Right about the time spring rolls around, people start to ask where to find the best al fresco dining. The beautiful days are a cue to seek out the best local patios on which to spend sunny afternoons, warm evenings and summer nights with delicious food, good friends and seasonal beverages.
Bourbon Street Cafe
Nestled right along the canal in Bricktown, this shady, relaxing spot is perfect for dining, day drinking and celebrations. The New Orleans-inspired menu is eclectic, with Cajun specialties, steaks, seafood and pasta. The bar menu features cocktails from tiki style to margaritas to the classics.
Barrios Fine Mexican Cuisine
This Midtown patio is tucked away from public view and sheltered from the wind, making it a cozy getaway for lunch, dinner and drinks. The combination of table seating and lounge-y furniture makes it easier to have just drinks with friends or order a whole spread of food, beginning with chorizo queso, guacamole or queso fundido.
Deep Deuce Grill
This covered patio has been a destination for downtown diners since it opened, and now with a scratch kitchen, it’s even easier to enjoy dinner, drinks, the game and the firepit on a cool spring evening.
Frida Southwest
The patio flows seamlessly into the stunning interior of this upscale casual hotspot. Enjoy the James Beard Award-nominated bar program, including a fantastic by-the-glass list and the most creative cocktail programs, in a gorgeous setting. Stellar food and indulgent desserts on a beautiful patio make this an ideal place to spend an evening.
Good Times
More than a dive bar, this Western Avenue watering hole has an excellent, dog friendly, enclosed patio that’s open to the sky, meaning you don’t need to worry about the pup wandering off. (They might be a little tense around bar mascot, Belvedere the yellow-eyed cat, though.) The cuisine is straightforward comfort food and trust me, get the frozen cocktails.
Ma Der Lao Kitchen
Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef Southwest this year, and the patio with beautiful mural work from Juuri, is tucked between two buildings, meaning lots of shade and no wind (that matters in the Oklahoma spring and summer). And it isn’t just Chanchaleune’s delicious sai oua, larb and fried chicken you’ll want; the cocktail program is outstanding, too.
O Bar
The Ambassador Hotel in Midtown is home to O Bar. You can pop upstairs to the rooftop patio for a stunning view of the downtown skyline, an excellent wine list and creative cocktails.
Pizzeria Gusto
Tucked behind a privacy fence just off Uptown 23rd, Gusto’s string lights, flagstones, outdoor fireplace and rustic charm make it a candidate for the city’s best patio. Add to that the brilliant soppressata or margherita pizza and a glass of Lambrusco, and you’ll find yourself whiling away the evening in what feels like a secret garden.
Riserva Bar and Tapas
One of OKC’s newest hotspots and located in Chisholm Creek, Riserva’s menu is Mediterranean, broadly interpreted – hummus, muhammara, swordfish, tajine, etc. – and the patio sits right next to the water and adjacent to collapsible windows that give you easy access to the bar.
Spark
The burger joint in Scissortail Park arguably has a massive, park-like patio, but even their actual patio affords an excellent view of downtown and the park itself. The burgers are among the city’s best, and the frozen custard and frozen cocktails make Spark’s patio a refreshing treat on a summer evening.
