SLIDESHOW: See pictures of the restaurants listed here.

Time to head outside and cool your heels on one of the many outdoor patios, courtyards and front porches at restaurants around town.

 

Where can you find the best view or the prettiest hidden courtyard? Look no further than our Outdoor Dining Guide... 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Air/Stony Point

 

Bon Air/Stony Point

10400 W. Huguenot Rd., 379-9899

The South Side’s Bottega Bistro is a popular spot and the sprawling side patio is especially attractive during the summer months. Even though Bottega is technically located in the upscale strip mall -- the Shoppes at Bellgrade – the outdoor dining area is airy, well-shaded and quite upscale. Bottega serves up everything from juicy steaks and fancy dinner dishes to salads and sandwiches for a mid-day lunch.

 

 

 

 

Brandermill

4602 Millridge Parkway, 744-2545

Looking for an outdoor dining experience with a lake view? Head to Brandermill’s Boathouse, formerly known as Sundays Waterfront Restaurant, where every seat on the sprawling outdoor deck offers a panorama view of the Swift Creek Reservoir. Pull up a chair and it’s like taking a mini-vacation –seriously, take our word for it. The newly revamped menu features wood-stone pizzas, wood-grilled fish, pastas, salads and more. Hands-down best place to catch a sunset in the Richmond area (note to Richmonders: the Boathouse is about a 30-40 minute drive from downtown).

 

 

Carytown

3343 W Cary St., 353-4700

Amici has been serving upscale Northern Italian cuisine in Carytown since 1991. Their outdoor patio is fully covered, meaning you can dine al fresco rain or shine. Tablecloths and attentive service make dining outdoors at Amici an extra special treat. Lunch is surprisingly affordable, where you can get fancy salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes in the $10 range, while dinner dishes run $10-15 for pasta and $20-$30 for items like baby rack of lamb with garlic, rosemary and white wine demi or pan seared beef tenderloin with gorgonzola, demi glace and a touch of cream.

 

 

 

Carytown

3120 W. Cary St., 358-7274

Can Can recently added two sections of outdoor dining to their fancy French repertoire in Carytown. The outdoor patios may be overlooking the parking lot of the Cary Court Shopping Center, but there is still plenty of people-watching to be had. Plus, Can Can’s innovative French fare and fancy table-settings (and pretty flower boxes brimming with red geraniums) help transcend the parking lot setting. A great outdoor spot for a summer lunch.

 

 

 

 

Carytown

2811 W Cary St., 359-7606

Mom’s Siam now offers one of the best outdoor patio spots in Carytown. If you’ve lived here for a while, you may remember this spot at the tail-end of Carytown operating as Christopher’s or Lucy’s. But now Mom’s Siam serves up its signature Thai dishes like drunken noodles with beef, pad prik khing with chicken and plenty of potstickers. The outdoor patio is on a corner lot, offering shady and sunny seating.  Be prepared to wait for service, it’s not exactly speedy, but the great outdoor location and tasty Thai food often makes up for it.

 

 

Carytown

3449 W Cary St., 358-6262

Nacho Mama’s tiny little front porch is perfect for sipping margaritas and people watching the shoppers of Carytown. There’s only a few tables to be had at this coveted spot, so get there early or be prepared to wait. The bright grass-topped umbrellas make this feel like a Mexican getaway in the heart of Carytown. 

 

 

 

Sette
Church Hill

7 N. 23rd Street, 788-7077

Head to the Hill where you can nibble on fancy brick-oven pizzas while dining al fresco in Sette’s sculpture garden. Tucked between two brick buildings, Sette’s side patio is a real find with extra ambiance from the weathered brick walls, bronze sculptures and rock garden featuring manicured plants in terra cotta pots. A popular night spot for young professionals, especially on half-price martini night, held every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

 

 

Downtown

103 East Cary Street, 644-2328

Explore Beauregard's cobblestone garden and you’ll find a fountain, koi pond, and old-fashioned ironwork lights under the sprawling limbs of a magnolia tree. Who knew a Thai restaurant could have such a classically beautiful garden? All of this right in the heart of downtown on East Cary Street. Plus, Beauregard’s has been dishing up tasty authentic Thai dishes for years. 

Downtown

623 East Main Street, 780-2537

New to Capital Ale House in 2007: outdoor dining!  The downtown location features a communal beer garden setting and features a fountain inspired by a Munich design.  Head to the patio for the popular dollar burger night.

 

Fan

1520 West Main St., 257-5445

This sprawling outdoor beer garden is transformed into a sprawling and shady Mexican cantina at Baja Bean. Leafy, shady spots, circling fans and lots of seating make this Fan restaurant a popular spot for the al fresco crowd. Baja’s bland Mexican fare often leaves much to be desired, but the outdoor ambiance is too perfect to pass up for margaritas and cerveza.

 

 

Fan

325 N Robinson St., 355-3701

Buddy's is the quintessential Fan restaurant with a small, shaded square for outdoor dining in front of the restaurant. Nothing fancy, Buddy’s offers a few shaded spots under the blue awning, as well as more tables in the direct sunshine. This outdoor spot, just a few blocks from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art and Monument Avenue, is perfect for ordering a bloody mary or a beer on a hot summer afternoon.

 

 

 

Fan

2525 Hanover Ave., 355-7008

Located a block away from Buddy’s on Hanover, Curbside is another cute Fan café serving up bbq, salads and sandwiches, as well as offering ample outdoor seating under a grey awning. Built-in wooden seating wraps around the patio and pretty pink flower boxes make this a fun, casual spot for catching dinner or lunch al fresco in the Fan.

 

Home Team Grill
Fan
1630 W. Main St., 254-7360

Home Team Grill offers most anything you can grill on the menu. Enjoy spacious outdoor seating beneath blue umbrellas while waiting for the next game to begin on one of the several large screen televisions inside.

Nara Sushi
Fan
1309 W. Main St., 353-1315

Why not enjoy eating your sushi outside at Nara Sushi? They offer a deck surrounded by trees and foliage that is fairly secluded from the traffic of Main Street. 
 

Fan

2600 W. Main St., 254-2667

Star-Lite’s four-season patio offers six mahogany booths, built-in skylights and sliding piano windows that open and close during the summer. Similar in style and execution to 3 Monkeys (if perhaps outfitted with a prettier patio), Star-Lite serves up salads, sandwiches and a popular brunch on the weekends. 

 

 

Fan

2525 W. Main St., 204-2525

Popular with the college crowd, the front deck at 3 Monkeys offers roomy booths and casual tables overlooking Main Street. 3 Monkeys if often packed on weeknights, especially Thursdays and Fridays as the twenty-somethings make the Robinson Street bar circuit (which includes Star-lite, Commercial Tap House, Metro Grill, Buddy’s and Curbside) You’ll find regular pub grub on the menu – burgers, sandwiches and salads – as well as fun-sounding items like “falafel sliders” as appetizers.

 

 

Forest Hill

4702 Forest Hill Ave., 233-3022

Looking for outdoor dining in Forest Hill? Dip into a little margarita action on Cielito Lindo’s wood deck. Strung with white and blue lights, the front deck overlooks Forest Hill Avenue and features built-in wooden benches. Margaritas come in any flavor from melon to raspberry, plus you can head to Cielito Lindo for a tasty brunch of huevos rancheros. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Ale House

Innsbrook

4024-A Cox Rd., 780-ALES

Capital Ale House’s huge outdoor patio wraps around the restaurant and offers a surprising slice of nature in Innsbrook. You’ll find a man-made waterfall, a meandering brook, footbridges and weeping willow trees on Capital Ale House’s back patio, plus black ironwork and cloth napkins. The outdoor bar is outfitted with 10 taps for quick and easy service. Plus dollar burger nights every Monday make this the perfect spot to grab a pint and a variety of juicy burgers.  Read the restaurant review.

 

 

 

Manchester

321 West 7^th Street, 232-3446

Legend offers a one-of-a-kind view of downtown Richmond from its skyline deck overlooking the Reynolds plant, the river and beyond to the high rises of downtown. The skyline deck is the place to be during the summer months and the restaurant hosts several themed nights for extra excitement, such as Tuesday Night Movies with 16 mm cult classics screened outdoors, as well as bluegrass bands making the rounds every Sunday night. Legend brews their own microbrew and you can get everything from lager to golden IPA. Read the restaurant review.

 

 

Plant Zero Café

Manchester

7 E. Third St., 231-6500

Plant Zero has been serving breakfast and lunch to the artsy crowd at the Plant Zero Art Center in Manchester for several years now. The patio space is located off the main restaurant and looks on the Center’s brick promenade which features a running fountain, bright red concentric circles, palm trees and green umbrellas. The menu features an eclectic take on breakfast and lunch, with goodies such as cinnamon babka french toast for breakfast and euro-trash turkey sandwich with apple, bacon and brie for lunch. 

Manakin Sabot

1840 Manakin Rd., 784-2224

The Farmhouse at Manakin Sabot (formerly known as The Fox Head Inn) offers a sprawling outdoor patio on the patio of their country inn setting.  The patio seats about 45 under tall shady oak trees. Lush landscapes and beautiful scenery add to the ambiance. On cooler nights, enjoy the warmth from the outdoor  fire-pit.  There is also a "Patio Menu" in addition to the regular menu featuring burgers, wings, clams, etc.  Live music on the patio is occassionally offered on weekends during the summer months. Visit the website.

 

Caliente
Museum District
2922 Park Ave., 340-2920 
Caliente is a fun-loving spot in the Museum District known for its Cajun, Caribbean, Southern and Pacific Rim-inspired dishes. You'll find dishes like Stupid Hot Wings, their self-proclaimed hottest around, as well as items like mussels steamed in lemon grass and green curry and grilled rib-eye with ancho-espresso sauce.  Caliente serves up the Museum District's only outdoor dining spot with a tiny patio outfitted with wrought-iron tables, strings of colorful lights and ample people-watching opportunities. Read the restaurant review.

Northside

Buz and Ned’s BBQ
Northside
1119 N. Boulevard, 355-6055
At Buz and Ned’s you can feel like you’re actually at a pig roast while sitting outside beneath the canopy at one of the many picnic tables enjoying some of the best barbeque in Richmond.

Kitchen 64
Northside
3336 N. Boulevard, 358-0064
After enjoying the day at Richmond’s Botanical Gardens, why head indoors? Sit outside at Kitchen 64. They have a large and comfortable patio out front and some of the best food in Northside.  Kitchen 64 is run by the same folks that created Sidewalk, Kuba Kuba, and Three Monkeys.

Virginia Barbeque
Northside
6920 Lakeside Ave., 262-6660
Choose one of the four picnic tables beneath red umbrellas and enjoy no frills barbeque at Virginia Barbeque.

 

 

 

 

Shockoe Bottom

 

Shockoe Bottom

1700 E. Main St., 497-5000

Shockoe Bottom’s Café Gutenberg is like a Richmond-version of a Parisian sidewalk café. Black and white printed table tops, striped awnings and wrought-iron work make this sidewalk café the perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon with a cappuccino and a newspaper. Café Gutenberg dishes creamy Illy espresso drinks, flaky croissants and everything from full breakfast to dinner entrees.  

 

 

Shockoe Slip

1419 E Cary St

(804) 726-6296

Located directly across from the Hard Shell, Cha Cha Cantina has been serving tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas to mixed reviews for the past year. The outdoor dining area is a pretty strip of two- and four-tops, made quite park-like by high hedges and hanging geraniums. Cha Cha was recently taken over by new owners and we’re hopeful the changes will show in the cooking. 

 

 

Shockoe Slip

1411 E Cary St

(804) 643-2333

Are you a seafood fanatic looking to peel-and-eat your shrimp in the great outdoors? Head to the Hard Shell in Shockoe Slip. This popular seafood restaurant keeps a steady outdoor business throughout the summer with its bright outdoor patio. Crisp white tablecloths and matching white umbrellas make this a welcome spot to order oysters, shrimp, or crawfish by the pound or dozen and then spend an hour picking your way through them. 

Shockoe Slip

104 Virginia St., 648-1039

If you've been a fan of the Canal Walk for years and wondered, "Why isn't there outdoor dining on the Canal Walk?"  Your question has finally been answered.  Highwater restaurant at Toad's Place is now open for business and has a sprawling outdoor dining area right next to the Canal. Expect sandwiches, salads and entrees like flank steak and roasted chicken breast; plus live acoustic music every Wednesday night with Wednesdays on the Water.

 

 

Shockoe Slip

1327 E Cary St., 649-7767

Tucked away behind Sine Irish Pub is a generous sized back patio and deck overlooking the cobblestoned Virginia Street. Black wrought iron tables are topped with green umbrellas, while many shady tables can also be found on the deck area underneath Sine’s back eaves. 

 

 

Short Pump

3416 Lauderdale Dr., 360-8217

Patina Grill dresses up their front patio with white tablecloths, napkins and green-iron chairs. It’s a small and intimate space, where hanging ferns and planted flowers dress up the area. There's something extra enjoyable about savoring Patina Grill's ethnically influenced world cuisine like pan seared duck breast and pecan-crusted rabbit marsala al fresco.  

 

 

 

 

 

Both new mega-malls, Stony Point Fashion Park and Short Pump Town Center, offer chain restaurants with outdoor seating. The outdoor eating is to be expected: sections of outdoor tables with varying views of the malls or parking lots. All, however, are recommended and fun for outdoor dining during the summer months.

 

 

Stony Point Fashion Park

9210 Stony Point Parkway

804-272-2255

Cool al fresco idea: Brio has a full outdoor baci court where you can toss the baci balls while waiting for a table to open up. 

  

9202 Stony Point Parkway

(804) 323-6053

9200 Stony Point Pkwy, Suite 101

(804) 323-1133

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
9200 Stony Point Pkwy
(804) 272-7755

PF Chang’s China Bistro

9212 Stony Point

(804) 253-0492

 

 

11800 West Broad Street # 1102

(804) 377-9060

 

11800 W. Broad Street

(804) 364-9047

 

11788 West Broad Street

(804) 440-7301

 

11800 West Broad Street 

(804) 253-0900

For more restaurants around town, check out our Dining Guide!  And for restaurant reviews, check out our Restaurants Channel.

 

Did we leave your favorite restaurant off the list? Send us an email and we’ll check it out.