Outdoor dining flies any time of year around San Francisco—provided you bring a jacket. So grab an extra layer and take advantage of these top-tier alfresco setups.
An enormous courtyard at a New American restaurant transforms with the seasons. A beloved dim sum spot also serves sweeping Bay Bridge vistas. Fire pits, city views, and shareable snacks from an acclaimed chef dazzle at a triangular rooftop.
These places show off Golden Gate City’s most scenic side. Read on for a guide to 12 San Francisco restaurants that nail outdoor dining.
Waterbar (Embarcadero)
San Francisco’s iconic seafood restaurant rocks a big waterfront patio, set on the edge of the Embarcadero with prime bay and bridge views. Sit among baby palm trees and white umbrellas and watch the world walk, jog, or rollerblade by while relaxing with lobster rolls and Champagne. Wander past the oyster bar and up the stairs, and you’ll find a private dining room with a deck overlooking all the waterside action.
Foreign Cinema (Mission District)
Foreign Cinema is home to one of San Francisco’s most renowned patios. The outdoor space has gone strong since 1999, with classic films projected onto the garden wall. Nothing beats dinner and a movie under the stars alongside Foreign Cinema’s Californian Mediterranean menu, which includes oysters on the half shell, peppercorn-spiced duck breast, and roasted za’atar chicken. If you go for brunch, don’t skip the crowd-favorite housemade fruit pop tarts.
The Vault Garden (Financial District)
This contemporary American spot is all about an enormous courtyard with decor that changes seasonally—it becomes a full-on winter wonderland in December and is lined with floral curtains, twinkling lights, and plenty of greenery throughout the year. Covered and heated areas (plus blankets) mean it’s comfortable in all kinds of weather. It’s the kind of chic, atmospheric spot you’ll keep coming back to for a solid Cali-accented menu featuring asparagus crab dip and Wagyu steak frites.
Barcha (SoMa)
Cane chairs, colorful rugs, and intricate wooden dividers (for plenty of privacy) make the patio at this Mediterranean and Parisian-influenced bistro one of the city’s coziest. Barcha’s lunch menu is a workday treat, known for top-notch shawarma and kebabs. Other winning Middle Eastern dishes include fattoush salad brightened with mint and sumac or pistachio and fig jam baklava.
Fiorella Sunset (Inner Sunset)
This Italian restaurant’s third location is the best for outdoor dining, opening up to a sceney rooftop deck with retractable black-and-gold striped awnings (which can be cranked open on sunny days). Pizza and pasta are Fiorella’s specialties, and a locally leaning beer list, regionally sourced produce, and city-themed murals and wallpaper make it distinctly San Franciscan. Pro-tip: Stop by after a stroll through Golden Gate Park for an especially satisfying open-air meal.
Harborview Restaurant & Bar (Embarcadero)
The only thing better than devouring a perfect shrimp dumpling might be doing it with a view of the Bay. You can feast on the finest dim sum up on the deck at Harborview, including baked barbecue pork buns and full Peking duck platters. The family-style Chinese meal pairs well with the photogenic Embarcadero surroundings, which includes the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge.
Buena Vida Cantina (SoMa)
This Mexican outdoor star sits behind Moscone Center and Yerba Buena Gardens and features a heated parklet that’s surprisingly secluded and lush with greenery. Kick back and relax with watermelon margs, esquites, and cochinita pibil tacos. The chef is originally from the Yucatán—where the slow-roasted dish originated—so the pork is seriously succulent.
La Mar Cocina Peruana (Embarcadero)
One of the most loved Peruvian restaurants in San Francisco sits between the docks at Pier 1½, where some diners even park their boats during dinner. La Mar has a new bar and massive dining room, among other beautiful spaces, but the best seat in the house is on the deep patio, which is both covered and heated to ward off the fog. Dig into fresh cebiches, empanadas, and pisco cocktails while watching the ferries float out past Treasure Island.
Greens Restaurant (Fort Mason)
This groundbreaking vegetarian restaurant first opened in 1979, and it’s still feeding diners fresh spring rolls, giant bean tagines, and seasonal pastas. Greens boasts a beautiful home in one of the Fort Mason warehouses, where rich wood interiors look out onto the bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The restaurant recently built a wooden “pavilion” outside, so you can dine to a soundtrack of lapping waves and gulls—with plenty of space heaters to cut the fog.
Charmaine’s Rooftop Lounge (Market Street)
Ride the elevator to the top of the swanky Proper Hotel and step out onto a space studded with fire pits. Charmaine’s occupies a triangular rooftop with city views up and down Market Street. The menu is anything but an afterthought, since acclaimed chef Jason Fox (of MICHELIN-starred Commonwealth fame) took over the hotel kitchen. Snack on huitlacoche-stuffed potatoes, chopped salads, or cheeseburgers, and sip a Pimm’s cup with a curly cucumber garnish as you take in the striking skyline.
Fable (The Castro)
A recent renovation brought a hidden back patio to this easygoing Californian restaurant. Squeeze through the railroad-style dining room into a garden oasis, featuring multiple levels of wooden decks, heat lamps, greenhouse awnings, and lush plants. It’s a cozy backdrop for seasonal hits like a grilled pork chop on ratatouille, plus a brunch menu—now served seven days a week—that features sweet baguette French toast and a pitch-perfect eggs Benedict.
Shelby’s Rooftop (SoMa)
Reservations are highly recommended at this rooftop bar on the 12th floor of the Canopy Hotel, where the vibe is luxe penthouse. Score a spot on one of the lounge sofas topped with throw pillows that line the railing for an epic sunset view (there are heaters for colder nights), and sip on a house-aged negroni or old fashioned. Things stay low-key from Sunday to Wednesday, but if you’re looking for a more action-packed night, go on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, when a live DJ sets the scene.
Becky Duffett is a food writer living and eating in San Francisco. She was the deputy editor at Eater SF and has written for The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Bon Appétit, among other places.
