[Windswept]

I really love dining outdoors.

Especially at charming restaurants with lovely views.

However, there aren't all that many such places in this part of town that are nearby and accessible for casual dining.

The nicest places for outdoor dining (with a view) in the general area are either on affluent-neighborhood hillsides or beside golf courses; these places are expensive and not easily accessible for 'casual' dining.

I especially love casual places where I can stop by for lunch, and sit and read the newspaper while finishing my coffee. It's lovely to feel the fresh air, be surrounded by flowers or lush greenery, and hear the birds singing.

I've enjoyed some great spinach and mushroom omelettes on the outdoor patio at a nearby restaurant recently. It's wonderful to be outside, feel the fresh air, be surrounded by lush trees and grassy lawns. But I'm afraid the patio is 50-60' off of a fairly busy street. Not the most lovely of settings. It would be so nice to be overlooking the Pacific ocean.

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you love dining outdoors as much as I do, and what kinds of places you have available for such meals?

Where did you have your most enjoyable outdoor dining experience? In your own city, or while traveling elsewhere?

Thanks for any replies.

[Wrao]

Can't say I have that much estrogen really.

We have Barbecues fairly regularly though.

[psmith2.0]

A couple of Mexican places with outdoor deck or patio, sure. When the weather is nice, I love eating outside in the late afternoon or evening air and having a meal and a tasty beverage.

But most places I like are indoor-only.

There's that nice period during the spring and fall where eating outside is really comfortable and I try to do it (before it gets too hot or too cold).

[Schnauzer]

I ate outside last night, but it was right next to a busy road... the patio was nice and it was very casual, and great food, so i wasnt really bothered by the cars...

[spikeh]

The Thatch in Croyde, North Devon is lovely for outdoor eating. Not much of a view but it's a lovely little village (although I'm biased) and the seaside is not too far away. The Saunton Sands, nearby, also has an incredible view of the sea and beach.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 A couple of Mexican places with outdoor deck or patio, sure. When the weather is nice, I love eating outside in the late afternoon or evening air and having a meal and a tasty beverage. But most places I like are indoor-only. There's that nice period during the spring and fall where eating outside is really comfortable and I try to do it (before it gets too hot or too cold).

Oh, yeah. We have this great Mexican cantina place, with a wonderful covered patio that wraps around the building.

I love having a Corona or Dos Equis with lime there. And I just discovered that they have an unbelievable shrimp cocktail at this place. It's the Mexican version of shrimp cocktail, and it bears little resemblance to what you'd expect.

This cocktail has a 'sauce' to die for. Made with completely fresh ingredients, in that you can tell the tomato was freshly squeezed for the sauce, and it has lots of freshly-squeezed lime juice in it for an extra tangy kick, onions, fresh avocado chunks, fresh cilantro leaves, and great shrimp.

It's really more of a shrimp gazpacho. In fact, that's exactly what it is. Mmmmm. So delicious. And you can get this via their drive-thru too. Yum.

[Schnauzer]

yeah there is a mexican place, with a really nice outside part, and they come around and make the salsa just the way you like it in front of you on this cart

[turbulentfurball]

We've been undergoing something of a heat wave here in recent days, so it's been barbeque galore over the weekend. (Not me mind you, but I've smelled a few in my travels yesterday). As for eating outdoors myself, I don't do it much other than sitting in Princes Street gardens to have my lunch. It's great to have a sandwich and people watch on a sunny day

I did enjoy a good lunch opposite the Pantheon in Rome. The atmosphere was great, the food was typically Italian and the view was fantastic.

[Majost]

Originally Posted by Windswept ...I especially love casual places where I can stop by for lunch, and sit and read the newspaper while finishing my coffee. It's lovely to feel the fresh air, be surrounded by flowers or lush greenery, and hear the birds singing.

Lots of places here in Chicago throw tables and chairs out on the sidewalks when it's nice out. But nix the fresh air, trade flowers and greenery for concrete, and change birds singing to cars honking. But I still often prefer it to eating inside.

That said, some of the nicest places I've eaten outdoors have invariably been while on vacation at some beach or shore or another. I just love patios that face the water. I've also really enjoyed waking up early and going to places on the boardwalk before everyone else gets up for breakfast. Nice, quiet, facing the beach. Ah.

I also like long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners and sitting by the fireplace on a cold and snowy night. Er. Wait.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Majost Lots of places here in Chicago throw tables and chairs out on the sidewalks when it's nice out. But nix the fresh air, trade flowers and greenery for concrete, and change birds singing to cars honking. But I still often prefer it to eating inside.

That said, some of the nicest places I've eaten outdoors have invariably been while on vacation at some beach or shore or another. I just love patios that face the water. I've also really enjoyed waking up early and going to places on the boardwalk before everyone else gets up for breakfast. Nice, quiet, facing the beach. Ah.

I remember drinking beer at an open-air, thatched-roof beach cantina in Guaymas, Mexico, and as we sat there, we saw giant manta rays (10' across) leaping out of the water and spashing back in. It was cool.

I also like long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners and sitting by the fireplace on a cold and snowy night. Er. Wait.

[Ryan]

There aren't all that many places here that have outdoor dining, with the exception of a few coffee houses. In my old town, though, a very small suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area, our First Street had a number of small, independent restaurants, and most of them had tables on the sidewalk. The ones at the end of the street, which used to be a dock before World War II, IIRC, have seating with views of the Carquinez Strait and new Vallejo-Crocket suspension bridge. During the summer, those businesses would work together to hold all sorts of evening events and a good portion of the town would be down there every night.

[thegeriatric]

Originally Posted by Windswept I really love dining outdoors. It would be so nice to be overlooking the Pacific ocean. Anyway, I was wondering if any of you love dining outdoors as much as I do, and what kinds of places you have available for such meals? Where did you have your most enjoyable outdoor dining experience? In your own city, or while traveling elsewhere? Thanks for any replies.

Windswept. You would not believe the views from up here. There is a cloud to the left with a fantastic view of the Pacific ocean. The perfect spot, join me any time and I'll bring the picnic basket.

[cosus]

I always sit outside when I go out, I guess my favorite place to go is just a tea shop and start sipping tea and lighting up a cigarette. Other than that, dining wise I've always liked the beach. Opportunity to people watch and stare into the open ocean... while smoking a cigarette. :P

Thank god for two season cities.

[Windswept]

Omg! I was having lunch outside yesterday, when a windstorm (with a few raindrops in it) sprang up.

I ended up picking flower petals (that had blown into it) out of my omelette, and fighting to keep my newspaper from taking flight.

But I still loved being outdoors. It's going to be too hot soon, and I'm seizing every opportunity to dine outside while I still have the chance.

[BuonRotto]

This area has tons of outdoor seating. I prefer the area near downtown where I live. The food in the area is excellent, the atmosphere casual, the places are not overrun with undergrads (sorry), there are plenty of interesting people, and I can seated with my dog. The staff at these places often bring him water, and people come over to pet him or let their dogs say hello. You don't get vistas, but if you like some interesting old industrial architecture, it's great.

Oh, and nothing beats a hot day better than a cold beer and a hot dog in the ballpark field boxes!

[Moogs]

Eating / Drinking outside in non-crowded, mosquito-free areas, is all good. Nothing like having a few brewskis with friends with a nice breeze to make everyone chill out on a warm day. Or a meal with your better half at a quiet restaurant somewhere. Thing is, around here, all the places with outdoor dining, are always uber-crowded so you feel like you're at a baseball game or something instead of a restaurant.

What is really cool, and we almost got to do this is the UK, but the weather turned on us, is to find those Bed & Breakfast places up in the hills where you can look down on the ocean or a small town or whatever... and just sit there for a couple hours and soak it all in while you eat and drink yourself to sleep. The bonus is you don't have to drive anywhere after, so drink all you want.

[joveblue]

I love dining outdoors, and we have a great deck area since we renovated a few years ago that we use more often than not during spring/summer when the weather is nice. Unfortunately we get the setting sun in our eyes though and during summer the mosquitos come out, but otherwise it's great.

When it comes to restaurants though I tend to avoid eating outdoors because now that it's illegal to smoke in restaurants here now, the outdoor areas are usually full of smokers (yuck!). But there's a great Italian restaurant precinct nearby(ish). It's a lovely old tree-lined street with outdoor dining at every restaurant. It's also near a good independent/arthouse cinema, which makes for a nice night out.