22 Outdoor Spots To Book Now
Stanley’s, Chelsea
Set back from the King’s Road, Stanley’s entrance is through a floral archway flanked by olive trees and tiered shrub planting. It leads into a flagstone courtyard inspired by an English country garden. From head chef Olivia Burt – a finalist on Masterchef: The Professionals – the menu focuses on seasonal produce showcasing the best of British ingredients. Brunch dishes include sourdough crumpet with Cornish crab and potted shrimps; crispy prawns served with sriracha emulsion; and salmon tartare with shiso and keta caviar.
151 Sydney Street, Chelsea, SW3 6NT
Visit StanleysChelsea.co.uk
Pantechnicon, Belgravia
Pantechnicon has reopened its roof garden on Motcomb Street, providing great views over Belgravia. With an open terrace, striking glass roof and interwoven botanicals, the rooftop is a beautifully bright space to dine or drink in, whatever the weather. The modern European menu is inspired by Nordic cooking techniques and includes the likes of maple-cured bacon with dill waffle and poached eggs; crispy crab cakes with smoked mayonnaise; and beef tartare with Icelandic wasabi, pickled rhubarb and crisp bread.
19 Motcomb Street, Belgravia, SW1X 8LB
Visit Pantechnicon.com
Native at Browns, Mayfair
Fashion destination Browns is now home to Native at Browns. Its courtyard is the place to head for ‘garden bites’ and a selection of natural wine. The full menu begins with playful snacks made from parts of ingredients that would ordinarily go to waste, such as Dorset brown crab with Cacklebean duck egg and foraged sea herbs. To follow, there are plates such as wild halibut with seaweed beurre blanc and Sutton Farm chard. Finally, diners should opt for the kitchen’s signature white chocolate and bone marrow caramel, the ‘Marrowmel’.
39 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4AH
Visit EatNative.co.uk
Luca, Clerkenwell
This much-loved restaurant in the heart of Clerkenwell is home to a secluded, foliage-filled terrace, surrounded by olive trees and jasmine. Whether filled with sunshine during the day or warmed by the open fire in the evening, it’s a lovely spot. The terrace is covered by a retractable roof, making it fit for evening dining year-round – it seats up to 18 people for walk-ins or private dining.
88 St John Street, Clerkenwell, EC1M 4EH
Visit Luca.Restaurant
Dalloway Terrace, Fitzrovia
Thanks an indoor/outdoor concept with retractable roof and walls, guests can enjoy the heated Dalloway Terrace year-round. It’s freshly decorated each season: right now guests can enjoy a springtime drinks menu featuring cocktails from The Botanist Gin, Bruichladdich whisky and Remy Martin, alongside a herbal afternoon tea, designed to pair with botanical cocktails.
16-22 Great Russell Street, Fitzrovia, WC1B 3NN
Visit DallowayTerrace.com
Chameleon, Marylebone
Chameleon is a multi-experiential space inside Grade I-listed One Marylebone. It offers a Tel Aviv sharing-style menu in its outdoor restaurant, which is split between the garden and nine individually styled private greenhouses. Famed Israeli chef Elior Balbul heads up the kitchen, offering a menu that includes dishes such as Yemen brioche challah, deconstructed falafel, aubergine carpaccio, shrimp shish barak, Moroccan octopus and charcoal-grilled lamb sirloin with cabbage gratin. Through a speakeasy entrance, guests will find another outdoor lounge which splits al fresco dining between lounge seating and dining tables. Here, the focus is on cocktails and mezze plates.
1 Marylebone Road, Marylebone, NW1 4AQ
Visit Chameleon.London
Milk Beach, Queen’s Park
On a private mews of Lonsdale Road, Milk Beach features a large outdoor heated seating area with parasols for European-style street dining. The menu draws inspiration from the diverse cultures that make up modern, coastal Australian cuisine, with highlights including banana bread with espresso cream cheese; smashed avocado, confit cherry tomatoes, whipped goat’s curd and pumpkin seed crumble; and folded eggs with crumpet, curried crab and fragrant herbs.
19 Lonsdale Road, Queen’s Park, NW6 6RA
Visit MilkBeach.com
Mama Shelter, Shoreditch
Mama Shelter’s outdoor bar offers a chic, heated spot for drinkers and diners. In the centre of the hotel, the space comprises an open roof and terrace-style seating that is well suited to social distancing. Its popular brunch menu includes burrata with wild mushrooms, truffle and garlic toast; and pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup or berry compote and Greek yoghurt.
437 Hackney Road, Hackney, E2 8PP
Visit MamaShelter.com
La Poule Au Pot, Belgravia
French restaurant La Poule au Pot has a lovely outdoor terrace. Outdoor heaters will be in place for chilly days, as well as parasols. The current table d’hôte menu includes two dishes for £28 and three dishes for £32, and features a variety of traditional French specialities like onion soup and boeuf bourguignon. A list of specials will also be available, as well as an extensive wine list.
231 Ebury Street, Belgravia, SW1W 8UT
Visit PouleAuPot.co.uk
Petersham Nurseries, Covent Garden
With plenty of outdoor and open-plan space, Petersham Nurseries’ Italian restaurant La Goccia can host diners indoors or al fresco in the secluded central courtyard. Surrounded by lemon trees and lit up in the evening by bulbs and candlelight, the garden will transport guests to an Italian courtyard where they can sip limoncello spritzes and Campari and sodas. Chairs and tables from the courtyard spill out onto King Street, welcoming locals and visitors alike to stop and have a scoop of homemade sorbet, ice cream or granita.
Floral Court, Covent Garden, WC2E 9FB
Visit PetershamNurseries.com
Ham Yard Hotel, Soho
On the fourth floor of this cool Soho hotel, there’s a large, leafy rooftop garden with sweeping views over the London skyline. The garden is also home to two beehives, tended to by beekeeper Camilla. Expect a lounge area scattered with Whitman benches and upholstered seating by Kit Kemp, and a bar with plenty of hanging plants and lanterns.
1 Ham Yard, Soho, W1D 7DT
Visit FirmdaleHotels.com
South Place Hotel, Moorgate
There’s not one but two pretty terraces within this City hotel. The first is part of its Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Angler, where pre-dinner G&Ts are a must (a retractable roof and blankets make an appearance if the weather turns). In the very centre of the hotel, you’ll find its secret courtyard. The surprise oasis is filled with waterfalls and palm trees, and specialises in champagne, cocktails and cigars.
3 South Place, Moorgate, EC2M 2AF
Visit SouthPlaceHotel.com
The Ivy Chelsea Garden, Chelsea
This west London outpost of the Covent Garden original is a close match for its legendary older sibling. In a sprawling Edwardian building right on the King’s Road, it’s busy and buzzy. Colourful, maximalist interiors add a sense of occasion to even a snatched lunch, but you should clear your calendar to make the most of the pretty garden out back. The menus are reassuringly familiar, featuring the iconic shepherd’s pie alongside lighter alternatives including juices and healthier salads.
197 King’s Road, Chelsea, SW3 5EQ
Visit TheIvyChelseaGarden.com
Dinings SW3, Chelsea
This popular mews restaurant fuses Japanese and European cuisines. Exec chef Masaki Sugisaki and his team have developed a style of sushi and sashimi that changes with the seasons, using the freshest seafood from Cornish day boats. They can also draw on a Josper oven to create a range of sumiyaki dishes. Alongside the main space there is a sushi counter, a kurabu (mezzanine area seating up to 24) and a beautifully secluded outdoor courtyard space.
Lennox Gardens Mews, Chelsea, SW3 2JH
Visit Dinings.co.uk
Casa Do Frango, Shoreditch
Algarvian restaurant group Casa Do Frango focuses on wood-charcoal grilled piri piri frango chicken, accompanied by other Portuguese favourites, including charred cauliflower, grilled chorizo and excellent pastel de nata custard tarts, made at the on-site bakery. Its 100-seater terrace at the group’s Casa Shoreditch is designed to accommodate al fresco drinking and dining. The next best thing to an actual summer holiday in the Algarve.
2 King John Court, Shoreditch, EC2A 3EZ
Visit CasaDoFrango.co.uk
Allegra, Stratford
Allegra has a heated terrace for up to 40 guests, a snug outdoor bar area and a garden. Making full use of its custom-made woodburning grill, the terrace menu focuses on simple produce-driven fire cooking, while a weekend brunch features elegant reinterpretations of modern classics. Expect to tuck into the likes of fried gnocchi cacio e pepe; oak-smoked trout with soft egg, shrimp butter and radish; smoked aubergine agnolotti with tomato and nasturtium; and roast chicken with aioli and caramelised lemon.
20 International Way, Stratford, E20 1FD
Visit Allegra-Restaurant.com
Lina Stores, King’s Cross
Lina Stores’ King’s Cross restaurant has a decent-sized outdoor terrace. The 85-cover space is partially covered to protect from the elements, but really comes into its own on sunny days. Diners can feast on dishes of maltagliati verdi with spring mushroom ragu; and crab linguine with lemon, chilli and garlic; as well as Lina Stores favourites tagliolini with truffle and parmigiano; and veal ravioli with salsa verde.
20-21 Stable Street, King’s Cross, N1C 4DR
Visit LinaStores.co.uk
Gunpowder, Tower Bridge
Gunpowder has its own terrace overlooking Tower Bridge. At this Indian spot, guests can expect likes of Nagaland House crispy pork ribs topped with spicy tamarind sauce, Karwari soft-shell crab and organic baby tandoori chicken in butter masala sauce, alongside refreshing Bow Barracks gimlets. It's also a great spot for breakfasts in the sun, afternoon tea and pre-theatre dining.
4 Duchess Walk, Tower Bridge, SE1 2SD
Visit GunpowderLondon.com
Parrillan, King’s Cross
Harts Group has four spots at Coal Drops Yard: Parrillan, Barrafina, Casa Pastor and Plaza Pastor. It’s Parrillan we’re especially interested in, as it comes with a large, partially covered terrace. The menu includes a selection of para picar – including pan con tomate, escalivada and anchovies de l’escala – and guests can cook their own ingredients on the parrilla grills, including red prawns, Iberian pork and milk-fed lamb kidneys. Best of all, the drinks menu has a dedicated G&T list – ideal for an outdoor celebration.
Stable Street, King’s Cross, N1C 4PW
Visit Parrillan.co.uk
Julie’s, Holland Park
A London favourite since 1969, neighbourhood restaurant Julie’s has an elegant outdoor terrace provides the perfect spot for guests to socialise in the sun while enjoying seasonal dishes developed by chef patron Shay Cooper. These include English burrata with salad of Isle of Wight tomatoes and purple basil; brill fillet with cucumber, dill and Morecambe Bay shrimps; and passionfruit syllabub with caramelised white chocolate ice-cream.
135 Portland Road, Notting Hill, W11 4LW
Visit JuliesRestaurant.com
The Standard, King’s Cross
The Standard hotel has a number of al fresco spaces. The beautiful sun-soaked garden terrace makes up part of cool ground-floor bar Double Standard. One of the largest in the neighbourhood, the terrace is tucked behind the hotel and serves brunch and drinks across the weekend. In April, the team will reopen The Rooftop with the launch of a new food concept – Decimiño. The baby sister to Decimo, the Mexican restaurant also at the hotel, the new spot will focus on tacos and Spanish small plates, alongside a line-up of DJs – ideal for sundowners and late-night frivolities this summer.
10 Argyle Street, King’s Cross, WC1H 8EG
Visit StandardHotels.com
Wild By Tart, Belgravia
Tucked away in Pimlico’s Eccleston Yards, Wild by Tart was founded by friends Lucy Carr-Ellison and Jemima Jones, who built a name for themselves as caterers to the fashion industry. On its 24-seat terrace, guests can enjoy a relaxed menu (many of the dishes are designed for sharing), which focus on big flavours and sustainably sourced ingredients. We love the sound of the cured trout with ponzu, fennel and sesame.
3-4 Eccleston Yards, Belgravia, SW1W 9AZ
Visit WildByTart.com
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