The Best Patios in Toronto
Toronto waits all year for this. We spend months bundled against the wind off the lake, watching patios sit shuttered under tarps and snow, and then one warm Thursday in May (or shortly thereafter) the whole city seems to exhale and move outdoors at once. A patio here is never just a few tables in the sun. It is the thing that makes the long winter worth it, the place where a quick drink turns into three hours, where you wave at someone you know two tables over, where dinner stretches until the string lights come on and nobody is in a rush to leave.
The best ones do something a dining room cannot. They borrow a willow tree, a laneway, a rooftop view of the skyline, a stretch of sidewalk made for watching the neighbourhood walk by, and they fold all of that into the meal. Some are built for lingering over natural wine and a board of charcuterie. Others want you shoulder to shoulder over pizza and an oversized spritz, or shucking oysters fourteen floors above King West. What they have in common is a sense of occasion that costs nothing extra and that we only get for a handful of precious months.
So we went looking for the patios we would actually send a friend to, 21 in all: the courtyards tucked behind unassuming doors, the terraces worth crossing the city for, the sidewalk perches that turn a Tuesday into something. A few are brand new, a couple have been packing their tables since the eighties, and one or two are the patio, full stop, with the kitchen built around the outdoor seats.
Before the list, a tip of the glass to the ones that nearly made it: Pennies, the sliders-and-cheap-drinks crowd-pleaser; Man of Kent, the proper British pub on Ossington; Paupers, with its secure Annex rooftop; Poet bar, all wood-fired pizza and twinkle lights on Queen West; Trattoria Nervosa, the little yellow house that has owned Yorkville people-watching for decades; Paris Paris, the bohemian wine bar on Dundas West; and Allen’s, whose willow-shaded backyard is still the one to beat on the Danforth.
Bar Eugenie
The old Harbord Room space has a new life, and so does it’s once famous backyard patio. Three Alo Food Group alumni, chef Rebekah Bruce, GM Ronnie Fishman and bar manager Lee Bonds, took over the narrow, legendary spot and gave it a soft mint-green refresh, then nearly doubled it with a 35-seat back patio that is walk-in only and gets a surprising amount of privacy for a downtown block. The name is a nod to Eugénie Brazier, the French chef who once held six Michelin stars, but the cooking is Bruce’s own: a rotating run of small plates built on Ontario farms, threaded with her Filipino roots, with irresistible breads from the wood-fired oven. Order the scallop kinilaw, then the ube milk punch, and settle in.
Toronto
Manita Ossington
Manita is the neighborhood spot you wish was on your corner, and now it is on two of them. The original on Ossington runs all day as a café, grocery and bar with a certain Old World languor, the kind of place to nurse a cappuccino for an hour at the sidewalk patio on Rolyat Street. The Rosedale follow-up moved into the much-loved old Rosedale Diner, spread over two floors, and its secure patio has the calm of a private city garden. Either way you are eating the same easygoing menu: Mediterranean sharing plates, steak fries, and one of the best burgers in town.
Toronto
ONE Restaurant
If you want to be seen, this is the patio. Mark McEwan’s restaurant inside the Hazelton Hotel sits right at the corner of Yorkville and Hazelton, and its wrap-around, tree-lined, candlelit terrace is the front-row seat for Yorkville’s parade of luxury and loitering celebrities. The Yabu Pushelberg room behind it is all rich texture and low light, but in summer the action is out front. Come for a leisurely weekend brunch or a glass of something cold under the trees, and let the people-watching do the rest.
Toronto
Brasserie Côte
Teo Paul and Eamon O’Dea run two French rooms with very different patios. Côte de Boeuf on Ossington is the cramped, beloved bistro-butcher with a handful of adorable sidewalk tables that people happily wait hours for, all steak fries, tartare au knife and house terrines. Its new Annex sibling, Brasserie Côte, finally gives the concept room to breathe: a 1920s-Paris room with a zinc bar and arched mirrors, and a sprawling corner terrace at Bloor and Brunswick that brings real patio culture back to the block. Head chef Damien Cochez anchors both kitchens, and the Brasserie opens for breakfast, too.
Toronto
Schmaltz Appetizing
Tucked behind Anthony Rose’s Fat Pasha, Schmaltz is an old-school Jewish appetizing shop in the tradition of New York’s Russ & Daughters: smoked fish, schmears, and house-cured everything, mostly built to take away. But the small back patio is the move on a warm morning, an unfussy, leafy little perch where you can sit with a bagel sandwich the size of your forearm. Get the Maven, lox and cream cheese with onion and capers, or the Chub Chub with dill cream cheese, and a coffee. It is humble, it is generous, and it is exactly the kind of casual outdoor bite this list needs.
Toronto
Bar Koukla
Thanos Tripi’s Greek empire faces off across the street with itself, and both sides spill outdoors. Mamakas is the flagship modern taverna that put Aegean cooking on the Ossington map. Bar Koukla, across the way, takes its cue from Athenian snack bars: a sunny, terrazzo-trimmed room with a small patio, a deep list of natural and organic Greek wine, and meze that keep arriving in quick succession. Order the lamb ribs charred off the grill and a hot phyllo tart stuffed with feta and dressed in black sesame and pomegranate, and you will keep ordering more.
Toronto
Bar Raval
There is nothing else like the room at Bar Raval, a flowing cocoon of hand-carved South African mahogany that looks like Gaudí dreamed it up, and on a hot day the wide-open doors blur the line between inside and out. Grant van Gameren’s Barcelona-style pintxo bar is mostly standing-room, with two outdoor patio areas and an oyster bar that makes the most of a Toronto summer. Graze on jamón croquetas, patatas bravas and tinned seafood, sip a sherry cobbler, and stay as long as you like: the kitchen runs from morning to very late.
Toronto
Sunnys Chinese
Find the door down a hallway that nearly looks like a dead end, push through the buzzing room, and you arrive at one of the city’s most charming hidden courtyards, the old Cold Tea back patio reborn under twinkle lights. David Schwartz‘s Big Hug team runs Sunny’s as a high-energy ode to regional Chinese cooking, from Sichuan to Hong Kong, and the patio is its own happy thing: no reservations, baijiu slushies, the occasional konro-grill barbecue and a steady stream of disco. Slurp the silver-needle noodles, get the cumin-dusted grilled chicken, and don’t skip the black sesame toast.
Toronto
Dotty's
There is no sign out front, just a long, minimalist room on the corner of Dupont and Franklin from Jay Carter and Susan Beckett, the pair behind the early missed Dandylion. The sidewalk patio that flanks Franklin Avenue roughly doubles the place, and it follows the whole low-key proposition: a neighborhood diner crossed with a wine bar, walk-ins only, with a binchotan grill quietly turning out a short menu of finessed comfort food. The Caesar is properly made, the cheeseburger is a regular for a reason, and the crudo punches above its price.
Toronto
Prime Seafood Palace
A fair warning: this one is more about the approach than a sprawling terrace. Matty Matheson’s steak-and-seafood temple, a wood cathedral of arched Canadian maple by architect Omar Gandhi, draws you in off Queen through a quiet entry courtyard scented with barbecue and stacked with firewood, and that hushed outdoor space is part of the theatre. Inside waits some of the most considered cooking in the city, from Newfoundland-lobster-and-ricotta dumplings to a dry-aged bone-in striploin, much of it sourced from Matheson’s own Fort Erie farm. Go for the room and the ritual, and arrive through the courtyard on a warm evening.
Toronto
Bernhardt's
From the Dreyfus and Joe Beef crew, Zach Kolomeir and Carmelina Imola, comes the neighbourhood rotisserie everyone calls Bernie’s, and its string-lit front patio is made for digging fingers-first into a golden bird. The kitchen keeps things unfussy and seasonal: crisp-skinned rotisserie chicken, a rotating cast of Ontario vegetables, and a low-intervention wine list that belongs on a Calabrian terrace, all served on your grandmother’s good china. It is the kind of patio you settle onto for a glass of wine that turns into dinner.
Toronto
The Old York Tavern
A 50-year-old corner spot reborn as a neighborhood wine tavern, the Old York sits just off the King West rush with a sidewalk patio that feels a touch removed from the bustle, all strung lights and bright orange chairs. The chef-driven menu leans American bistro with a French accent: smoked salmon tartine on Lev Bakery sourdough, grilled octopus with fregula, and a signature burger that fully commits to the marriage of beef and onion. Brunch takes reservations, a rarity worth knowing about, and the Caesar is a standout.
Toronto
Evangeline
For a patio with altitude, ride the elevator to the top of the Ace Hotel and step onto Evangeline’s wraparound terrace, fourteen stores up and facing south and west toward the skyline and the sunset. The cozy indoor lounge is a luxury living room booked by fireplaces, but the heated outdoor deck over St. Andrew’s Playground is the draw. Patrick Kriss consults on a cocktail-party menu of small plates, East Coast oysters with yuzu cream, tuna tostada, sliders, and the bar program is genuinely strong. No reservations for the general seating, so come early and let the night unfold.
Toronto
El Rey Mezcal Bar
Grant van Gameren’s mezcal bar holds down a corner of the Market with a long, wide patio that stretches from Dundas West down Kensington Avenue, prime real estate for watching the neighbourhood drift by. The rustic 30-seat saloon inside is all raw brick, terracotta and cacti, but the outdoor seats, kept warm by heaters well into the shoulder season, are where you want to be. Order a flight from one of the city’s best mezcal lists, a couple of margaritas, the guacamole with cashew pesto and a plate of tacos al pastor, and let the R&B carry the evening.
Toronto
Danny's Pizza Tavern
Danny Barna and Anna Hopkins built Danny’s Pizza Tavern as a love letter to old-school American pizzerias, and the front patio is pure summer-in-the-city. The signature is tavern pie, thin and crackly and cut into little squares, and the drinks lean playful: a thoughtful natural wine list curated by Hopkins, classic cocktails, and an Aperol spritz served in a glass roughly the size of a small aquarium. The room is a riot of garage-sale bric-a-brac and family photos, the patio has only grown with the addition of Danny’s Next Door, and the whole thing feels like a dinner party you were lucky to get invited to.
Toronto
Alobar Yorkville
Tucked along a quiet pathway off Cumberland, Alobar puts its foot forward as a cocktail bar but is a full à la carte restaurant from Patrick Kriss of Alo fame, and its courtyard patio is one of Yorkville’s calmest summer hideaways, the patio feels like you stumbled upon a hidden gem in a glitzy neighbourhood. The kitchen pairs French technique with international ingredients and a charcoal grill: hamachi wrapped in sheets of Iberico ham, prime chops, and a cocktail glass of foie gras parfait studded with preserved cherries. The wine list is serious, the cocktails are precise, and the courtyard makes it all feel like a secret.
Toronto
Chantecler
Chantecler has had several lives: a Parkdale favorite that opened in 2012, a fire in 2019, a pop-up in between, and now a grander second act on Bloorcourt that finally comes with the patio it always deserved. Jacob Wharton-Shukster’s French bistro sits right across from Christie Pits, and its sprawling, park-facing terrace is made for slow afternoons and long dinners under the trees. The kitchen does French technique with Canadian ingredients and very little austerity: the hand-cut steak tartare regulars have followed across the city, a duck served two ways, and a brioche à tête glazed with rosemary honey and crowned with whipped butter. Settle in with a glass and watch the park go by.
Toronto
Donna’s
The patio at Donna’s is small and sunny and exactly the kind of place you settle into for longer than you planned. The room behind it leans vintage and a little kitschy, every dish arriving on a different piece of old porcelain, and that easy charm carries straight outside. It is an all-day spot, so you can land here for a breakfast sandwich, drift through an afternoon of sandwiches and salads over a glass of natural wine, or come for dinner, when the kitchen shifts to shared, seasonal, family-style plates and the co-owner chefs send out whatever is best that week. Bring the dog, order a second glass, and let the evening take its time.
Toronto
Jamil's Chaat House
Jamil’s just opened its patio, and it’s quickly become the reason to time a visit for a warm evening. Painted baby blue and tucked into a courtyard between buildings, it has the feel of a haveli, the central-courtyard form built for gathering, and it nearly doubles the size of the restaurant. The tandoor lives out there too, so the smell of grilled food finds you the moment you sit down. Jalil Bokhari and Emma Tanaka ran Jamil’s as a pop-up for years before settling on Queen West, and the menu stays small and deliberate. Start with the dahi puri, those crisp semolina shells full of yogurt and chutney, and work through the chaat with a glass of natural wine or a tamarind margarita.
Toronto
Maven Toronto
Maven is chef Shauna Godfrey’s love letter to her late Bubbe Rose, a warm room built around contemporary European Jewish cooking. It sits on a leafy stretch of Harbord Village, one of the city’s most charming pockets, where bookshops and cafés give the street an easy, neighbourhood feel that the restaurant matches. When the weather cooperates, the patio opens onto all of that, a calm spot to linger over dishes like the chicken schnitzel, the duck confit cholent, and the freshly baked challah with chicken liver mousse. Come hungry, order the sticky charred carrots and a dill pickle martini, and settle into an evening that feels like dinner at someone’s family table.
Toronto
Bar Pompette
A regular on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, Bar Pompette wears its reputation lightly, and nowhere more so than on the leafy back patio. Hidden behind the Parisian-style room, it is an unhurried place to work through Martine and Jonathan Bauer’s seasonal cocktails, the cult Cornichon martini among them, with a few of chef Martine’s small plates to share. It is walk-in only, so the move is to wander over early and let the evening unfold. A few doors down, the same team’s Bar Allegro has opened a lovely new patio of its own, a covered, aperitivo-minded perch right on College that makes this stretch an easy two-stop night.
Toronto
Paradise Grapevine
Paradise Grapevine’s Geary outpost is a working urban winery and wine bar, and its patio makes a strong case for an afternoon that drifts into night. Co-owners David Everitt and Christian Davis built the space themselves, all rendered cement, hand-laid tiles, wine barrels and a stone fountain, with a salvaged shipping container turned DJ booth that suits Geary’s scrappy industrial charm. Settle in with their own low-intervention wines and, from Thursday to Sunday, snack off the wood-fired grill. It is walk-in only, so grab a seat and stay a while. Their original Bloor Street bar has a lovely patio too, open year-round under decades-old grapevines.
Toronto
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