Ballard Avenue is full of new patio structures, including this particularly atmospheric (and ventilated) situation at Gracia. It seems the sheltered spaces that helped us (and restaurants) survive the darkest days of pandemic winter are here to stay…at least for a while. As we enter yet another chilly season, restaurants are even more savvy in the ways of outdoor shelters, mini patio igloos, and how to batten down your tent to withstand the occasional windstorm. Here is an updated guide to covered outdoor spaces around the city. Please consider this a living document to be updated as necessary. Jump to Your Neighborhood:Ballard / Beacon Hill / Bellevue / Belltown / Capitol Hill / Central District / Chinatown-International District / Columbia City / Denny Regrade / Downtown / Eastlake / Fremont / Georgetown / Greenlake / Greenwood / Kenmore / Kirkland / Laurelhurst / Leschi / Madison Park / Madison Valley / Madrona / Mercer Isand / Queen Anne / Northgate / Pike Place Market / Pioneer Square / Rainier Beach / Ravenna / Renton / Sand Point / SeaTac / South Lake Union / South Park / Tukwila / University District / Wallingford / West Seattle / White Center Ballard AsaderoCovered tables at David Orozco’s steakhouse shield you from the elements while you peruse a lunch and dinner menu of uncommon cuts of beef and loaded baked potatoes. Call the restaurant to reserve if you’re coming for dinner. Baker'sIt's the sort of bar everyone wishes they had down the street from their house, right down to the garden patio filled with
benches and heaters and foliage—and rain protection. Call to reserve. The Ballard CutOwner Tommy Patrick was an early adopter of the Covid-era streatery. A dozen covered tables, with heaters, keep visitors dry and warm-ish. The hearty plates and ample whiskey menu takes care of the rest. Ballard Pizza Co.Ethan Stowell’s relaxed family-friendly pizza spot has a few open-sided, tent-shaded tables out on Ballard Ave. You can order your pies and beer right from the table via QR code. Bitterroot BBQThis urbane barbecue spot has joined the pergola party along Ballard Avenue, offering individual covered cubbies where you can get after some ribs, nachos, or bourbon cocktails. Brimmer and HeeltapThe back garden at this destinationworthy neighborhood restaurant has a covered section with heaters mounted above. By day, the space is available to customers at sibling espresso shop Red Arrow Coffee. GraciaChester Gerl’s stellar Mexican restaurant made a whole video about the safety protocols in its tented seating area. Which also happens to be lovely. Stunning tortillas with heirloom corn anchor the menu at Gracia. Ristorante PicolinosThe Italian restaurant has made an art form of tented garden seating, weaving 120 outdoor seats among pergolas, beneath enormous tents, and amid trees and flowerpots and curtains. Ray’s Boathouse/Ray’s CafeOne of the town’s classic outdoor spaces has returned, with its menu of impeccable seafood and upfront expanse of Shilshole Bay. The Boathouse patio has heaters for chilly nights while the more casual cafe upstairs doubles down on the view and heaters with some covered seating. Walkins only at both. SabineThe beautiful space formerly known as Bastille now feels like a patio village, thanks to a covered structure out front, and the side patio, where customers fire up their laptops and linger over the all-day cafe menu. Order at the counter; walkins only. Stoup BrewingSemicovered? Totally enclosed? An Adirondack chair near a firepit? The brewery’s patio offers configurations for every weather and beer-drinking scenario, including a private heated greenhouse space that holds up to five people, available by reservation only. The Walrus and the CarpenterIt’s back to as usual on Walrus’s covered and heated patio. Walk-ins only; enter the back way, via Shilshole. Beacon HillBar Del CorsoA pergola and roof over the charming back patio keeps you dry; space heaters keep you warm. Jerry Corso’s Italian menu keeps you coming back. MusangThe small front garden has a sturdy shelter all set up, an improvement upon the previous tent; Melissa Miranda’s memorably Filipino restaurant can also supply you with a fleece blanket (fully washed between uses). OakThis neighborly bar tucks a few tables (made from old street signs) beneath a big overhang out front. Reserve one online. Heaters keep things warm during dinner and weekend brunch, and a few high chairs are available for kids. Perihelion BreweryAn underheralded brewpub offers up excellent beer, a menu of sandwiches and blistered green beans, and mushroom pot pie, and an atmospheric covered patio warmed by the occasional fire table. Bellevue520 Bar and GrillA clear roof and vine-clad walls protect a patio filled with heaters and tables set with proper white linens. Reserve patio seating online. Carmine’sThe terrace was charming in the Before Times. Even more so now that it’s covered, heated, and serving beautiful Italian food for lunch and dinner most days of the week. Reservations encouraged. Central BarA corridor-style tent setup befitting the downtown Bellevue address—linens on the tables, foliage, and a surprisingly elegant alfresco vibe. El GauchoChandeliers, tablecloths, and a surround of greenery give the patio tent a garden party feel. JaponessaDiners of all ages can sit on the covered patio—provided they like sushi with gentle Latin American overtones. No reservations. MonsoonA new streetside patio adds 20 seats to the pre-existing sidewalk tables, and does it with umbrella-clad, paper lantern–adorned panache. BelltownBangrak MarketA flurry of sidewalk tables offer a charming sunny day spot to enjoy some seriously great Thai food. LimoncelloA previously under-the-radar Italian cafe on First Avenue is now decidedly on the neighborhood’s radar thanks to a gloriously atmospheric pair of covered and heated patios out front. The food’s great too, and Limoncello currently runs a happy hour menu. Capitol HillBarrioA sort of raised platform along 12th Avenue offers tables and tents to shield brunchers and mezcal drinkers. Ba BarPer usual, Eric and Sophie Banh’s Vietnamese restaurant wins on style points with a covered outdoor space that looks legit attractive and has six infrared heaters if necessary. The deck seats 36 in two- and four-tops and serves the full menu from 10am to 10pm. Reservations recommended during happy hour. Cascina SpinasseThe covered structure out front looks as rustic and dignified as Stuart Lane’s Northern Italian menu. Tables out here are first come first served. Harry’s Fine FoodsThe restaurant and its covered garden oasis are open once again and serving seven days a week. La SpigaBecause we all know Italian food just tastes better inside single-party patio “pods.” Four pods can seat up to five (but four is more comfortable) and reservations are required. Light SleeperThis new “terroir bar” hides in the center of Chophouse Row, but that means you needn’t throw quite so many elbows to get a seat in the courtyard. Life on MarsIt’s hard to miss the bright blue tents in front of the vinyl themed Pike/Pine bar, offering rain protection for its cocktails and vegan menu of bar fare (and brunch). MarmiteBruce and Sara Naftaly have built a hub of patio socializing on a series of tents. But the breezeway setup within Chophouse Row ensures protected dining no matter the weather. MonsoonSeattle’s enduring Vietnamese destination has an equally desinationworthy rooftop, dotted with umbrellas and tables, and shielded from the street by trees. If that’s full up, a sidewalk patio below offers covered and uncovered tables. Jon Christiansen’s boozy slushies happen on both levels. NueA menu that ranges from Dutch to Sichuan to South African flavors, all centered on a walled-in sidewalk patio, available for brunch, dinner, and daily happy hour. OddfellowsLinda Derschang’s all-day cafe built a pair of handsome pergolas out front, finessed with touches like plants, lights, and properly level tables. Inside, the longstanding “secret garden” offers alfresco privacy between brick walls. Oddfellows’ new vine-twined pergola setup adds a rare breakfast and lunch patio option to Capitol Hill. Omega OuzeriThe tented sidewalk patio structure outside is a striking blue and white, fitting for the sterling Greek menu. Reserve patio tables online. Plum BistroDine on Makini Howell’s vegan creations inside a series of individual miniature greenhouses along the sidewalk. Call the restaurant to reserve. PoquitosA semipermanent, vine-draped shelter on 10th Avenue seats walkins only at small picnic tables for dinner and brunch—aka margaritas, chicken tinga tacos, and enchiladas suizas. All ages (and dogs) welcome up to groups of six. RapportBroadway’s haven of self-pour beer and wine has an ample front patio with some open-sided tents. Even better: Wandering Goose alum Mike Law is in the kitchen prepping breakfast biscuits, lunch sandwiches, and three-course dinners. Reserve your table (okay it’s really a barrel) online. Rhein HausNo surprise, the cavernous German-inspired beer hall has gone full biergarten out on the courtyard, which boasts various heaters and overhangs and firepits. Walkins only, for parties no larger than six. Rione XIIIEthan Stowell’s house of cacio e pepe and Roman fare on 15th Avenue has joined the semi-permanent patio party with a good looking structure, plus some sidewalk tables (and a happy hour menu). Reserve online. SkilletThe original location at 14th and Union has set up tents around each of its patio tables, for a private-ish experience. Tamari BarMakoto Kimoto’s ever-evolving patio is now equipped for winter: The izakaya’s outdoor space is protected on all sides, with circular portals looking out towards the street and ceiling heaters casting their own glow between two rows of lanterns. Taurus OxThis smashing little Lao restaurant on Madison now has a properly constructed patio shelter that protects a handful of tables. No reservations, but you can get the restaurant’s full menu (including drinks...and that burger) out here. (Note, they’re closed through June 15.) Terra PlataPandemic or no, Tamara Murphy’s rooftop is a revelation—a wedge of garden surrouned by downtown views and Capitol Hill urbanity. Tables are heated, but not covered, and serve brunch and dinner. Make a reservation here. Central DistrictCentral CafeThe charming neighborhood spot on Cherry converted an underused corridor next to its building into a covered outdoor living room of sorts, with a couch, chairs, Astroturf, and even the occasional outdoor movie. Chuck's Hop ShopThe beer shop was an early adopter of the glorious makeshift patio (not to mention the comprehensive online reservation system). Here the entire parking lot is tented and lit (but not heated) with a sort of beer garden vibe. The taplist and food truck schedule are online. CommunionKristi Brown’s new restaurant draws crowds for takeout, but a sizable overhang shelters a handful of outdoor tables around the restaurant’s prime corner perimeter. A firepit table and heaters keep everyone warm. Reckless Noodle HouseMore getaway than patio, the covered outdoor space at this superb cocktail and noodle hangout is strung with nets and thick with atmosphere. Standard BrewingSo much great beer, and an uber-spacious patio, roughly half of it covered, upon which to drink it (the food menu is also legit). As ever, this spot is 21-plus, with no dogs. Chinatown–International District
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