobbing boats in the marina below, and the relatively new Marina Cantina, an entirely separate patio downstairs alongside the water with its own bar and dedicated taco truck. The quality of the cocktails got a major boost when Travis Rosenthal’s Pike Street Hospitality Group (Rumba and Inside Passage) took over a few years back.

One of Seattle’s OG rooftops can get packed during prime time, and the density of people taking selfies often obscures Mbar’s intrinsic charms. Namely a patio full of panoramic Seattle views, swings, and firepits. Not to mention a menu of mezze, harra frites, and other Levantine-inspired fare. If you’re just here for the drinks, the sumac popcorn makes for an excellent snack.

The food’s pretty basic (with all day breakfast and a terrific in-house ice cream counter). But the outdoor space sings. The old stone building, originally a filling station, packs plenty of inherent charm, plus a view of Lake Washington across the street. 

It’s a little hard to find this patio, hidden behind the Ocean Alexander Marina complex. But once you do, a host of seating awaits, surrounded by bobbing boats. This charming seafood sibling to Matt’s in the Market and Radiator Whiskey serves up large plates and sandwiches, not to mention oysters and the house signature, poutine-of-the-sea.

The historic tavern definitely got with the times: a series of sturdy wood cabanas line the large back garden; each one holds its own table, plus an overhead heater for cooler nights. Tables are first come, first served, and don’t allow minors.

Like everything else about this place, the small back patio is low-key and yet so precise, it exceeds expectations. A mix of sun and covered seating, a firepit, and the restaurant’s all-important smoker provide backdrop for a menu of smoked meat maximalism and spot-on bourbon cocktails.

Pike Place Market is full of patios, from the Pink Door’s leafy hideaway to the full-frontal water views down at Old Stove. But this decades-old French bistro includes a tiny patio that suspends you in the heart of the market. White-clothed tables are first come, first serve. Scoring one during lunch is a win, just before sunset a full-blown triumph best with a round of vespers.

One of the town’s most coveted waterfront patios draws visitors by boat, car, even kayak. Westward, part of Renee Erickson’s Sea Creatures restaurant group, occupies a crescent of north Lake Union shoreline that offers both skyline views and a menu that draws on seafood from up and down the Pacific coast. Outdoor seating (waterside tables; Adirondack chairs beneath umbrellas) is walk-in only.