74 Amazing London Restaurants with Outdoor Seating

The Best Outdoor Restaurants in London | 74 Al Fresco Terraces To Explore

We’ve never met this guy Al Fresco…

…but we like the way he thinks about outdoor dining.

Especially when the weather gods see fit to bless London with some decent weather – and that’s where these restaurants with outdoor seating come in to play. The city’s overflowing with sun-drenched terraces, riverside dining, rooftops, balconies, and hidden courtyards – as long as you know where to find them.

And to ensure you do, we’ve put together your ultimate al fresco dining guide.
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JUMP TO: EAST LONDON | WEST LONDON | NORTH LONDON | SOUTH LONDON

CENTRAL LONDON

Circolo Popolare | Fitzrovia

Circolo Popolare comes to us from the people behind Gloria, and she mimics her big sister where it counts, bringing a maximalist, overstated, lavishly fun vibe to everything she does. And that includes her terrace, which seats a mere 60ish people. No big deal.

Details: 40 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, W1T 1HX | Book here
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Barrafina Drury Lane | Covent Garden

Set on the edge of Covent Garden, Barrafina’s only venue with bookable outdoor seating might just make it the best of the bunch. You’ll find all their delicious, Michelin-Star winning tapas, plus sunshine.

Details: 43 Drury Lane, WC2B 5AJ | Book here
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The Mandrake | Fitzrovia

The Mandrake hotel’s hidden courtyards are so beautiful, they’ve literally won awards. Set over two tiers, there’s the spacious courtyard, overhung with trailing vines and creepers, and the relaxed bar terrace above, both of which serve dishes from their South American-inspired restaurant YOPO, and ‘ethnobotanical’ cocktails…

Details: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG | Book here
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Café Boheme | Soho

Café Boheme does not have a terrace. What it does have is an irresistible cluster of small tables wrapped intimately around its corner of Old Compton Street, where you can spend all day drinking wine and listening to the live jazz floating out through the bifold windows in glorious Parisian fashion.

Details: 13 Old Compton St, London W1D 5JQ | Book here
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Clipstone | Fitzrovia

Despite being placed on, and indeed named after one of the nicer and quieter streets in Fitzrovia, Clipstone’s best view is probably on the plates: duck ravioli, yellow beetroot carpaccio, beef shin croquettes with truffle mayonnaise, and the like. But eating it while dining outside in London makes it taste even better. Promise.

Details: 5 Clipstone Street, W1W 6BB | Book here
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Petersham Nurseries | Covent Garden

Given that this venue actually houses two restaurants, plus a bar, deli, florists, shop and wine cellar… it’s no surprise that they also found room for a huge, secluded outdoor area, hidden just off Floral Street…

Details: Petersham Nurseries, Floral Court, WC2E 8JD | Book here
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Bleeding Heart Bistro | Farringdon

Once the scene of an infamous 17th century murder, Bleeding Heart Bistro’s al fresco courtyard is now the picture of Provençal French serenity. Time has improved things, just like their selection of aged cheeses.

Details: Bleeding Heart Yard, EC1N 8SJ | Book here
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The Chiltern Firehouse | Marylebone

When Chiltern Firehouse first opened with Nuño Mendes at the helm, getting a table anywhere within a mile radius of the kitchen was an achievement. And now that the celeb sheen of the place has died down just a little, you can afford to be a bit pickier – and make a beeline for the expansive, monochrome terrace.

Details: 1 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, W1U 7PA | Book here
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J. Sheekey | Leicester Square

Famous for its white glove service, exquisite seafood dishes and elegant interiors, J. Sheekey has been a theatre-land favourite for over a century. But with a terrace this inviting, there’s a very real danger of missing your matinee.

Details: 28-35 St. Martin’s Court, WC2N 4AL | Book here
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Toklas | Strand

Set on a sun-drenched balcony on the side of a big, brutalist building, the terrace at Toklas probably would have been considered very ugly a few decades ago. Then again, everyone was wearing T-shirts over long tops back then, so shows what they knew.

Details: 1 Surrey Street, London WC2R 2ND | Book here
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Native at Browns | Mayfair

Native champions important concepts like sustainability, seasonality and zero-waste. They also support the idea of you enjoying these through another important concept: al fresco dining, in a spell-binding, tree-lined secluded garden courtyard…

Details: Browns 39, Brook St, London W1K 4JE | Book here
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Ham Yard Hotel | Soho

The Ham Yard Hotel is designed to a tee, with sumptuous furnishings, vibrantly papered walls and its own 1950s bowling alley… So it’s quite something that the best parts are actually their outdoor terrace, and the bohemian rooftop space.

Details: Ham Yard Hotel, 1 Ham Yard, W1D 7DT | Book here
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Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill | Mayfair

Bentley’s is one of London’s very best seafood spots. And hell, even if you don’t like shellfish, it’s worth going and ordering the steak just so you can live it up on their covered terrace.

Details: 11-15 Swallow Street, London W1B 4DG | Book here
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Hush Mayfair | Mayfair

The clue’s in the name here. Once you’ve discovered this secluded little courtyard slap-bang in the middle of London, you won’t want to tell anyone about it either.

Details: No.8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London W1S 1EY | Book a table
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Milk Beach Soho | Soho

Tucked unexpectedly behind Soho’s Greek Street you will find the latest expansion of Milk Beach, where you can escape London life and manifest your Oz holiday dreams with beautifully charred prawns with juicy rich, succulent chilli butter and BBQ pork rib dumplings, and natural wine.

Details: Unit 3, Ilona Rose House, Manette Street, W1D 4AL | Book here

EAST LONDON

SMOKESTAK | Shoreditch

Smokestak takes its BBQ seriously. In fact, the rusted, industrially hard-edged restaurant itself seems to resemble the inside of a BBQ oven, even extending to the rolling shutter that leads to the terrace outside. And it’s that terrace that we’re concerned with today. It’s got a decent number of tables, well-heated, adequately spaced, and you can enjoy the likes of a USDA brisket bun with pickled red chilli, thick-cut pork ribs with pickled cucumber, and crispy ox cheek with anchovy mayo. Plus cocktails.

Details: 35 Sclater St, E1 6LB | Book here
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Jones & Sons | Dalston

A Dalston loading yard transformed into one of the most charming outdoor dining spots in London, with bundles of greenery, parasols, and globe-trotting seasonal menus (including their famous all-you-can-eat brunch).

Details: Stamford Works, 3 Gillett Street, N16 8JH | Book here
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Crispin | Spitalfields

The only thing lovelier than Crispin’s seasonally changing menu (currently boasting gorgonzola & radicchio salad; cime di rapa pasta and plum & brown butter pudding) and its cellar full of natural wines is its outdoor seating, set out under brollies to shelter you come rain or shine.

Details: Pavilion on The Corner, White’s Row, Spitalfields, E1 7NF | Book here
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ACME Fire Cult | Dalston

Dalston’s Acme Fire Cult was, hands down, one of our favourite 2022 restaurant openings for a wide number of reasons: live-fire cooking, low waste principles, cocktails (like a michelada made with their own hot sauce), wine (the list curated by Holly Willcocks; once of Noble Rot, now of Half Cut Market) and locally-made beers (some in collaboration with 40FT Brewery next door, coincidentally also one of our favourite London breweries). Oh, and having a 60-seater al fresco terrace didn’t do any harm either…

Details: Abbot Street Car Park, E8 3DP | Book here
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Towpath Café | Haggerston

Towpath is almost exclusively outside, so an al fresco table is pretty much guaranteed. That’s if you can get one, of course. Open only for the warmer months, this cult café draws the crowds like nobody’s business, so if you want mouthwatering brunch dishes or Modern British small plates by the canal, better sharpen those elbows…

Details: 42 De Beauvoir Crescent, London N1 5SB | No bookings
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My Neighbours the Dumplings | Homerton

If you wanted to get some fresh air in the area around Victoria Park, you could, of course, go to Victoria Park. But an alternative option – no less appealing – would be to make yourself at home in the lantern-lit courtyard of MNTD, which unlike the park, boasts prawn har gau and crispy potsticker dumplings… 

Details: 178-180 Victoria Park Road, London, E9 7HD | Book here
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Sager + Wilde Paradise Row | Bethnal Green

Flowing seamlessly into the main area of the restaurant, the al fresco courtyard at Paradise Row is both a dining area for S+W’s glorious Italian dishes, and a bar which serves an ever-changing cocktail menu centred around different spirits.

Details: Arch 250 Paradise Row, E2 9LE | Book here
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Barge East | Hackney Wick

The restaurant aboard this 114-year old Dutch cargo barge has proved so popular that they’ve had to spill out onto the banks they’re moored on. And what started out as a casual picnic spot has since become a fully fledged operation, with shaded tables and chairs for groups, miniature plant beds growing ingredients for the kitchen, and even a vintage airstream caravan serving a street food menu.

Details: River Lee, Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Lane, London, E9 5EN | Book here
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Bar Douro City | City 

Bar Douro is much more than just upmarket Portuguese dining in the city, it’s upmarket Portuguese dining in the city with a wrap-around blue and white tiled alfresco terrace. Salt cod fritters, garlic prawns and pasta de natas (with cinnamon ice cream) are the play here, as is port (lots of it) on the drinks side…

Details: 1 Finsbury Avenue, EC2M 2PF | Book here
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Boundary | Shoreditch

Shoreditch has seen it all: nuns, factory owners, criminals, and prostitutes. Now it boasts a roof terrace with 360-degree views across the chimneys of the East End. And hipsters.

Details: 2-4 Boundary Street, E2 7DD | Book here
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Bravas Tapas | St. Katherine Docks

London’s own miniature riviera, perched in the shadow of Tower Bridge is exceedingly underrated. Which means you might just have a chance of scoring one of the outdoor tables at top-shelf tapas spot, Bravas Tapas…

Details: St. Katherine Docks, E1W 1AT | Book here
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Trattoria Brutto | Clerkenwell

Sometime in 2021, legendary restaurateur Russell Norman decided he wanted to open an old fashioned Italian trattoria in Clerkenwell. So he did. And as with most old fashioned Italian trattorias, it’s got delicious food, reasonable prices, and a little terrace outside…

Details: 36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross St, EC1M 6BN | Book here
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Rochelle Canteen | Shoreditch

A real secret garden, Rochelle Canteen can be found behind a brick wall facing the Arnold Circus garden with its Victorian bandstand. Ring a buzzer, and you’ll be welcomed into a hidden, terrace-toting restaurant serving gorgeous seasonal grub. Simply some of the best outdoor dining in London.

Details: Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, E2 7ES | Book here
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Dishoom Shoreditch | Shoreditch

Dishoom’s eclectic verandah is home to a jumble of vintage furniture, salvaged architecture and familiar-feeling bric-a-brac – as well as, crucially, a retractable roof. (Dishoom King’s Cross has a pretty great outdoor terrace too).

Details: 7 Boundary Street, E2 7JE | Book a table (terrace walk-in only)
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The Culpeper | Spitalfields

Some of the finest outdoor seating London can offer, The Culpeper’s rooftop has its own bar serving signature cocktails, a garden supplying herbal tinctures for said cocktails, a bespoke grill from the London Log Company, a view of the City’s towering skyline, AND, an intimate, 12 – 14 seater glass Greenhouse. Just in case.

Details: 40 Commercial Street, E1 6LP | Book here

WEST LONDON

Stanley’s | Chelsea

Justin De Souza

Stanley’s is the definition of a hidden gem. Peel off Chelsea’s Sydney Street to discover a secluded courtyard with flagstone paving, canopies of flowers and heaters and umbrellas for when the weather’s not playing ball. The Modern European menu lavishes you with dishes like monkfish & cucumber crudo; grilled asparagus with romesco & seaweed; and gloriously tender aubergine with apricot harissa – and you can wash it all down with cocktails inspired by the English country garden, and a wine list curated by Lea & Sandeman.

Details: 151 Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NT | Book here
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The River Cafe | Hammersmith

It’s called The River Cafe because it’s next to the river. And if you open a restaurant next to the river and don’t provide a little outdoor seating for people then, quite frankly, you’re not going to be open for three decades. Which the River Cafe has been.

Details: Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6 9HA | Book here
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The Ivy Chelsea Garden | Chelsea

Technically speaking, The Ivy Chelsea Garden doesn’t have an al fresco area. It IS an al fresco area, with an indoor bit attached. Because they have a 3,500 square foot outdoor terrace and paved garden, filled with stone-clad water fountains; sandstone firepits; marble tables; mosaic chairs; and balustrade pergolas covered in creeping wisteria and red rose vine.

Details: 195 -197 King’s Road, SW3 5EQ | Book a table (inside/outside allocated on arrival)
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Pantechnicon | Belgravia

Sat on the top floor of the massive tribute to Nordic & Japanese culture that is Pantechnicon, the roof garden has the look of a glamorous greenhouse with a gorgeous terrace outside. The brasserie-style food is excellent, and they do a fantastic brunch.

Details: 19 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8LB | Book a table
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Peggy Jean | Richmond

PJ is a beautifully restored barge which features a cosy dining room below deck; two al fresco dining terraces and a pair of clay-baked pizza ovens, Peggy and Jean. And with views over the Thames and the grassy knolls of Richmond, it’s like a little slice of the Riviera in West London…

Details: The Boat, Bridge Boathouses, Riverside, Richmond TW9 1TH | Book a table
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Vardo | Chelsea

Vardo is set inside a striking circular white pavilion in the centre of pedestrianised Duke of York Square. There are tables outside. There are tables on the roof. And when it gets really warm, the floor to ceiling windows roll back so that the entire restaurant essentially becomes al fresco.

Details: 9 Duke Of York Square, London SW3 4LY | Book here
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Kricket White City | White City

Overlooking the redeveloped BBC Television Centre, Kricket’s sprawling al fresco dining in London’s White City terrace is a delightfully peaceful spot to overdo it on Chaitinis and gorge on every one of their Anglo-Indian small plates.

Details: 2 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, W12 7FR | Book a table
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Pergola Paddington | Paddington

A bit of a street food & cocktail oasis plumped amongst the offices and busy transport hullabaloo of Paddington, Pergola combines a rooftop terrace filled with, downstairs, the pergola itself – filled with fairy lights, flowers & foliage.

Details: 5 Kingdom Street, Paddington Central, W2 6PY | Book a table
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Chicama | Chelsea

Chicama is named after a Peruvian coastal town… something that doesn’t seem too distant if you can score a table under their awning on a sunny day, as you tuck into ceviche, popped corn monkfish cheeks, and pisco cocktails.

Details: 383 King’s Road, SW10 0LP | Book a table
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No 197 Chiswick Fire Station | Chiswick

Chiswick Fire Station’s jaw-droppingly suave interiors (pink velvet loveseats, beautiful artwork and cacti of an Arizonan scale) are matched only by the breezy courtyard, with its vine-entwined pergola and brilliant white furnishings.

Details: 197-199 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR | Book here
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High Road Brasserie | Chiswick 

Justin De Souza

Taking the high road is always a good decision that works out in the long run – see The High Road Brasserie; a Soho House-run restaurant where you’ll want to accommodate yourself for as long as possible on their awning-shaded al-fresco terrace, that spills out onto the pavement and is an exceptional vantage point in which to enjoy their very French-leaning menu…

Details: 162-170 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PR | Book here
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Carmel | Queen’s Park

Carmel comes from Berber & Q head chef Josh Katz and serves his signature fluffy flatbreads and superlative Middle Eastern small plates. That’s probably all you needed to hear to make the dash out to Queen’s Park, pronto, but just in case, it has a canopy-covered outdoor dining terrace out the front too…

Details: 23-25 Lonsdale Road, Queen’s Park, NW6 6RR | Book here
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Polpo Chelsea | Chelsea

If Polpo Soho‘s secret weapon is a subterranean Campari bar, then Russell Norman’s follow up in Chelsea’s is an al fresco terrace, where you can sit, Aperol spritz in hand (naturally), and with a table (ideally) full of the restaurant’s classic cicchetti – aka Venetian-style small plates – under shaded parasols in Duke Of York Square.

Details: 81 Duke Of York Square, London, SW3 4LY | Book here
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Maria G’s | Kensington

Maria G’s Kensington location recently drifted from its Italian upbringing towards a more British-led menu populated with brassiere classics. Don’t worry though, this change in food direction has had absolutely no impact on their secluded outdoor space, with wicker chairs, shady umbrellas and a manicured lawn.

Details: Coe House, 2-4 Warwick Ln, W14 8FN | Book here
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Bluebird Chelsea | Chelsea

An impressive old Grade II listed, Art Deco garage in the heart of Made In Chelsea country, this is a solid option for all of those times that you fancy heading down the King’s Road with Ollie, Binky & Spencer (they’re still in it, right?) for a glass of bubbles and a spot of alfresco dining in London.

Details: 350 King’s Road, London SW3 5UU | Book a table

NORTH LONDON

Parrillan | King’s Cross

Run by the team behind Barrafina, Parrillan doesn’t just boast a sprawling, heated, covered terrace. It also has a chef who knows exactly how you like your food – namely, you. Because you’ll be tossing their impeccably sourced Spanish ingredients onto your own tabletop grill…

Details: Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, N1C 4AB | Book here
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Plaza Pastor | King’s Cross

That rambunctious covered terrace you just passed on the way up to Parrillan? That’s Plaza Pastor, the colourful, tequila-soaked annexe to Casa Pastor, here for all your all-weather outdoor taco needs. Set underneath an archway, it’s always shaded, providing a little respite from the searing British weather – plus, there’s DJs Thurs-Sat.

Details: Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DQ | Book a table here
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Granary Square Brasserie | King’s Cross

Granary Square Brasserie boasts not only the largest dining terrace in North London, but also one of the most delicious. Part of The Ivy family, it’s home to all-day modern European dining and sparkling cocktails.

Details: 1 Granary Square, N1C 4AB | Book a table
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German Gymnasium | King’s Cross

Set in a vast, gorgeous, warehouse-like building next to King’s Cross (with 57ft high ceilings), the German Gymnasium is the oldest gymnasium in the country. It hosted all the indoor events at the 1866 Olympics. And now it’s about to host a lot of outdoor ones, too.

Details: King’s Boulevard, N1C 4BU | Book a table
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Lina Stores King’s Cross | King’s Cross

Fresh crab linguine. Pear bellinis. More gelato than you can shake a cannoli at. The second restaurant from the iconic 75 year-old Soho deli has all the charms of the first – plus an enormous terrace that you can actually book.

Details: 20 Stable Street, King’s Cross, London N1C 4DR | Book a table
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Caravan King’s Cross | King’s Cross

Set in the industrially grand Granary Square, Caravan not only has a huge outdoor seating area, but stellar coffee ground in-house; a cornucopia of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and cocktails. For breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Details: 1 Granary Square, N1C 4AA | Book a table
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Tranga | Stoke Newington

It’s not like there are any bad seats at Tranga – a gem of a local in Stoke Newington, repping Northern Spanish fare – but when the sun’s out and the sky’s blue, there are particularly good seats; outside, before the entrance, and under the black and white striped awning where half a dozen al fresco tables command the street.

Details: 61 Newington Green, N16 9PX | Book here
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Coal Office | King’s Cross

100 years ago, the people inside these buildings were in charge of managing the flow of coal and fish deliveries into London. Now, they’re in charge of combining coal and fish (and meat, and veg) and delivering it straight to your table. And happily, you can enjoy Assaf Granit’s lauded Middle Eastern cooking on their rooftop space overlooking the canal.

Details: 2 Bagley Walk, Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4PQ | Book here
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The Lighterman | King’s Cross

One-upping all the other King’s Cross spots on this list, The Lighterman’s outdoor terraces directly overlook the canals – so you can enjoy a little outdoor dining in London with drinks, brunch or a Sunday roast while people barge past (in a good way).

Details: 3 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4BH | Book a table
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Camino King’s Cross | King’s Cross

Perched incongruously on Pentonville Road is this idyllic hidden courtyard, serving Spanish tapas (Ibérico ham, Basque-style baked crab, grilled octopus), Spanish drinks (brandy, sherry, and condensed milk espressos) and Spanish weather (not guaranteed).

Details: 3 Varnishers Yard, The Regent Quarter, N1 9FD | Book a table
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Common Ground | Finsbury Park

They want brunch with miso mushroom double-cheese toasties and dulce de leche brownies, while you just want to sit in a sun-drenched (but also shaded) backyard with loads of plants and an alligator sculpture. Go to Finsbury Park, find Common Ground…

Details: 49 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, London N4 3EF | Book here
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Yard Sale Pizza | Walthamstow

In spite of their name, Yard Sale Pizza’s third branch was actually the first to offer back yard dining since their pop up days, with a terrace adjoining the intimate restaurant housed in a former stained glass workshop.

Details: 15 Hoe Street, E17 4SD | Walk-ins only
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Smokehouse | Islington

Islington’s critically acclaimed gastropub dedicated to smoking, grilling & roasting takes up a kind of awkward stretch of land at the tip of a triangle. So they’ve done what any right-minded eatery would do, and turned it into a hedge-lined, chiminera-smoking, utterly glorious pocket of outdoor drinking & dining.

Details: 63–69 Canonbury Rd, London, N1 2DG | Book here

SOUTH LONDON

Le Pont De La Tour | Shad Thames / Tower Bridge

Literally only just realised that Le Pont De La Tour is French for “Tower Bridge”.

Essentially this is a pretty old school French restaurant by D&D that’s been around forever featuring white table cloths, a pricey menu (asparagus for starters with a main course of a side of french beans will set you back £19), but also – crucially, given that we’re here to talk about alfresco dining – a lovely terrace on the river, with live jazz on Thursday evenings and a Grade A view of Le Pont De La Tour.

Details: 36D Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE | Book a table
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The Laundry | Brixton

Hang yourself out to dry at The Laundry, whose home in a grand Edwardian laundrette is fronted by a sprawling outdoor terrace with plenty of space to spread out. A great choice whether you’re popping by for brunch, or to peruse The Cleaner’s Diary – a little black book of their cellar wines.

Details: Walton’s Lodge, 374 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PL | Book here
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Kudu | Peckham

You couldn’t design a lovelier back garden, Kudu? And aside from being a total suntrap with lush greenery and pretty wrought iron seating, it also allows you to enjoy the team’s Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning South African braai dishes while you’re at it.

Details: 119 Queens Road, Peckham, SE15 2EZ | Book here
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Seabird | Southwark

Seabird has a wonderful sense of occasion right from the outset; to find it, you’ll head to the lobby of the mid-century chic Hoxton Hotel, and find a large gold plaque with a single button marked ‘Seabird’. This summons an elevator that’ll whisk you up to the 14th floor. Seats on the terrace are rarer than hen’s teeth, but you might just get lucky… occasionally.

Details: 40 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8PB | Book a table
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Llewelyns | Herne Hill

If there’s one thing you have to do in your life in the next, hmmm, lets say, day? It’s prioritise getting down to Llewelyns (preferably for lunch running through to dinner) and snatching a seat on their front terrace, for some of the best seasonal small plates merged with outdoor dining that London has to offer.

Details: 293-295 Railton Road, London SE24 0JP | Book here
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Tavolino | London Bridge

By rights, an affordable Italian restaurant with views over one of London’s most famous landmarks should be an absolute tourist trap. And yet somehow, Tavolino manages to just be a really, really wonderful spot for fresh pasta, negronis, and al fresco dining.

Details: 2 More London Pl, London SE1 2RR | Book here
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Brunswick House | Vauxhall

A lot’s already been said about Brunswick House’s antique-heavy interior (where the ceiling is covered in chandeliers), but more needs to be said about the walled-in, wisteria-laden garden, which allows one to dig into lunch & brunch in and amongst statues, sculptures and pot plants, courtesy of highly-skilled chef-patron Jackson Boxer.

Details: 30 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2LG | Book here
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Parrillan Borough Yards | London Bridge

Graciously providing ample shade thanks to enormous parasols and the sweeping railway arches overhead, Parrillan Borough Yards is the perfect choice for when you want to eat outside, but don’t want to be scorched as much as the BBQ dishes on your table.

Details: 4 Dirty Lane, SE1 9PA | Book a table
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Fish, Wings & Tings | Brixton

London’s weather might not match up to the Caribbean, but the flavours on your plate will: Trinidadian-born Brian Danclair draws on his grandmother’s cooking as well as his training in ‘nouvelle cuisine’ to create mouthwatering dishes, served exclusively on picnic tables spilling out of Brixton Market.

Details: 3 Granville Arcade, Brixton Village, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR | No bookings
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Forza Wine | Peckham

From the team behind lots of pop ups, a rambunctious pizza, past & cocktail joint inside an old Peckham cash & carry, and a bunch of other things we can’t remember is this little gem of a rooftop bar & snack house perfect for anyone who’s keen to enjoy some very light Italian dishes as an accompaniment to their main course of booze. Right next to Peckham Rye station, by the way.

Details: 5th Floor, The Market, 133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST | Book a table
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Wright Brothers | Battersea

Toby Keane

Battersea – it’s pretty much the perfect place for a seafood spot; especially when it’s the third in a family of well-established eateries, and comes with its own festoon-lit verandah overlooking the river…

Details: 26 Circus West Village, Battersea Power Station, SW8 4NN | Book a table
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Fiume | Battersea

Not in the mood for seafood? Just toddle over to neighbouring Fiume for Calabrian dishes alongside those same stellar views of the river and Battersea Power Station. And don’t worry, since it’s decommissioned there won’t be any… fiumes.

Details: Circus West Village, Battersea Power Station, SW8 5BN | Book here
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Vinegar Yard | London Bridge

Taking over a formerly disused patch of land, Vinegar Yard is now a very used piece of land, full to the brim with street food traders like Baba G’s and the Experimental Sandwich Shop, outdoor bars and picnic tables.

Details: 72-82 St Thomas St, London SE1 3QU
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Berberè Pizza | Clapham

Berberè Pizza has 12 pizzerias in Italy, which should tell you something about the quality of their output. And their South London spot pays tribute to the birthplace of al fresco dining with colourful tables and chairs spilling onto the pedestrianised street.

Details: 67 Venn Street, Clapham, SW4 0BD | Book here
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400 Rabbits | Herne Hill

Sure, there are a couple of these spots across South London now. And sure, they all do great sourdough pizzas. But only one of them spills out onto the patio of a Grade II listed art deco swimming pool…

Details: Brockwell Lido, Dulwich Road, SE24 0PA | Book here
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The Crown & Greyhound | Dulwich Village

Always nice to recommend a lovely local pub, particularly when it’s located in the sort of London neighbourhood that you may (particularly in summer months) wish to spend some time pootling around one lazy Sunday afternoon. Dulwich, which combines a quaint village and beautiful park (boating lake, check) with the shops and restaurants of Lordship Lane in East Dulwich, just a short walk away, is one of those places.. and the Crown & Greyhound, located in the heart of the village itself, is a nice place to go for lunch or dinner.

And most importantly – for this article, at least – it has a large outdoor courtyard complete with a retractable roof & plentiful heaters (as and when required) plus, beyond that, a large paved garden with lots of additional space for alfresco dining.

Details: 73 Dulwich Village, Dulwich SE21 7BJ | Book a table

Loving the sun? Check out our pick of the best things to do outside in London