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A shady walled space with yellow umbrella and many of the table occupied.
There’s few better places to slurp noodles than the backyard at Cafe Spaghetti.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

13 Places to Dine Outside in Brooklyn Right Now

The best restaurants for making the most of the borough’s brief but beautiful outdoor dining season

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There’s few better places to slurp noodles than the backyard at Cafe Spaghetti.
| Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

The few sweet months when New Yorkers can dine outdoors by choice, and actually enjoy it, are almost upon us; in Brooklyn, the borough’s selection of patios, backyards, and roadside structures has never been better. The number of restaurants offering outdoor dining exploded during the pandemic, aided by a temporary measure allowing businesses to serve customers from sidewalks and streetside setups. The permanent future of outdoor dining still hangs in the balance, but restaurants and bars are continuing to invest in outdoor spaces. Here are a handful of our favorites in Brooklyn.

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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McCarren Park House

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Greenpoint’s McCarren Park got the concessions stand it has always deserved last year, a clubhouse of sorts with an open-air bar and lots of shaded picnic tables outdoors. Club Club, a counter-service operation with burgers, beer-battered cauliflower, and chicken salad sandwiches, is the best option for food, whether dining at the club or in the park nearby.

A customer stands at the counter of a clubhouse whose menu advertises draft and can beers.
The open-air bar at the McCarren Park House.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

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Perched atop the Hoxton Hotel is Laser Wolf, the second location of a beloved Philadelphia restaurant that’s known for its Israeli-style grilled meats. Roughly a year after opening, weekend reservations here can still require some advance planning, as much for the beef kebabs and free dessert as the open-air dining room with unobstructed views of Manhattan.

A rooftop, open-air dining room with light wooden tables and wicker chairs and a long bar against the back wall, with purple stools lining it.
The rooftop at Laser Wolf, with views of developing Williamsburg.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Santa Fe BK

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“Lots of plants” seems to be the theme in the backyard of this Brooklyn restaurant, known for its smothered burritos, combination plates, and other Southwestern fare. A true neighborhood restaurant, tables aren’t hard to come by most nights of the week, and the backyard can feel like a universe of its own, canopied by trees and overflowing with potted plants.

The merits of this Mexican restaurant’s menu and mezcal list have been well documented, but the vibes in its backyard on a summer night? Underrated. Lights suspended by outdoor rafters and earthenware imported from Mexico make this outdoor setup an easy pick for a celebratory meal, with local riffs on regional Mexican dishes like carne cecina and pulpo zarandeado.

Patrons sit for dinner under hanging lights in Aldama’s garden area
A fall night in the Aldama backyard.
Gary He/Eater NY

Falansai

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It’s no secret that some of Brooklyn’s best outdoor setups are in Bushwick, and Falansai is leading the pack. The Vietnamese Mexican restaurant is a favorite among food critics at Eater and the New York Times for its affordable tasting menu that rotates often. It’s located on an industrial corner of the neighborhood, but you wouldn’t know it from its covered backyard outfitted with plants and a koi pond. Time your visit right, and chef Eric Tran’s dog Tako might make an appearance.

Plants and a mural decorate the outdoor dining area.
Head out back at Falansai for a koi pond and lots of seating.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Otis is one of Bushwick’s best-kept secrets, a low-key hangout that manages to fill its dining room each night while staying mostly under the radar to folks who live outside of the neighborhood. The vibe indoors is perfect for an intimate night out, but for more space with a larger group, head to the covered outdoor garden on the side of the restaurant, where customers can order the same pomegranate-glazed chicken thighs and bowls of pesto burrata.

For All Things Good

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Mexican cafe For All Things Good only has a handful of tables indoors, and in the spring and summer months, this Bed-Stuy restaurant really comes to life. Customers hang around outside at all hours, sipping horchatas, or mezcal, and cutting into gordita breakfast sandwiches. Expect to find a packed restaurant on arrival, but the wait for a table is never long at this fast-moving, first-come-first-serve cafe.

Three patrons sit at a corner outdoor table at For All Things Good; one checks his phone while another sips at aqua fresca
Outside For All Things Good, prior to the restaurant constructing an outdoor dining structure.
Gary He/Eater NY

Cafe Spaghetti

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Seated in the bucolic backyard at Cafe Spaghetti, you wouldn’t know you’re less than a block from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway: There are umbrellas to shield you from the elements, children wolfing down plates of spaghetti, and lots of potted plants for a secluded garden patio sort of vibe. All that’s needed to complete the scene is a Spaghetti Spritz, done up with a skewer of olives, and a plate of the restaurant’s popular spaghetti pomodoro.

Awnings, vines, diners at tables, and the setting sun.
The backyard at Cafe Spaghetti.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Threes Brewing

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The backyard at Threes Brewing makes for top-tier outdoor eating and drinking in warmer months and is even outfitted with its own bar. The year-round outdoor space is covered with a heated tent in the winter and populated by young, IPA-loving parents and their children in the summer. In addition to beer, there’s a full food menu from Williamsburg butcher shop the Meat Hook with burgers, veggie melts, chicken wings, and cheese curds.

Hometown Bar-B-Que

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The purveyor of the city’s best barbecue is also home to one of its best outdoor seating areas. Stand in the line inside to order as usual, then grab a number and park out front. Picnic tables that are big enough for large groups or a communal dinner line both sides of Reed Street in warmer months. Sitting in the sun — and more importantly, out of earshot of the overbearing musical acts this venue loves to hire — is ideal for scarfing down trays of fatty brisket and jerk rib tips.

Chilo's

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Chilo’s in Bed-Stuy is popular for its spacious outdoor setup and backyard taco truck that’s better than you’d expect from a neighborhood bar. It original is still great, but during the pandemic, the team followed up with this second location in Greenwood across from the cemetery, where there’s a massive outdoor patio perfect for eating duck carnitas and fried catfish tacos.

L&B Spumoni Gardens

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Find a sprawling outdoor dining area dotted with red picnic tables and tourists licking spumoni at L&B Spumoni Gardens, an institution within the city’s pizza scene. Order a spread of the restaurant’s iconic, square Sicilian slices, and cap off the meal with icy scoops of L&B’s namesake spumoni.

An outdoor seating area with picnic tables and umbrellas at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
The outdoor seating area at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Randazzo's Clam Bar

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The dining room at Randazzo’s is perfect for big, loud families who don’t think twice before swiping the last meatball. It’s loud in there, but for a cooler vibe and the same food, head to the covered side patio out front, where orders of clam chowder (red and white) and calamari are taken at a window and then delivered to picnic tables with views of Sheepshead Bay.

A neon sign in the shape of a lobster with the words “Randazzo’s Clam Bar” gleams above a restaurant at night
Randazzo’s Clam Bar boasts views of Sheepshead Bay.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

McCarren Park House

Greenpoint’s McCarren Park got the concessions stand it has always deserved last year, a clubhouse of sorts with an open-air bar and lots of shaded picnic tables outdoors. Club Club, a counter-service operation with burgers, beer-battered cauliflower, and chicken salad sandwiches, is the best option for food, whether dining at the club or in the park nearby.

A customer stands at the counter of a clubhouse whose menu advertises draft and can beers.
The open-air bar at the McCarren Park House.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

Perched atop the Hoxton Hotel is Laser Wolf, the second location of a beloved Philadelphia restaurant that’s known for its Israeli-style grilled meats. Roughly a year after opening, weekend reservations here can still require some advance planning, as much for the beef kebabs and free dessert as the open-air dining room with unobstructed views of Manhattan.

A rooftop, open-air dining room with light wooden tables and wicker chairs and a long bar against the back wall, with purple stools lining it.
The rooftop at Laser Wolf, with views of developing Williamsburg.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Santa Fe BK

“Lots of plants” seems to be the theme in the backyard of this Brooklyn restaurant, known for its smothered burritos, combination plates, and other Southwestern fare. A true neighborhood restaurant, tables aren’t hard to come by most nights of the week, and the backyard can feel like a universe of its own, canopied by trees and overflowing with potted plants.

Aldama

The merits of this Mexican restaurant’s menu and mezcal list have been well documented, but the vibes in its backyard on a summer night? Underrated. Lights suspended by outdoor rafters and earthenware imported from Mexico make this outdoor setup an easy pick for a celebratory meal, with local riffs on regional Mexican dishes like carne cecina and pulpo zarandeado.

Patrons sit for dinner under hanging lights in Aldama’s garden area
A fall night in the Aldama backyard.
Gary He/Eater NY

Falansai

It’s no secret that some of Brooklyn’s best outdoor setups are in Bushwick, and Falansai is leading the pack. The Vietnamese Mexican restaurant is a favorite among food critics at Eater and the New York Times for its affordable tasting menu that rotates often. It’s located on an industrial corner of the neighborhood, but you wouldn’t know it from its covered backyard outfitted with plants and a koi pond. Time your visit right, and chef Eric Tran’s dog Tako might make an appearance.

Plants and a mural decorate the outdoor dining area.
Head out back at Falansai for a koi pond and lots of seating.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Otis

Otis is one of Bushwick’s best-kept secrets, a low-key hangout that manages to fill its dining room each night while staying mostly under the radar to folks who live outside of the neighborhood. The vibe indoors is perfect for an intimate night out, but for more space with a larger group, head to the covered outdoor garden on the side of the restaurant, where customers can order the same pomegranate-glazed chicken thighs and bowls of pesto burrata.

For All Things Good

Mexican cafe For All Things Good only has a handful of tables indoors, and in the spring and summer months, this Bed-Stuy restaurant really comes to life. Customers hang around outside at all hours, sipping horchatas, or mezcal, and cutting into gordita breakfast sandwiches. Expect to find a packed restaurant on arrival, but the wait for a table is never long at this fast-moving, first-come-first-serve cafe.

Three patrons sit at a corner outdoor table at For All Things Good; one checks his phone while another sips at aqua fresca
Outside For All Things Good, prior to the restaurant constructing an outdoor dining structure.
Gary He/Eater NY

Cafe Spaghetti

Seated in the bucolic backyard at Cafe Spaghetti, you wouldn’t know you’re less than a block from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway: There are umbrellas to shield you from the elements, children wolfing down plates of spaghetti, and lots of potted plants for a secluded garden patio sort of vibe. All that’s needed to complete the scene is a Spaghetti Spritz, done up with a skewer of olives, and a plate of the restaurant’s popular spaghetti pomodoro.

Awnings, vines, diners at tables, and the setting sun.
The backyard at Cafe Spaghetti.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Threes Brewing

The backyard at Threes Brewing makes for top-tier outdoor eating and drinking in warmer months and is even outfitted with its own bar. The year-round outdoor space is covered with a heated tent in the winter and populated by young, IPA-loving parents and their children in the summer. In addition to beer, there’s a full food menu from Williamsburg butcher shop the Meat Hook with burgers, veggie melts, chicken wings, and cheese curds.

Hometown Bar-B-Que

The purveyor of the city’s best barbecue is also home to one of its best outdoor seating areas. Stand in the line inside to order as usual, then grab a number and park out front. Picnic tables that are big enough for large groups or a communal dinner line both sides of Reed Street in warmer months. Sitting in the sun — and more importantly, out of earshot of the overbearing musical acts this venue loves to hire — is ideal for scarfing down trays of fatty brisket and jerk rib tips.

Chilo's

Chilo’s in Bed-Stuy is popular for its spacious outdoor setup and backyard taco truck that’s better than you’d expect from a neighborhood bar. It original is still great, but during the pandemic, the team followed up with this second location in Greenwood across from the cemetery, where there’s a massive outdoor patio perfect for eating duck carnitas and fried catfish tacos.

L&B Spumoni Gardens

Find a sprawling outdoor dining area dotted with red picnic tables and tourists licking spumoni at L&B Spumoni Gardens, an institution within the city’s pizza scene. Order a spread of the restaurant’s iconic, square Sicilian slices, and cap off the meal with icy scoops of L&B’s namesake spumoni.

An outdoor seating area with picnic tables and umbrellas at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
The outdoor seating area at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Randazzo's Clam Bar

The dining room at Randazzo’s is perfect for big, loud families who don’t think twice before swiping the last meatball. It’s loud in there, but for a cooler vibe and the same food, head to the covered side patio out front, where orders of clam chowder (red and white) and calamari are taken at a window and then delivered to picnic tables with views of Sheepshead Bay.

A neon sign in the shape of a lobster with the words “Randazzo’s Clam Bar” gleams above a restaurant at night
Randazzo’s Clam Bar boasts views of Sheepshead Bay.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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