The Best Spots For Outdoor Dining In Seattle

Seattle may be notorious for rainy, windy, miserable weather that sends locals crawling into cafes, but in the spring and summer, the weather becomes mild and beautiful and the outdoor patios of restaurants around the city open up to host all sorts of parties and occasions. Here, we’ve recommended our very favorites.

The Pink Door

With a patio view of Elliott Bay, The Pink Door, nestled in the Post Alley of Pike Place Market, is an elegant place to spend the evening with family, friends, a lover, or a glass of wine. Like finding Narnia in the back of a closet, The Pink Door spices up the Post Alley by providing a soulful table of all sorts of people, coming for diner, a drink, and maybe searching for something new in life. You can order plates of uncomplicated Italian-American cuisine, like Tajarin pasta with spinach, brown butter, parmesan, and an egg yolk.
The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley Seattle, WA USA +1 206-443-3241

Ray’s Café

Located on the top deck of Ray’s Boathouse, this restaurant and bar serves a variety of seafood and booze paired with the spectacular views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. Their outdoor deck opens in the warm spring months through summer, and it’s where many Seattleites go to create summer memories of outdoor dining when the relatives and friends are in town. With 20 microbrews on tap and tasty seafood dishes like Grilled Wild Northwest King Salmon, this spot is a summer delight.
Ray’s Café, 6049 Seaview Ave NW Seattle, WA USA +1 206-782-0094

Aqua Verde

A University District gem tucked in behind the boat houses and University of Washington’s Fisheries and Ocean Sciences buildings, Aqua Verde is a tasty Mexican restaurant with a scenic and cool patio for outdoor dining. It looks out onto Portage Bay, the waterway that connects Lake Washington and Lake Union. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including delicious dishes like enchiladas with a variety of sauces to choose from and filling and bodacious burritos.
Aqua Verde, 1303 NE Boat St Seattle, WA USA +1 206-545-8570

BOKA Restaurant + Bar

A trendy spot for Pacific Northwest fare that features a gorgeous seasonal patio, BOKA wins the hearts of many as a reliable restaurant and bar to meet up with hip friends and impress the relatives. Dinner can include a variety of dishes from Northwest Fish Tacos to the Grilled Double R Ranch Ribeye sprinkled artistically with onion petals. They also serve refreshing hand crafted cocktails that are quite the hit.
BOKA Restaurant + Bar, Hotel 1000 1010 1st Ave Seattle, WA USA +1 206-357-9000

Brimmer & Heeltap

With a garden patio to hide out in for an intimate dining experience, Brimmer & Heeltap makes our list of Seattle favorites for outdoor dining. This Ballard neighborhood restaurant serves dishes like pepper crusted Albacore with green curry crème fraiche, shaved fennel, nicoise olives, and pistachioes and grilled pork shoulder with grilled spring onion kimchi.
Brimmer & Heeltap, 425 NW Market St Seattle, WA USA +1 206-420-2534

About the author

Sarah Lantz

I am senior undergraduate at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States studying English Literature and History. I’ve studied three times abroad during my undergraduate years: to Rome, Italy, Sochi, Russia, and London, United Kingdom. I hope to continue to travel when I graduate, finding some sort of job that allows me to explore the world, write, and continue to learn about cultures, ideas, art, and expression. In my free time I like to creative write, enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities from paddle boarding to hiking, and have fun teaching myself to cook.