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The interior of an outdoor dining structure in New York City. A row of wooden tables are stationed for service with vintage posters on the wall. — Osamil on a rainy day can be quite cozy.

Where to Eat Outdoors When It Rains in New York City

Twenty sheltered spots for dining outdoors in any weather

by Eater Staff Updated Oct 13, 2022, 4:01pm EDT

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Osamil on a rainy day can be quite cozy.

| Osamil

by Eater Staff Updated Oct 13, 2022, 4:01pm EDT

Two years into the pandemic, we’ve all been there: Sitting at an unprotected outdoor table, food spread before you, the sky opens up. The season of fall showers and five-minute downpours is upon us, and for those looking to dine outdoors, it’s important to know the best spots for staying dry. This list of tented tables and covered backyards includes restaurants with ample protection and food that delivers, no matter the forecast.

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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If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

El Tepeyac Food Market

Looking for a casual outdoor option on the Upper East Side? El Tepeyac might be it. This small Mexican grocer with a grill in the back is home to some of the city’s top burritos, made with meats like cecina, bistec, and al pastor. Most people take their orders to go, but the small tables out front are shielded by scaffolding and make for scrappy outdoor dining in pinch.

Open in Google Maps

1621 A Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029

Visit Website

Customers sit at a table outside of El Tepeyac Food Market. — Cross your fingers for an outdoor table at El Tepeyac Food Market.

Also featured in:

11 Restaurants Restoring Our Faith in NYC Burritos

Marea

Chef Lauren DeSteno continues to send out stellar (and expensive) pastas at this Central Park South institution, like fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow, and firm gnocchetti with shrimp, chile, and rosemary oil. Those who wish to dine outside can make that booking request online. Outdoor tables are heated and lie underneath an awning.

240 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Gotham West Market

Gotham West Market is home to such fine institutions as Dell’anima, the acclaimed Italian restaurant; Sushi on Jones, the casual omakase bar; and Corner Slice, one of the city’s best pizzerias. Patrons who wish to dine outside can relax on wooden benches on 11th Avenue underneath a serious and spacious awning structure, with an opening on one side.

600 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Kochi

Sungchul Shim’s modern Korean skewer spot remains one of the city’s more accessible-ish tasting menu venues, with limited same-day or day-ahead reservations frequently available for the $135 omakase. In addition to the bar and indoor tables, patrons can book outdoor tables; those seats are located underneath an awning with overhead heaters.

Open in Google Maps

652 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao has been serving some of the city’s best soup dumplings since 2004, originally in Flushing and now at a second outpost in Manhattan. For a meal in the rain, the outpost in Queens is the way to go: Private outdoor dining huts seat four, with heaters that can be turned on in the colder months.

Open in Google Maps

39-16 Prince St #104, Queens, NY 11354

Visit Website

Also featured in:

La Estancia de la Espiga

La Estancia de la Espiga, a Mexican restaurant known for its weekend barbacoa, has a sheltered structure with a handful of tables that are protected from the rain. A pound of goat meat comes with tortillas made in the front window, salsas, cilantro, onion, wedges of lime, and salsa.

Open in Google Maps

42-11 102nd St, Corona, NY 11368

Visit Website

A handful of customers sit at plastic, fold-up tables inside of an enclosed outdoor dining structure — La Espiga’s outdoor setup is perfect for slurping barbacoa in the rain.

Also featured in:

Osamil

Osamil has made headlines with its well-decorated outdoor seating area, a mostly enclosed structure outfitted with heaters, air conditioners, and walls plastered over with vintage magazine covers. For food, the Korean gastropub serves fried chicken, squid fries, “seafood rosé” tteokbokki, and other dishes made for snacking.

Open in Google Maps

5 W 31st St, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

An outdoor dining structure in front of a restaurant is painted red with a blue roof. Beside it, a host stands at a counter under a sign that reads “Osamil.” — Osamil’s outdoor seating area is outfitted with heaters and air conditioners.

Also featured in:

Corto

Corto is the kind of homey Italian spot anyone would want in their neighborhood. (This one just happens to be in Jersey City Heights.) It’s worth the trek for the cozy interior, bar seats perched in front of the kitchen, and attractive tented garden with plenty of greenery and twinkly lights. Order pumpkin seed pesto pasta, pork shoulder pot roast, or charcuterie from partner Drew Buzzio’s family business, the legendary Salumeria Biellese.

Open in Google Maps

507 Palisade Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07307

Visit Website

Also featured in:

13 BYOB Restaurants in NYC

The Mary Lane

The Mary Lane is a sleeper among ambitious West Village restaurants, and the side-street place has a royal blue dining shed pushed up against the curb, offering great protection in inclement weather while also catching Hudson River breezes. The food is farm-to-table with lots of seafood, a few luxury ingredients, and plenty of vegetables.

Open in Google Maps

99 Bank St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A bright blue canvas outdoor structure. — A garden of plastic flowers awaits inside this blue outdoor setup.

Also featured in:

22 Impressive West Village Restaurants to Try

Hanoi House

This East Village mainstay specializing in northern Vietnamese food — try the Hanoi-style beef or chicken pho on a rainy day — has come to occupy three storefronts, and a line of outdoor tables along the frontage protected from the elements by plastic sheeting.

119 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

A series of tables protected by an awning and roll-down plastic sheeting. — The plastic covers at Hanoi House come down in the event of rain.

Also featured in:

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

Laser Wolf is one of Brooklyn’s hottest reservations right now, an Israeli skewer spot that’s booking a few weeks out but still possible to walk into for those who get their names down early. The restaurant is located atop Williamsburg’s Hoxton Hotel: The rooftop spot keeps its windows open during warmer months but plastic covers come down in the event of rain.

Open in Google Maps

97 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Thai Diner

Thai Diner’s elaborate indoor vibe extends to the restaurant’s outdoor seats, split up between an enclosed patio of sorts, attached to the restaurant, and a structure on the curb with booth seating for larger groups. Both make for comfortable outdoor dining in the rain, with options like khao soi, crab fried rice, and Thai disco fries available.

Open in Google Maps

186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Deluxe Green Bo

There are few dishes as nourishing to the soul as xiao long bao on a rainy day, and the pork soup dumplings at Deluxe Green Bo are second to none. Service moves fast, and the large menu is full of hits, including spicy wontons and sauteed spinach. Grab a seat out front at the outdoor dining structure, which is covered and enclosed on all four sides, save for two cut-out doorways on one wall.

Open in Google Maps

66 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

Also featured in:

16 Exemplary Chinese Soup Dumplings in NYC

Wu's Wonton King

One-on-one dinner plans are the first to go when rain hits pavement, but if you’re held accountable by a larger group, head to Wu’s. As far as outdoor dining set-ups go, the one here is tough to beat, taking up nearly the whole width of Rutgers Street. The large wooden structure is covered and enclosed with clear, plastic tarps that shield diners from the rain and allow the BYOB wine to keep flowing, undeterred.

Open in Google Maps

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King. — Outside Wu’s Wonton King.

Also featured in:

L'Industrie Pizzeria

L’Industrie is one of Brooklyn’s best new-school pizzerias, dishing out orders of fried lasagna, gelato, and thin slices topped with burrata and truffle. There’s not much seating indoors, but the covered and enclosed outdoor setup in front is equipped with fans and heaters for year-round eating. Like other spots on this list, here is an outdoor setup worth eating in rain or shine.

Open in Google Maps

254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Patrons dine underneath lights in the outdoor dining; a flatscreen TV glows at the right end of the wooden structure — The outdoor structure in front of L’Industrie has since been enclosed.

Also featured in:

Falansai

There may be no better place to eat in the rain in Bushwick than the backyard of Falansai. The Vietnamese restaurant known for its reasonably priced tasting menus has a spacious outdoor seating area with its own koi pond. Clear ceiling panels allow you to watch the rain come down undeterred.

Open in Google Maps

112 Harrison Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11237

Visit Website

A covered outdoor patio with views of the sky. — The covered backyard has a koi pond.

Also featured in:

Chilo's

Hunkered behind this Bed-Stuy dive bar is a year-round food truck slinging tacos and tortas with a variety of fillings. On a rainy day, it’s tough to beat an order of the restaurant’s duck carnitas tacos in this covered backyard. Additional seating is available at covered tables along Clifton Place.

Open in Google Maps

323 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Haenyeo

Haenyeo has been holding things down in Park Slope since 2019, drawing crowds with modern Korean dishes that border on fusion. Some of the best seats in the house are right out front, at shared and individual dining structures that are shielded from the elements.

239 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Ayat

Bay Ridge’s popular Palestinian restaurant Ayat now has a second location at Industry City in Sunset Park. All of the hits — mansaf, chicken and lamb shawarma, and that massive mezze platter — have stuck around, now served from an enclosed seating area out front.

Open in Google Maps

274 36th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Visit Website

Also featured in:

L&B Spumoni Gardens

This venerable Italian-American spot has always had two big outdoor areas, one uncovered right in front, and another on the side with a red canvas overhead covering. When it rains, head to the latter area to feast on hero sandwiches, sheet pizzas, and a broad range of classic pastas. Top it off with a crinkled paper cup of spumoni.

Open in Google Maps

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223

Visit Website

An area of red picnic tables with a red awning overhead. — The spacious outdoor dining area at L&B.

Also featured in:

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El Tepeyac Food Market

1621 A Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029

Looking for a casual outdoor option on the Upper East Side? El Tepeyac might be it. This small Mexican grocer with a grill in the back is home to some of the city’s top burritos, made with meats like cecina, bistec, and al pastor. Most people take their orders to go, but the small tables out front are shielded by scaffolding and make for scrappy outdoor dining in pinch.

Open in Google Maps

1621 A Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029

Visit Website

Customers sit at a table outside of El Tepeyac Food Market. — Cross your fingers for an outdoor table at El Tepeyac Food Market.

Marea

240 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019

Chef Lauren DeSteno continues to send out stellar (and expensive) pastas at this Central Park South institution, like fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow, and firm gnocchetti with shrimp, chile, and rosemary oil. Those who wish to dine outside can make that booking request online. Outdoor tables are heated and lie underneath an awning.

240 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Gotham West Market

600 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Gotham West Market is home to such fine institutions as Dell’anima, the acclaimed Italian restaurant; Sushi on Jones, the casual omakase bar; and Corner Slice, one of the city’s best pizzerias. Patrons who wish to dine outside can relax on wooden benches on 11th Avenue underneath a serious and spacious awning structure, with an opening on one side.

600 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Visit Website

Kochi

652 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Sungchul Shim’s modern Korean skewer spot remains one of the city’s more accessible-ish tasting menu venues, with limited same-day or day-ahead reservations frequently available for the $135 omakase. In addition to the bar and indoor tables, patrons can book outdoor tables; those seats are located underneath an awning with overhead heaters.

Open in Google Maps

652 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Visit Website

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

39-16 Prince St #104, Queens, NY 11354

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao has been serving some of the city’s best soup dumplings since 2004, originally in Flushing and now at a second outpost in Manhattan. For a meal in the rain, the outpost in Queens is the way to go: Private outdoor dining huts seat four, with heaters that can be turned on in the colder months.

Open in Google Maps

39-16 Prince St #104, Queens, NY 11354

Visit Website

La Estancia de la Espiga

42-11 102nd St, Corona, NY 11368

La Estancia de la Espiga, a Mexican restaurant known for its weekend barbacoa, has a sheltered structure with a handful of tables that are protected from the rain. A pound of goat meat comes with tortillas made in the front window, salsas, cilantro, onion, wedges of lime, and salsa.

Open in Google Maps

42-11 102nd St, Corona, NY 11368

Visit Website

A handful of customers sit at plastic, fold-up tables inside of an enclosed outdoor dining structure — La Espiga’s outdoor setup is perfect for slurping barbacoa in the rain.

Osamil

5 W 31st St, New York, NY 10001

Osamil has made headlines with its well-decorated outdoor seating area, a mostly enclosed structure outfitted with heaters, air conditioners, and walls plastered over with vintage magazine covers. For food, the Korean gastropub serves fried chicken, squid fries, “seafood rosé” tteokbokki, and other dishes made for snacking.

Open in Google Maps

5 W 31st St, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

An outdoor dining structure in front of a restaurant is painted red with a blue roof. Beside it, a host stands at a counter under a sign that reads “Osamil.” — Osamil’s outdoor seating area is outfitted with heaters and air conditioners.

Corto

507 Palisade Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07307

Corto is the kind of homey Italian spot anyone would want in their neighborhood. (This one just happens to be in Jersey City Heights.) It’s worth the trek for the cozy interior, bar seats perched in front of the kitchen, and attractive tented garden with plenty of greenery and twinkly lights. Order pumpkin seed pesto pasta, pork shoulder pot roast, or charcuterie from partner Drew Buzzio’s family business, the legendary Salumeria Biellese.

Open in Google Maps

507 Palisade Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07307

Visit Website

The Mary Lane

99 Bank St, New York, NY 10014

The Mary Lane is a sleeper among ambitious West Village restaurants, and the side-street place has a royal blue dining shed pushed up against the curb, offering great protection in inclement weather while also catching Hudson River breezes. The food is farm-to-table with lots of seafood, a few luxury ingredients, and plenty of vegetables.

Open in Google Maps

99 Bank St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A bright blue canvas outdoor structure. — A garden of plastic flowers awaits inside this blue outdoor setup.

Hanoi House

119 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

This East Village mainstay specializing in northern Vietnamese food — try the Hanoi-style beef or chicken pho on a rainy day — has come to occupy three storefronts, and a line of outdoor tables along the frontage protected from the elements by plastic sheeting.

119 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

A series of tables protected by an awning and roll-down plastic sheeting. — The plastic covers at Hanoi House come down in the event of rain.

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

97 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Laser Wolf is one of Brooklyn’s hottest reservations right now, an Israeli skewer spot that’s booking a few weeks out but still possible to walk into for those who get their names down early. The restaurant is located atop Williamsburg’s Hoxton Hotel: The rooftop spot keeps its windows open during warmer months but plastic covers come down in the event of rain.

Open in Google Maps

97 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

Thai Diner

186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012

Thai Diner’s elaborate indoor vibe extends to the restaurant’s outdoor seats, split up between an enclosed patio of sorts, attached to the restaurant, and a structure on the curb with booth seating for larger groups. Both make for comfortable outdoor dining in the rain, with options like khao soi, crab fried rice, and Thai disco fries available.

Open in Google Maps

186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Deluxe Green Bo

66 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013

There are few dishes as nourishing to the soul as xiao long bao on a rainy day, and the pork soup dumplings at Deluxe Green Bo are second to none. Service moves fast, and the large menu is full of hits, including spicy wontons and sauteed spinach. Grab a seat out front at the outdoor dining structure, which is covered and enclosed on all four sides, save for two cut-out doorways on one wall.

Open in Google Maps

66 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

Wu's Wonton King

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

One-on-one dinner plans are the first to go when rain hits pavement, but if you’re held accountable by a larger group, head to Wu’s. As far as outdoor dining set-ups go, the one here is tough to beat, taking up nearly the whole width of Rutgers Street. The large wooden structure is covered and enclosed with clear, plastic tarps that shield diners from the rain and allow the BYOB wine to keep flowing, undeterred.

Open in Google Maps

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King. — Outside Wu’s Wonton King.

L'Industrie Pizzeria

254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

L’Industrie is one of Brooklyn’s best new-school pizzerias, dishing out orders of fried lasagna, gelato, and thin slices topped with burrata and truffle. There’s not much seating indoors, but the covered and enclosed outdoor setup in front is equipped with fans and heaters for year-round eating. Like other spots on this list, here is an outdoor setup worth eating in rain or shine.

Open in Google Maps

254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Patrons dine underneath lights in the outdoor dining; a flatscreen TV glows at the right end of the wooden structure — The outdoor structure in front of L’Industrie has since been enclosed.

Related Maps

Falansai

112 Harrison Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11237

There may be no better place to eat in the rain in Bushwick than the backyard of Falansai. The Vietnamese restaurant known for its reasonably priced tasting menus has a spacious outdoor seating area with its own koi pond. Clear ceiling panels allow you to watch the rain come down undeterred.

Open in Google Maps

112 Harrison Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11237

Visit Website

A covered outdoor patio with views of the sky. — The covered backyard has a koi pond.

Chilo's

323 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Hunkered behind this Bed-Stuy dive bar is a year-round food truck slinging tacos and tortas with a variety of fillings. On a rainy day, it’s tough to beat an order of the restaurant’s duck carnitas tacos in this covered backyard. Additional seating is available at covered tables along Clifton Place.

Open in Google Maps

323 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Visit Website

Haenyeo

239 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Haenyeo has been holding things down in Park Slope since 2019, drawing crowds with modern Korean dishes that border on fusion. Some of the best seats in the house are right out front, at shared and individual dining structures that are shielded from the elements.

239 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Visit Website

Ayat

274 36th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Bay Ridge’s popular Palestinian restaurant Ayat now has a second location at Industry City in Sunset Park. All of the hits — mansaf, chicken and lamb shawarma, and that massive mezze platter — have stuck around, now served from an enclosed seating area out front.

Open in Google Maps

274 36th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Visit Website

L&B Spumoni Gardens

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223

This venerable Italian-American spot has always had two big outdoor areas, one uncovered right in front, and another on the side with a red canvas overhead covering. When it rains, head to the latter area to feast on hero sandwiches, sheet pizzas, and a broad range of classic pastas. Top it off with a crinkled paper cup of spumoni.

Open in Google Maps

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223

Visit Website

An area of red picnic tables with a red awning overhead. — The spacious outdoor dining area at L&B.

Related Maps