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Three outdoor dining rooms with small green plants and floor-to-ceiling sliding doors.
A series of private outdoor dining rooms at Oiji in the East Village.
Oiji

Where to Eat Outdoors When it Rains in NYC

Nineteen sheltered spots for dining outdoors in any weather

by Eater Staff Updated
12 comments / new
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A series of private outdoor dining rooms at Oiji in the East Village.
| Oiji
by Eater Staff Updated
12 comments / new

A year and a half into the pandemic, nearly everyone has experienced it: Sitting at an unprotected outdoor table, food spread before you, the sky suddenly opens up. The season of fall showers and five-minute downpours is suddenly 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 plenty of airflow, and ample protection no matter the forecast.

Note: This is an updated version of a map originally published in 2020.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.
If you book a reservation through an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Emilia's

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Thanks to the Belmont Improvement District, Arthur Avenue’s Little Italy in the Bronx is now a maze of al fresco dining, many with umbrellas and overhead protection. This red-sauced Italian restaurant has a menu dotted with southern Italian and Sicilian classics, including pasta fagioli soup, clams oreganata, panelle chickpea fritters, and veal marsala. A patio in the backyard offers ample rain protection and is heated.

2331 Arthur Ave, The Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 367-5915
(718) 367-5915

Cafe Luxembourg

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All of the classics of the Parisian boulevard cafe are here reproduced, including steak tartare, French onion soup, moules frites, and raw oysters. A lengthy row of outdoor tables offers protection from the rain with heat lamps recently installed.

200 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023
(212) 873-7411
(212) 873-7411

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Ovelia

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On a rainy day, huddle up with comforting spreads of grilled meats and mezze at Ovelia, a Greek mainstay in Astoria that offers seating under a well-covered roadside patio.

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103
(718) 721-7217
(718) 721-7217

Le Sia

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The acclaimed spicy seafood boils and skewers at Le Sia in Hell’s Kitchen are just as good on a rainy day, when customers can hang out inside private dining rooms out front. Make sure to call ahead to check availability before you go.

651 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036
(646) 559-5220
(646) 559-5220
Pink shrimp and red crawfish are arranged in an alternating fashion in a bowl at Le Sia, shot from overhead.
Shrimp and red crawfish at Le Sia.
Louise Palmberg/Eater NY

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Ruta Oaxaca Mexican Cuisine

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From beneath this bright pink outdoor dining set-up, Queens newcomer Ruta Oaxaca is serving a variety of Mexican moles that are just as vibrant. The selection of sauces changes from day to day, but past menus have included orange, green, red, and brown moles blanketed over bunuelos and enchiladas.

35-03 Broadway, Queens, NY 11106
(929) 349-1228
(929) 349-1228
A dark pink awning and an outdoor dining enclosure in front in the same shade.
The outdoor setup at Ruta Oaxaca.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

La Espiga

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Longrunning Mexican restaurant La Espiga — known for its tacos, tortas, and fresh, housemade tortillas — has a sheltered curbside structure set up with three to four tables underneath that are well-protected from the rain.

42-11 102nd St, Corona, NY 11368
(718) 779-7898
(718) 779-7898
A handful of customers sit at plastic, fold-up tables inside of an enclosed outdoor dining structure
The outdoor setup at La Espiga
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Junoon

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Junoon was a trailblazer in New York when it opened as a fine-dining Indian restaurant in 2010. After relocating to the Flatiron District earlier this year, the restaurant is back open with an outdoor dining structure that lives up to its reputation. There are no plastic chairs or rickety tables; instead, wooden furniture that could easily be used indoors is arranged in a structure that’s painted a soothing blue similar to the restaurant’s interior. The menu’s popular tellicherry duck and ghost chile murgh tikka are also on the menu.

19 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010
(212) 490-2100
(212) 490-2100
A covered outdoor structure at Jonoon, complete with tables and chairs set for service and hanging plants.
The outdoor setup at Junoon.
Eric Medsker/Junoon

Also featured in:

Hao Noodle

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The well-decorated outdoor dining set-up at Hao Noodle is also functional: The structure is partially enclosed and is outfitted with heaters for dining in any weather. This original branch of a Chinese chain that revels in its citified food from Shanghai and Beijing, including shrimp scallion noodles, flame grilled brochettes, and three kinds of soup dumplings.

401 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014
(212) 633-8900
(212) 633-8900

Also featured in:

Oiji

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The outdoor setup at this modern Korean restaurant has evolved considerably during the pandemic, as seasonal weather and shifting pandemic guidelines forced its owners to renovate and reinvent. The latest iteration is a series of seven enclosed outdoor dining rooms, which can accommodate between two to four people each. 

119 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
(646) 767-9050
(646) 767-9050
An outdoor dining structure with rows of individual dining rooms and a pink, neon sign with the word “Oiji.”
The outdoor dining structure at Oiji.
Oiji

Also featured in:

Le Crocodile

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Chez Ma Tante duo Aidan O’Neal and Jake Leiber’s Williamsburg brasserie has an expansive outdoor seating area that can be covered and heated during inclement weather. There’s a sheltered outdoor setup along the sidewalk as well, where diners can cozy up with French fare — herby escargot and three varieties of paté — that earned the restaurant three stars from the New York Times prior to the pandemic.

80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249
(718) 460-8004
(718) 460-8004
Tables and chairs set up outside on a black and white tiled patio with plenty of greenery surrounding the tables.
Outdoor seating at Le Crocodile.
Le Crocodile

Also featured in:

Dhamaka

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Dhamaka, the acclaimed restaurant from hitmaking duo Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar, serves regional, everyday Indian food that’s still rare to come by in the United States. Although the restaurant’s dining room is located within the Essex Market food hall, its goat neck dum biryani, gurda kapoora (spiced goat kidney and testicles), and other dishes can also be ordered from a tented structure out front. 

119 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002
(212) 204-8616
(212) 204-8616
A whole fried fish placed on a blue plate next to a green sauce
The paplet fry at Dhamaka.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Dr. Clark

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Overnight, Dr. Clark almost immediately became a hotspot during the pandemic: People flocked to the Chinatown restaurant for Hokkaido-style cuisine, tabletop-grilling, it’s Monday karaoke party, and people-watching. Thankfully, the rain doesn’t have to stop the fun when dining outside at the Japanese spot. The osturdy outside structure has a slanted roof that allows the rain to slide off its back, while guests — seated on the ground — can stay cozy thanks to the kotatsu-style set up where the tablecloth doubles as a blanket. Reservations are recommended.

104 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
(917) 426-4454
(917) 426-4454

Also featured in:

Tonii's Fresh Rice Noodle

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The sizable outdoor structure in front Tonii’s Fresh Rice Noodle makes for an excellent rainy day meetup outdoors. There’s over a dozen variations of the restaurant’s namesake rice rolls available, including those made with chicken, roast duck, and crab meat and egg. For dessert, order one of the restaurant’s pillowy sponge cakes, which come from famed Chinatown bakery Kam Hing.

83 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
(646) 250-0696
(646) 250-0696
A red sauce is squirted haphazardly across a rice roll adorned with shrimp and beef.
A shrimp and beef rice roll at Tonii’s.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Birds of a Feather

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Warm up with mouth-numbing Sichuan fare at this Williamsburg restaurant from the team behind the once-Michelin-starred Cafe China. An enclosed outdoor dining structure in front of the restaurant doesn’t consist of much more than plywood, plastic, and dangling lights, but sometimes simple is best when it comes to staying dry.

191 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 969-6800
(718) 969-6800

Also featured in:

Wu's Wonton King

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When the weather is dreary, it can be hard to motivate a big group. But there’s no reason you can’t still attend a celebratory group dinner at Wu’s Wonton King when it rains. As far as New York City’s outdoor dining set-ups go, Wu’s is certainly one of the more sprawling ones. Taking up nearly the whole width of Rutgers Street, the large wooden structure has four open-air walls with clear, plastic tarps that shield diners from the rain and allow the BYOB wine to keep flowing, undeterred.

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-1112
(212) 477-1112
A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
The exterior of Wu’s Wonton King.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

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Chilo's

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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 and carnitas tacos in this covered backyard. Additional seating is available at covered tables in front of the bar.

323 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 676-5245
(718) 676-5245

Also featured in:

Oxalis

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Oxalis’s sheltered outdoor cabin is blessedly located off the street, tucked in a quiet alleyway behind the restaurant. Keep in mind that the restaurant only offers brunch and its a la carte menu outdoors. (Diners looking to order the $105 tasting menu will have to head inside.) Dishes rotate regularly, and the current lineup includes grilled monkfish and bluefin tuna with salted husk cherries.

791 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
(347) 627-8298
(347) 627-8298

Also featured in:

Pasta Louise

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Eat pasta beneath a twinkling outdoor setup at Park Slope newcomer Pasta Louise. This restaurant with an eye for kids features a different pasta shape on its menu each day. All customers have to do is choose from one of six pasta sauces and add toppings like ricotta, spicy prosciutto, or Calabrian chiles.

803 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
(347) 725-3883
(347) 725-3883

Also featured in:

L&B Spumoni Gardens

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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.

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 449-1230
(718) 449-1230
A white paper cup of spumoni in shades of green, cream, and brown.
Spumoni overflows from a cup at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

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Emilia's

2331 Arthur Ave, The Bronx, NY 10458

Thanks to the Belmont Improvement District, Arthur Avenue’s Little Italy in the Bronx is now a maze of al fresco dining, many with umbrellas and overhead protection. This red-sauced Italian restaurant has a menu dotted with southern Italian and Sicilian classics, including pasta fagioli soup, clams oreganata, panelle chickpea fritters, and veal marsala. A patio in the backyard offers ample rain protection and is heated.

2331 Arthur Ave, The Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 367-5915
(718) 367-5915

Cafe Luxembourg

200 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023

All of the classics of the Parisian boulevard cafe are here reproduced, including steak tartare, French onion soup, moules frites, and raw oysters. A lengthy row of outdoor tables offers protection from the rain with heat lamps recently installed.

200 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023
(212) 873-7411
(212) 873-7411

Ovelia

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103

On a rainy day, huddle up with comforting spreads of grilled meats and mezze at Ovelia, a Greek mainstay in Astoria that offers seating under a well-covered roadside patio.

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103
(718) 721-7217
(718) 721-7217

Le Sia

651 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036
Pink shrimp and red crawfish are arranged in an alternating fashion in a bowl at Le Sia, shot from overhead.
Shrimp and red crawfish at Le Sia.
Louise Palmberg/Eater NY

The acclaimed spicy seafood boils and skewers at Le Sia in Hell’s Kitchen are just as good on a rainy day, when customers can hang out inside private dining rooms out front. Make sure to call ahead to check availability before you go.

651 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036
(646) 559-5220
(646) 559-5220
Pink shrimp and red crawfish are arranged in an alternating fashion in a bowl at Le Sia, shot from overhead.
Shrimp and red crawfish at Le Sia.
Louise Palmberg/Eater NY

Ruta Oaxaca Mexican Cuisine

35-03 Broadway, Queens, NY 11106
A dark pink awning and an outdoor dining enclosure in front in the same shade.
The outdoor setup at Ruta Oaxaca.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

From beneath this bright pink outdoor dining set-up, Queens newcomer Ruta Oaxaca is serving a variety of Mexican moles that are just as vibrant. The selection of sauces changes from day to day, but past menus have included orange, green, red, and brown moles blanketed over bunuelos and enchiladas.

35-03 Broadway, Queens, NY 11106
(929) 349-1228
(929) 349-1228
A dark pink awning and an outdoor dining enclosure in front in the same shade.
The outdoor setup at Ruta Oaxaca.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

La Espiga

42-11 102nd St, Corona, NY 11368
A handful of customers sit at plastic, fold-up tables inside of an enclosed outdoor dining structure
The outdoor setup at La Espiga
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Longrunning Mexican restaurant La Espiga — known for its tacos, tortas, and fresh, housemade tortillas — has a sheltered curbside structure set up with three to four tables underneath that are well-protected from the rain.

42-11 102nd St, Corona, NY 11368
(718) 779-7898
(718) 779-7898
A handful of customers sit at plastic, fold-up tables inside of an enclosed outdoor dining structure
The outdoor setup at La Espiga
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Junoon

19 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010
A covered outdoor structure at Jonoon, complete with tables and chairs set for service and hanging plants.
The outdoor setup at Junoon.
Eric Medsker/Junoon

Junoon was a trailblazer in New York when it opened as a fine-dining Indian restaurant in 2010. After relocating to the Flatiron District earlier this year, the restaurant is back open with an outdoor dining structure that lives up to its reputation. There are no plastic chairs or rickety tables; instead, wooden furniture that could easily be used indoors is arranged in a structure that’s painted a soothing blue similar to the restaurant’s interior. The menu’s popular tellicherry duck and ghost chile murgh tikka are also on the menu.

19 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010
(212) 490-2100
(212) 490-2100
A covered outdoor structure at Jonoon, complete with tables and chairs set for service and hanging plants.
The outdoor setup at Junoon.
Eric Medsker/Junoon

Hao Noodle

401 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

The well-decorated outdoor dining set-up at Hao Noodle is also functional: The structure is partially enclosed and is outfitted with heaters for dining in any weather. This original branch of a Chinese chain that revels in its citified food from Shanghai and Beijing, including shrimp scallion noodles, flame grilled brochettes, and three kinds of soup dumplings.

401 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014
(212) 633-8900
(212) 633-8900

Oiji

119 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
An outdoor dining structure with rows of individual dining rooms and a pink, neon sign with the word “Oiji.”
The outdoor dining structure at Oiji.
Oiji

The outdoor setup at this modern Korean restaurant has evolved considerably during the pandemic, as seasonal weather and shifting pandemic guidelines forced its owners to renovate and reinvent. The latest iteration is a series of seven enclosed outdoor dining rooms, which can accommodate between two to four people each. 

119 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
(646) 767-9050
(646) 767-9050
An outdoor dining structure with rows of individual dining rooms and a pink, neon sign with the word “Oiji.”
The outdoor dining structure at Oiji.
Oiji

Le Crocodile

80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Tables and chairs set up outside on a black and white tiled patio with plenty of greenery surrounding the tables.
Outdoor seating at Le Crocodile.
Le Crocodile

Chez Ma Tante duo Aidan O’Neal and Jake Leiber’s Williamsburg brasserie has an expansive outdoor seating area that can be covered and heated during inclement weather. There’s a sheltered outdoor setup along the sidewalk as well, where diners can cozy up with French fare — herby escargot and three varieties of paté — that earned the restaurant three stars from the New York Times prior to the pandemic.

80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249
(718) 460-8004
(718) 460-8004
Tables and chairs set up outside on a black and white tiled patio with plenty of greenery surrounding the tables.
Outdoor seating at Le Crocodile.
Le Crocodile

Dhamaka

119 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002
A whole fried fish placed on a blue plate next to a green sauce
The paplet fry at Dhamaka.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

Dhamaka, the acclaimed restaurant from hitmaking duo Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar, serves regional, everyday Indian food that’s still rare to come by in the United States. Although the restaurant’s dining room is located within the Essex Market food hall, its goat neck dum biryani, gurda kapoora (spiced goat kidney and testicles), and other dishes can also be ordered from a tented structure out front. 

119 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002
(212) 204-8616
(212) 204-8616
A whole fried fish placed on a blue plate next to a green sauce
The paplet fry at Dhamaka.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

Dr. Clark

104 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013

Overnight, Dr. Clark almost immediately became a hotspot during the pandemic: People flocked to the Chinatown restaurant for Hokkaido-style cuisine, tabletop-grilling, it’s Monday karaoke party, and people-watching. Thankfully, the rain doesn’t have to stop the fun when dining outside at the Japanese spot. The osturdy outside structure has a slanted roof that allows the rain to slide off its back, while guests — seated on the ground — can stay cozy thanks to the kotatsu-style set up where the tablecloth doubles as a blanket. Reservations are recommended.

104 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
(917) 426-4454
(917) 426-4454

Tonii's Fresh Rice Noodle

83 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
A red sauce is squirted haphazardly across a rice roll adorned with shrimp and beef.
A shrimp and beef rice roll at Tonii’s.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

The sizable outdoor structure in front Tonii’s Fresh Rice Noodle makes for an excellent rainy day meetup outdoors. There’s over a dozen variations of the restaurant’s namesake rice rolls available, including those made with chicken, roast duck, and crab meat and egg. For dessert, order one of the restaurant’s pillowy sponge cakes, which come from famed Chinatown bakery Kam Hing.

83 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
(646) 250-0696
(646) 250-0696
A red sauce is squirted haphazardly across a rice roll adorned with shrimp and beef.
A shrimp and beef rice roll at Tonii’s.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Birds of a Feather

191 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Warm up with mouth-numbing Sichuan fare at this Williamsburg restaurant from the team behind the once-Michelin-starred Cafe China. An enclosed outdoor dining structure in front of the restaurant doesn’t consist of much more than plywood, plastic, and dangling lights, but sometimes simple is best when it comes to staying dry.

191 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 969-6800
(718) 969-6800

Wu's Wonton King

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
The exterior of Wu’s Wonton King.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

When the weather is dreary, it can be hard to motivate a big group. But there’s no reason you can’t still attend a celebratory group dinner at Wu’s Wonton King when it rains. As far as New York City’s outdoor dining set-ups go, Wu’s is certainly one of the more sprawling ones. Taking up nearly the whole width of Rutgers Street, the large wooden structure has four open-air walls with clear, plastic tarps that shield diners from the rain and allow the BYOB wine to keep flowing, undeterred.

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-1112
(212) 477-1112
A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
The exterior of Wu’s Wonton King.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Related Maps

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 and carnitas tacos in this covered backyard. Additional seating is available at covered tables in front of the bar.

323 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 676-5245
(718) 676-5245

Oxalis

791 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Oxalis’s sheltered outdoor cabin is blessedly located off the street, tucked in a quiet alleyway behind the restaurant. Keep in mind that the restaurant only offers brunch and its a la carte menu outdoors. (Diners looking to order the $105 tasting menu will have to head inside.) Dishes rotate regularly, and the current lineup includes grilled monkfish and bluefin tuna with salted husk cherries.

791 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
(347) 627-8298
(347) 627-8298

Pasta Louise

803 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Eat pasta beneath a twinkling outdoor setup at Park Slope newcomer Pasta Louise. This restaurant with an eye for kids features a different pasta shape on its menu each day. All customers have to do is choose from one of six pasta sauces and add toppings like ricotta, spicy prosciutto, or Calabrian chiles.

803 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
(347) 725-3883
(347) 725-3883

L&B Spumoni Gardens

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223
A white paper cup of spumoni in shades of green, cream, and brown.
Spumoni overflows from a cup at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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.

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 449-1230
(718) 449-1230
A white paper cup of spumoni in shades of green, cream, and brown.
Spumoni overflows from a cup at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Related Maps