596301 Sat Feb 14 22:29:45 -0800 2009 20 61 Austin 0 4418467 The weather in Austin is so lovely for most of the year, I thought it would be useful for the CH community to compile a list of places(restaurants, bars, coffee shops) with outdoor seating. The food should, of course, be good (if not great!), but the focus here is really on the outdoor experience. If you are so inclined, details about the outdoor setting (casual, classy? plastic chairs? covered? live music? heat lamps?) and why you particularly like the place, as well as tips on the food, would be greatly appreciated! I'll start: -Vivo: Beautiful patio with lush landscaping and waterfall. Known for their puffy tacos; my meal was forgettable, however - so not bad, not great. -El Chile: Casual covered outdoor patio; plastic chairs, each draped with a Mexican blanket (which I appreciated when the night got breezy). Solid Tex-Mex fare. -Shady Grove: Large and largely uncovered patio area with lovely oak trees; nice and shady ;-) If I remember right, they have live music outside at times as well. Decent burgers and American food with a southwest twist. -Maudie's Milagro in Westlake: Lovely second-floor covered wooden deck seating with wood-burning fireplace (I doubt they light it in the summer months.) Decent Tex-Mex. -Bess Bistro: Haven't actually eaten on the patio, but met a friend at the bar and saw the patio on the way in. Wooden deck, heat lamps, strings of tiny white lights - the effect was very pleasant. Hope to go back soon and experience it fully. I know there are tons more out there, so please, fellow 'hounds - fill in the blanks! :-) Sat Feb 14 22:29:45 -0800 2009 58027 Aloo0628 1 4419412 Mansion at Judges Hill has a great front porch for coffee and dessert. Trio at the 4 Seasons has without a doubt the best view in the from their patio(BTW, their hamburger is a real winner). Billy's on Burnet has a deck but not too interesting , Russel's bakery next to Andersons coffee (forget the street name) has an outdooor with a canopy. Sun Feb 15 11:29:19 -0800 2009 4418467 60337 singlemalt 2 4427320 Ooh yeah the newish Russell's location on Kerbey Lane! I drove by it the other day and thought the patio looked really nice, but it was closed. Is there food any good, or should I stick to coffee/baked goods there? Tue Feb 17 20:30:32 -0800 2009 4419412 58027 Aloo0628 3 4463464 The lunch menu is limited to soup, sandwiches and salads. We stopped there for lunch on Saturday. The soups of the day were tomato bisque and chicken enchildada. I had the bisque and enjoyed it, along with half a sandwich. Everything was nice and fresh. I don't know if the lunch and dinner menus are the same. Sun Mar 01 13:59:46 -0800 2009 4427320 29335 ridgeback 1 4419623 Freddie's - casual, but oh so much fun. The food is pretty blah, but their queso and ice cold Lone Stars stand out. Sampaio's on 45th has a nice quaint patio. Reviews on the food vary here, but i like the coffee crusted pork tenderloin, their salads, and anything with chimichurri on it. Sun Feb 15 13:13:56 -0800 2009 4418467 55723 jwynne2000 1 4428829 I keep a list handy for those beautiful temperate days: 1886 Café Dog and Duck Fino Hickory Street Hula Hut Madeleine Mansion on Judges Hill Maudie's Moonshine Mother Egans Mozart Oasis Roy's Shoal Creek Saloon Shoreline Siena Sweetish Hill Thai Tara Trattoria Lisina Trio Whole Foods Z-Tejas Wed Feb 18 10:50:23 -0800 2009 4418467 124349 Paul Silver 2 4428898 Nice list! Some places not mentioned.... El Taquito El Mercado Polvo's Juan in a Million Jorge's Baby A's in North Austin East Side Pies Sam's Rudy's Green Mesquite Wed Feb 18 11:07:11 -0800 2009 4428829 94203 brattpowered 2 4463477 Santa Rita Mexican Restaurant on 35th has very nice front and back patios. They're opening a new location near 360 down south fairly soon and I understand it will also have a nice patio. Sun Mar 01 14:03:42 -0800 2009 4428829 29335 ridgeback 2 4558741 Though a little far, I would add the Iguana Grill, 2900 Ranch Road 620 N, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 266-8439‎. What a view! Very relaxing place to be. Wed Apr 01 14:55:51 -0700 2009 4428829 137946 Scargod 1 4429282 Iron Cactus in the Galleria Mall McCormick & Schmicks in the Domain Waterloo Ice House Little Woodrow's Wed Feb 18 12:43:59 -0800 2009 4418467 100641 amykragan 1 4458718 I'd add Manuel's (Jollyville) San Francisco Bakery to the list! Fri Feb 27 13:58:11 -0800 2009 4418467 144213 peddani 2 4461231 manuel's jollyville is a really great al fresco spot, but for the past year the food has really gone downhill. Sat Feb 28 14:54:54 -0800 2009 4458718 202980 dinaofdoom 2 4470530 Also North, in The Domain, Peddani - when they roll up the windows in nice weather, it's a great open air dining experience. Cru, just across from North, also has outside tables.... Tue Mar 03 15:02:16 -0800 2009 4458718 136853 marfaboy 1 4461204 I'll add: Buenos Aires Cafe Cafe Medici Central Market (the Central location) Dog Almighty El Arroyo Fliphappy Crepes Food Heads The Grove Mighty Fine P. Terry's Phil's Icehouse Salvation Pizza Tacodeli Torchy's Tacos Sat Feb 28 14:44:14 -0800 2009 4418467 268744 nyc_girl13 2 4551179 I would add Z Tejas both the central location and the one in the Arboretum area (great views) Mon Mar 30 10:35:02 -0700 2009 4461204 276666 AustinRocks 1 4461917 Add Matt's El Rancho. I've only eaten there once though. Chuy's on Research has nice outdoor seating as well. Sat Feb 28 20:50:25 -0800 2009 4418467 87306 yankeegirl 1 4469012 i'm shocked nobody's mentioned blue dahlia, on e. 11th. it's definitely one of the most pleasant outdoor eating experiences in austin. another is fino. delicious, upscale food, nice outdoor area. and casa de luz, if you're down with hippie cuisine. Tue Mar 03 08:47:51 -0800 2009 4418467 70423 reina_de_fideo 1 4559126 Lunch out back on the patio at Triumph Cafe (on Spicewood Springs Road between Mesa and Mopac) is always an absolute delight on a lovely Austin Spring day... Wed Apr 01 16:55:14 -0700 2009 4418467 98574 yorkshirepud 1 5149808 Goodness! I shouldn't be surprised that Austin has so many outdoor gems, but this really is quite a response. Thank you everyone! And I hope this thread will stay alive as the restaurant scene in Austin keeps growing and changing! :-) Mon Nov 02 12:51:19 -0800 2009 4418467 58027 Aloo0628 2 5150084 Thanks for starting this - I'll definitely use it. It is funny that the list was started in Feb and no one posted about it since April. A little too caliente for al Fresco was this summer! Mon Nov 02 13:53:59 -0800 2009 5149808 17648 rudeboy 3 5161140 Paggi House is supposed to have a really nice patio, too. Fri Nov 06 10:11:40 -0800 2009 5150084 136928 jjs21582