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Two lit up outdoor structures.
Outdoor set-ups at Rule of Thirds.
Rule of Thirds

13 NYC Restaurants Offering Cozy, Heated Outdoor Dining

Restaurants are once again heating their backyard setups and outdoor dining structures

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Outdoor set-ups at Rule of Thirds.
| Rule of Thirds

Though some have chosen to takedown their outdoor structures, many restaurants and bars are once again breaking out their electric and natural gas heaters, as temperatures drop. This list of restaurants offering heated outdoor dining will be updated regularly. If there’s an outdoor setup in your neighborhood that we missed, let us know at ny@eater.com.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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LoLo's Seafood Shack

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Harlem seafood destination LoLo’s Seafood Shack has built out a colorful heated cabana in its backyard, where diners can dig into its popular seafood boils, served out of plastic bags, and baskets of fried fish.

Lolo’s Seafood Shack’s yellow-painted exterior.
The exterior of LoLo’s Seafood Shack.
Lolo’s Seafood Shack

This Upper West Side restaurant features a menu of Eastern Mediterranean fare, with mezze, small plates, salads, and entrees, that are heavy on vegetables — always a plus. The restaurant’s heated outdoor area seats 30.

An outdoor dining structure with wooden tables and yellow chairs.
Outdoors at Dagon on the Upper West Side.
Dagon

Old John's Diner

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Upper West Side institution Old John’s Luncheonette was resurrected last year as Old John’s Diner with expanded indoor seating and an updated menu. Outside, diners can order the same menu of egg creams and banana splits from one of five private dining structures, outfitted with electric heaters and capable of seating two to four people each.

A series of private outdoor dining rooms at Upper West Side restaurant Old John’s Diner.
The outdoor dining structures at Old John’s Diner.
Old John’s Diner

Fresco by Scotto

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Dolled up for the holidays, the heated enclosed area seats 50 people outdoors, serving a menu of Italian American classics in a space versatile enough to accommodate a Midtown after-work crowd as well as a great-aunt’s birthday dinner.

Fairfax

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A fancy neighborhood like the West Village naturally has some of the city’s more high-end outdoor set-ups. At all-day cafe Fairfax, there are several tables outside with heaters tactfully dangling above, as well as several yurts for even more cozy heated hangs.

Two white yurts lit-up at night.
Yurts as glamorous as the West Village.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Rule of Thirds

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This Greenpoint Japanese restaurant has probably the most aesthetically-pleasing outdoor structures in north Brooklyn, with food better suited for special occasions, spendy dining. The outdoor zones are specially made for groups, seating between 6-20. The Winter Villages can be booked on the Rule of Thirds website and there are two prix fixes options available outside: a winter king crab menu, or a family-style set menu.

An outdoor set-up made from wood.
A group-friendly outdoor set-up.
Rule of Thirds

Kokomo, known for its lively atmosphere, is ready for the winter season with free hot chocolate for customers and an outdoor patio equipped with plenty of electric heaters. Cozy up with riffs on classic Caribbean dishes, like creamy penne pasta and flatbreads topped with ackee and oxtail.

Flatbread pizzas, pretzel buns, mushrooms, and more menu items spread out on a table
Flatbreads from Kokomo with creamy pasta, shrimp, and oxtail.
Katrine Moite/Kokomo

Wu's Wonton King

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Wu’s Wonton King took full advantage of the expansive stretch of sidewalk right outside the restaurant and set up a sprawling covered outdoor dining structure with spaced-out tables set up under a string of lights and well-positioned electric heaters. The roving menu has everything necessary for a hearty winter feast, including several different kinds of congee and varieties of noodle soup. Another selling point: It’s BYOB.

A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
Outside of Wu’s Wonton King.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Rolo’s

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The Ridgewood restaurant from Gramercy Tavern vets has a plan to keep you toasty this winter while eating standout burgers, lasagna, or wood-fired chicken. Its outdoor setup has heaters along with lots of long, banquet-style seating to accommodate groups, too.

A string of market lights hangs over an outdoor table at Rolo’s, a wood-fired American restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens.
One of a half-dozen outdoor tables at Rolo’s.
Rolo’s

Winona's

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No matter whether you’re stopping by Winona’s for its stellar menu (Scotch eggs are the winner here),one of the ever-changing pop-ups hosted at the restaurant, or just a glass of natty wine, the outdoor heated patio is a reliable option. At Winona’s you can stay toasty in the blustery weather, while the hip crowd might make you feel as cool as ever.

Al Badawi

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Al Badawi opened in November 2021, and while it has nearly the same menu as its sibling, Ayat, this Palestinian restaurant more than double the amount of seats, making it especially amenable to groups. That shareable mindset also extends to the outdoor set-up on Atlantic Avenue with heaters. The restaurant is also BYOB.

a red saucey plate of beans in a terracotta pot sits next to a colorful mezze platter on a tan table.
A shareable platter at Al Badawi.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

The HiHi Room

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So many pandemic-era outdoor structures look like an eyesore. By contrast, HiHi Room easily has one of the city’s most fun and aesthetically-pleasing heated open-air zones. The restaurant’s signature ketchup and mustard theme runs throughout the backyard: from its awnings to the kitschy butt warmers that are placed on select tables throughout. The knockout veggie burger and a cocktail interpretation of the childhood snack “ants on a log” are worth ordering all winter long while cozying up under the heaters.

A table and colorful branded heat seaters in the backyard of Brooklyn restaurant HiHi Room.
The backyard at HiHi Room.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Fatta Mano

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The latest restaurant from the team behind Palestinian newcomers Al Badawi and Ayat is a bit of a pivot for the group. This restaurant is all about halal-friendly Italian pasta, nearly unheard of in a neighborhood teeming with red sauce. Fatta Mano has an outdoor set up with heaters, and it's also BYOB.

A blue bowl of wide noodles with an orange colored meat sauce.
Pasta at Fatta Mano.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

LoLo's Seafood Shack

Harlem seafood destination LoLo’s Seafood Shack has built out a colorful heated cabana in its backyard, where diners can dig into its popular seafood boils, served out of plastic bags, and baskets of fried fish.

Lolo’s Seafood Shack’s yellow-painted exterior.
The exterior of LoLo’s Seafood Shack.
Lolo’s Seafood Shack

Dagon

This Upper West Side restaurant features a menu of Eastern Mediterranean fare, with mezze, small plates, salads, and entrees, that are heavy on vegetables — always a plus. The restaurant’s heated outdoor area seats 30.

An outdoor dining structure with wooden tables and yellow chairs.
Outdoors at Dagon on the Upper West Side.
Dagon

Old John's Diner

Upper West Side institution Old John’s Luncheonette was resurrected last year as Old John’s Diner with expanded indoor seating and an updated menu. Outside, diners can order the same menu of egg creams and banana splits from one of five private dining structures, outfitted with electric heaters and capable of seating two to four people each.

A series of private outdoor dining rooms at Upper West Side restaurant Old John’s Diner.
The outdoor dining structures at Old John’s Diner.
Old John’s Diner

Fresco by Scotto

Dolled up for the holidays, the heated enclosed area seats 50 people outdoors, serving a menu of Italian American classics in a space versatile enough to accommodate a Midtown after-work crowd as well as a great-aunt’s birthday dinner.

Fairfax

A fancy neighborhood like the West Village naturally has some of the city’s more high-end outdoor set-ups. At all-day cafe Fairfax, there are several tables outside with heaters tactfully dangling above, as well as several yurts for even more cozy heated hangs.

Two white yurts lit-up at night.
Yurts as glamorous as the West Village.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Rule of Thirds

This Greenpoint Japanese restaurant has probably the most aesthetically-pleasing outdoor structures in north Brooklyn, with food better suited for special occasions, spendy dining. The outdoor zones are specially made for groups, seating between 6-20. The Winter Villages can be booked on the Rule of Thirds website and there are two prix fixes options available outside: a winter king crab menu, or a family-style set menu.

An outdoor set-up made from wood.
A group-friendly outdoor set-up.
Rule of Thirds

Kokomo

Kokomo, known for its lively atmosphere, is ready for the winter season with free hot chocolate for customers and an outdoor patio equipped with plenty of electric heaters. Cozy up with riffs on classic Caribbean dishes, like creamy penne pasta and flatbreads topped with ackee and oxtail.

Flatbread pizzas, pretzel buns, mushrooms, and more menu items spread out on a table
Flatbreads from Kokomo with creamy pasta, shrimp, and oxtail.
Katrine Moite/Kokomo

Wu's Wonton King

Wu’s Wonton King took full advantage of the expansive stretch of sidewalk right outside the restaurant and set up a sprawling covered outdoor dining structure with spaced-out tables set up under a string of lights and well-positioned electric heaters. The roving menu has everything necessary for a hearty winter feast, including several different kinds of congee and varieties of noodle soup. Another selling point: It’s BYOB.

A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
Outside of Wu’s Wonton King.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Rolo’s

The Ridgewood restaurant from Gramercy Tavern vets has a plan to keep you toasty this winter while eating standout burgers, lasagna, or wood-fired chicken. Its outdoor setup has heaters along with lots of long, banquet-style seating to accommodate groups, too.

A string of market lights hangs over an outdoor table at Rolo’s, a wood-fired American restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens.
One of a half-dozen outdoor tables at Rolo’s.
Rolo’s

Winona's

No matter whether you’re stopping by Winona’s for its stellar menu (Scotch eggs are the winner here),one of the ever-changing pop-ups hosted at the restaurant, or just a glass of natty wine, the outdoor heated patio is a reliable option. At Winona’s you can stay toasty in the blustery weather, while the hip crowd might make you feel as cool as ever.

Al Badawi

Al Badawi opened in November 2021, and while it has nearly the same menu as its sibling, Ayat, this Palestinian restaurant more than double the amount of seats, making it especially amenable to groups. That shareable mindset also extends to the outdoor set-up on Atlantic Avenue with heaters. The restaurant is also BYOB.

a red saucey plate of beans in a terracotta pot sits next to a colorful mezze platter on a tan table.
A shareable platter at Al Badawi.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

The HiHi Room

So many pandemic-era outdoor structures look like an eyesore. By contrast, HiHi Room easily has one of the city’s most fun and aesthetically-pleasing heated open-air zones. The restaurant’s signature ketchup and mustard theme runs throughout the backyard: from its awnings to the kitschy butt warmers that are placed on select tables throughout. The knockout veggie burger and a cocktail interpretation of the childhood snack “ants on a log” are worth ordering all winter long while cozying up under the heaters.

A table and colorful branded heat seaters in the backyard of Brooklyn restaurant HiHi Room.
The backyard at HiHi Room.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Fatta Mano

The latest restaurant from the team behind Palestinian newcomers Al Badawi and Ayat is a bit of a pivot for the group. This restaurant is all about halal-friendly Italian pasta, nearly unheard of in a neighborhood teeming with red sauce. Fatta Mano has an outdoor set up with heaters, and it's also BYOB.

A blue bowl of wide noodles with an orange colored meat sauce.
Pasta at Fatta Mano.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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