The best restaurants for outdoor dining in Los Angeles

Bacari Silverlake brings a Venetian-inspired small-plates sensibility to Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. Perched on a stretch of the boulevard popular with east-side regulars, the lush tree-house-style patio is the main event — enormous mature trees weave through the outdoor dining areas, strung with warm lights and surrounded by rustic Mediterranean decor that makes it feel like a genuinely transplanted corner of the Adriatic. The menu is built for sharing: Mediterranean-influenced cold and hot small plates, from stuffed mushrooms with five-cheese blend and basil walnut pesto to glazed pork belly with umami mulling glaze and sesame seed. There is also a rotating selection of small-production wines and craft cocktails, alongside a 90-minute open bar option that keeps the energy high without the formality. The vibe is inclusive, lively, and unashamedly fun — this is the kind of al fresco dining in Los Angeles that earns its reputation entirely on atmosphere and flavor.

Sunset Boulevard has seen countless cafes come and go, but The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker — BBCM for short — has made itself a firm fixture of the West Hollywood daytime scene since it opened in 2016. The patio, with its grey lounge chairs and blue-and-white tiled floor framed by olive trees, was made for the Southern California light, and the all-day format means it works from morning coffee through to an evening cocktail. The menu keeps things seasonal, local, and farm-fresh. Ricotta pancakes with lemon and marshmallow foam, a seafood omelette made with cage-free eggs and salmon caviar, and a signature bloody mary topped with a mini ham, bacon, and grilled cheese sandwich all do the patio justice. The specialty coffee program is serious — a Colorburst latte arrives looking almost too considered to drink — while the mimosa flights cater to a crowd that treats weekend brunch as a social event rather than just a meal. For outdoor dining in Los Angeles that runs from the first coffee of the day through to sunset, BBCM awaits.

There is no sign on the door at Firefly, just an ivy-covered exterior on Ventura Boulevard that has become something of a Studio City landmark. Once through the black door, the space reveals a library lounge stocked with sofas and book-lined shelves before opening onto two covered garden patios — candlelit and warmed by outdoor fireplaces, with views of an ivy-draped hillside and intimate cabana-style seating that earns its reputation as one of the most romantic outdoor dining spots in the San Fernando Valley. The contemporary American kitchen turns out crowd-pleasing plates like mushroom pappardelle, miso-glazed cod, and a three-course prix-fixe menu that includes steelhead salmon, pulled chicken with whipped polenta, and filet mignon with smoked potato purée and bordelaise. The bar runs late on weekends — DJs take over from the kitchen after dinner — but the early-evening sittings on the patio, before the room gets lively, are where Firefly is at its most compelling. For summer 2026, there are few better choices for a long, unhurried dinner under the stars on the Eastside of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Back on the Beach has been doing exactly what its name suggests since 1989, when it opened on a wide stretch of sand at the Annenberg Community Beach House on Pacific Coast Highway. Tables sit close enough to the waterline that guests can watch the Santa Monica Pier in the distance and take in views of the mountains and Catalina Island while eating. The menu is California-focused and seasonal, built around local and farm-fresh ingredients that hold up well to the salt air and bright Pacific light. Huevos rancheros, fish tacos, and a generously loaded salmon burger all appear regularly, while the café’s menu shifts between breakfast and brunch territory in the morning and a fuller California lunch and sunset-dinner offering as the day progresses. The set-up is intentionally relaxed — umbrella-shaded tables on the sand, casual dress, and the kind of easy, attentive service that suits beachside dining. As a certified Green Business with the City of Santa Monica, the café also leans into environmental responsibility, which sits naturally alongside its sun-drenched, outdoors-first identity. For outdoor dining in Los Angeles that goes all the way to the shoreline, it simply does not get more direct than this.

King’s Fish House has built a loyal following across Southern California on a simple proposition: serious seafood, served generously, in a relaxed setting that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Calabasas outpost, located at The Commons, delivers on all three counts. The outdoor patio — semi-enclosed and fitted with effective heaters for cooler evenings — is a comfortable spot year-round, and during the long, warm months of a Los Angeles summer it makes for one of the more pleasant outdoor dining experiences west of the Valley. The menu changes daily, anchored to seasonal catches and live shellfish tanks: expect a large selection of oysters, Alaskan red king crab, local spiny lobster and Pacific swordfish alongside classics like the signature King’s Cioppino seafood stew, and Parmesan-crusted sand dabs that regulars return for specifically. For groups, families, or anyone who wants a reliable, quality seafood dinner on the west side of the Valley, King’s Fish House Calabasas consistently delivers.

There is a reason Gracias Madre is recommended by the MICHELIN Guide — the West Hollywood Design District restaurant has built something genuinely distinctive on Melrose Avenue, and the outdoor patio is central to it. Housed in a former antique emporium, the interior carries whitewashed brick, exposed beams, and reclaimed wood through to a garden patio centered on mature olive trees, a central fireplace, and string lighting that makes evenings feel like a private party. Executive chef Chandra Gilbert leads a kitchen that is entirely plant-based, working with organic, non-GMO ingredients sourced from local and regenerative farmers to produce a menu rooted firmly in traditional Mexican cooking. Quesabirria tacos, cashew queso fundido, and stone-ground corn tortillas accompany seasonal small plates and large sharing dishes. The bar program highlights independent agave spirit producers and small-batch distillers from Mexico. For outdoor dining in Los Angeles that combines culinary conviction with a setting that earns its Instagram reputation, this is a benchmark.

Perched on the third floor of Eataly’s Westfield Century City location, Terra has carved out a specific and well-deserved role in the Los Angeles outdoor dining conversation since it opened — part Italian countryside, part Century City power lunch, entirely its own thing. The 11,000-square-foot space centers on a wood-burning Italian grill over almond and mesquite, where chefs cook seasonal ingredients over open flame: expect wood-roasted lamb chops, charred asparagus with lemon and sea salt, tiger prawns, and a rotating selection of handmade pastas including butternut squash ravioli and pappardelle with duck ragù. The rooftop terrace, with its botanical garden, 20-year-old olive tree centerpiece, and fire pit, looks directly out to the Hollywood Hills, making it one of the more scenic al fresco spots in this part of the city. The all-Italian wine list and botanical cocktail program slot neatly alongside a weekend brunch offering that includes a build-your-own bloody mary bar. 

The Culver Hotel has been a National Landmark since 1924, and its current restaurant — Lillie’s at The Culver Hotel — channels that history. The Grand Lobby dining room retains its Old Hollywood glamour, but it is the breezy garden patio that earns the restaurant its place on any list of the best outdoor dining in Los Angeles for summer 2026. The French-American kitchen turns out seasonal fare with a California inflection: a Waldorf salad with grilled chicken, apple, and champagne vinaigrette; burrata with persimmon, prosciutto, and arugula; and a rotating selection of dinner mains that shift with the seasons. A Feast & Film experience pairs a three-course dinner with a film at the Culver Theater next door, while Harry’s Hour brings light bites and barcuterie boards to the patio daily, and weekend afternoon tea includes a live pianist and a bottomless rosé bubbles add-on. Live jazz runs Thursday through Sunday in the lobby. For a long, unhurried summer evening in Culver City’s walkable downtown, look no further than the Culver Hotel’s patio.

Loreto occupies a converted space that functions like a small airplane hangar in Atwater Village’s Frogtown neighborhood — a sprawling, high-ceilinged restaurant with a long wrap-around bar, exposed rafters, concrete floors, and a tree-filled outdoor courtyard that has made it one of the most compelling new additions to the Los Angeles dining landscape. The restaurant takes the seafood-forward cuisine of Baja California and the Sinaloa coast as its starting point — aguachiles, ceviches, crudos, and tostadas — and extends those ideas in directions that feel genuinely inventive without losing touch with tradition. The bay scallop ceviche with green papaya, jicama, and Thai chile delivers a level of brightness that registers immediately; the otoro tostada, piled high and finished tableside, is a showstopper. The restaurant’s centerpiece is a butterflied whole grilled fish, served with black beans, rice, avocado, habanero onions, blue corn tortillas, and mini quesadillas — the kind of communal feast built for sharing across a long summer table.

Loreto occupies a converted space that functions like a small airplane hangar in Atwater Village’s Frogtown neighborhood — a sprawling, high-ceilinged restaurant with a long wrap-around bar, exposed rafters, concrete floors, and a tree-filled outdoor courtyard that has made it one of the most compelling new additions to the Los Angeles dining landscape. The restaurant takes the seafood-forward cuisine of Baja California and the Sinaloa coast as its starting point — aguachiles, ceviches, crudos, and tostadas — and extends those ideas in directions that feel genuinely inventive without losing touch with tradition. The bay scallop ceviche with green papaya, jicama, and Thai chile delivers a level of brightness that registers immediately; the otoro tostada, piled high and finished tableside, is a showstopper. The restaurant’s centerpiece is a butterflied whole grilled fish, served with black beans, rice, avocado, habanero onions, blue corn tortillas, and mini quesadillas — the kind of communal feast built for sharing across a long summer table. 

Set in Santa Monica, Fia Steak is one of the more serious steakhouses operating in Los Angeles — MICHELIN-recognized, with a serene outdoor patio that provides a calmer alternative to the animated grill room inside. The restaurant is a 48-seat operation offering three distinct dining environments: the live-fire grill room, a refined main dining room hung with a stained-glass window depicting St. Fiacre (the patron saint of gardeners, for whom the restaurant is named), and the outdoor patio, where the kitchen’s wood-burning grill theatrics give way to quieter, more measured service. The menu is built around US Prime beef and Japanese A5 Wagyu, with tableside presentations of tuna tartare and steakhouse salads. Dungeness crab starters, housemade pastas, and a Champagne and caviar section signal a kitchen that takes the luxury register seriously. A soufflé or seasonal strawberry trifle with basil ice cream rounds things out. For outdoor dining in Los Angeles that carries genuine occasion-worthy weight, Fia Steak’s patio awaits.