Vancouver Summer Patios: Where to Eat and Drink Outside
With summer here, Vancouver has officially—and joyfully—moved into patio season. Vancouver’s patio options are abundant, from scenic places on the waterfront to intimate spots for hangouts with friends and family. The city’s patios are as diverse as its neighbourhoods, translating to a summer of varied al fresco eating and drinking. Bonus: many of them are pup friendly.
With its bustling urban setting and beautiful natural surroundings, Vancouver features stunning rooftop patios that overlook the downtown core. Located just off Robson Street, Joe Fortes offers a respite from shopping with its garden patio with plenty of seating and greenery. Happy Hour from 3-5pm has become a downtown ritual with options like fresh oysters, and mini lobster and shrimp rolls with glasses of bubbly. Brunch is also a stand-out affair, encompassing lobster bennies, and steak and eggs.
Lavantine Restaurant & Skybar is another rooftop spot, focusing on a Mediterranean aesthetic and cuisine (inspired by food from the Levant). Located in the AZUR Legacy Collection Hotel, Lavantine features a variety of white-hued seating options, water accents, and views of the encircling buildings. The menu leans towards sunny food, such as muhammara with pita, and lamb aleppo kebabs. Drinks like The Desert Dreams pair well with warm weather.
Stunning Coal Harbour, whose seawall leads visitors to Stanley Park, is home to numerous delicious eateries. Cardero’s has become a beloved fixture on the seawall with a patio perched over the water. Diners soak up views of Burrard Inlet and the mountains while enjoying menu items like their signature wok squid and fried oysters. West Coast mains like cedar plank salmon and sesame crusted albacore tuna perfectly suit the natural environment.
Yaletown, a reimagined warehouse district, is chic, lively, and packed with patio options. The Keg Yaletown has an incredible rooftop patio on its third floor with stylish seating, plenty of heaters for cooler evening dining, and all the well-known eats that have made the Keg an institution. Start with their garlic cheese toast or mushrooms Neptune before dining on prime rib or a teriyaki sirloin, with sides like mac ‘n’ cheese. They also have a street-front patio that is dog friendly.
For a tucked away patio, Minami has a garden patio located behind the restaurant with plenty of greenery, shade, and tranquility. The restaurant serves some of the best Japanese cuisine in the city, with recommended dishes including their signature aburi salmon oshi as well as bluefin redwave roll. Other creations include ebi fritters with harissa aioli, pan seared duck breast, and a 10oz ribeye with aburi compound butter. Save room for their decadent green tea opera cake or toasted coconut panna cotta.
Michelin-recommended Elisa was recently awarded Restaurant of the Year (Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards 2025) and #26 of the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025. It has an upscale patio at the front of the restaurant, facing Hamilton Street. This modern steakhouse is perfect for refined meals with family or friends, as well as romantic dinners. Try their tartare tasting trio as well as items from the raw bar, like cured hamachi or a shrimp cocktail. Wood fired steaks are the main attraction, from producers like Hank’s. End with a classic baked Alaska.
Historic Gastown, with its cobbled sidewalks and brick-accented establishments, offers unique patio dining. Its main street, Water Street, is car-free on Sundays until the end of August.
A landmark patio in the area is at LOCAL Public Eatery, where happy people hang out under cheerful yellow umbrellas. The chain has become popular for a reason: crowd pleasing eats like nachos, truffle cheeseburgers, and fried chicken ramen with draft beer, and plenty of other drink selections. Happy Hour (e.g., hot wings and spicy guava margaritas) is always a scene, and brunch (e.g., Dutch Baby) is a great way to start the weekend in this iconic neighbourhood.
There’s a Mykonos-vibe happening on the expanded patio of The Greek Gastown, which is a prime destination for Happy Hour this summer. Not only will Happy Hour take place 2-5pm daily, but also all day on Car Free Sundays (they also have After Hours deals, Sundays to Thursdays 9pm to close, and Fridays and Saturdays 10pm to close). Sip Helen’s Sangria while snacking on spanakopita and calamari. The lunch and dinner menus include flavourful Greek specialties like braised country lamb shoulder, and chicken souvlaki. Dogs are welcome.
Bar Tartare features a really cool concept: rotating chefs to keep the food interesting, with natural wines poured. Long communal tables on their patio out front lend themselves to meeting and chatting with neighbours. In the past, they’ve hosted chefs such as Hee-Dong Choi and Alvaro Montos De Oca. Dogs are welcome at Bar Tartare.
Mount Pleasant, with Main Street, as its main thoroughfare, is patio central. The neighbourhood keeps getting better, characterized by tons of brightly coloured public murals, craft breweries, and welcoming residents.
A new kid on the block is Lucia, replacing Anthem Sound Lounge. The interiors have been completely renovated, as has the front patio overlooking the sidewalk, making it great for people-watching. The vibe is modern and easy, with the menu showcasing fresh Italian flavours. Dishes include polenta fritters, a beet and whipped ricotta salad, delicate spinach and mascarpone tortelli, and an earthy wild mushroom pizza with truffle fonduta.
Rustic and idyllic are the first words to come to mind for The Farmhouse patios. They have outdoor seating at the front, as well as a picturesque garden patio with flower boxes and other greenery. Brunch is done Italian-style, with creations like a porchetta benny while mimosas, polpette, and more are served during Happy Hour (2:30pm-5pm). They have a prix fixe (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays) with dishes like endive and citrus salad, and spaghetti con gamberi. Dogs are welcome.
Anh & Chi, a proud family-run establishment, was a pathmaker for modern Vietnamese dining in the city. In addition to their year-round heated and covered patio, they have a summer streetside patio that’s pet friendly. Flavours are fresh and vibrant, with items like crispy prawn cakes, mango salad, and an om bowl. Their Ham Choi (Monday-Friday, 3-4pm) serves snacks like chicken crackling and local craft beer. Fun cocktails like Sleepless in Saigon are very sippable.
LIVIA, part Italian bakery, part cafe/eatery, is a great place to go for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or a light snack. They have patio seating but also recently were instrumental in bringing about a public plaza (or piazza as LIVIA calls it) with picnic tables and planters next to the bakery. Service is counter-style, so bring the family, buy some pastries or order brunch/lunch dishes like spaghetti carbonara, and then get to know the cheerful crowd on The Drive. Dogs are welcome.
Social has its name for a reason: its rooftop patio is a happening spot, with a cabana feel, a bar, and views of the Drive down below. Plus, they have a DJ Friday and Saturday nights to increase the party atmosphere. In addition to an excellent brunch (e.g., croque madame, shakshouka), they are known for their Happy Hour, which happens Sunday to Thursday (2pm-5pm, 9pm onwards) and Fridays and Saturdays (2pm-5pm, 10pm onwards). The menu is all about comfort food with chicken karaage baos, udon carbonara, and truffle fries. They also have a curbside patio that is dog friendly.
Collective Goods is found on a southern stretch of Commercial Drive. They’ve built a cute curb-side patio for the summer, painted in jaunty orange and pink stripes and featuring planters. On it, feast on French dishes like chicken liver mousse, steak frites, and profiteroles. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, their Tasting Menu is a reasonable $50 per person, and Sundays have a Oui-kend sharing menu for $35 per person.
A lot of exciting patios are launching for the summer in Kitsilano and the West Side.
Bae Side, replacing Mahony’s Tavern on False Creek, is a pop-up that will begin as a waterfront patio this summer before locating inside when autumn comes. Until then, make the most of this spot, laidback in its vibe and global in its approach to food. The menu brings together the best of international flavours, with dishes like California avocado rolls, chicken tikka tacos, Urfa kebabs, and steamed chicken dumplings. The drinking is easy, including fruit punch sangria, a garden fresh G&T, and a zero proof tropical bunch. Bae Side welcomes dogs.
The spot for the ultimate chillfest this summer will be Batch Kitsilano, located right at Kitsilano Beach, in front of the pool. The entirely outdoors concept is getting a boost with expanded seating, a wine patio, and a new collab with crowd favourite DownLow Chicken. Expect local bevvies, tasty eats like a fried chicken burrito, live music, and a convivial Kits crowd (including their dogs).
Yuwa Japanese Cuisine has a serene patio on the West Side of the city. Red umbrellas give lots of shade while white tablecloths and beautiful floral planters make for an elegant dining experience. This Michelin-recommended establishment offers impeccable Japanese cuisine highlighting the best ingredients in dishes that range from fresh catch sashimi to grilled BC sablefish with sweet soy simmered kabocha squash and ginger soy marinated cucumber pickles. The sake list is extensive. Yuwa’s patio is dog-friendly.
Take a short ride on the SeaBus to North Vancouver’s happening and ever growing Shipyards District. The view from the other side of the water is gorgeous.
A patio jewel is PIER 7 Restaurant + Bar, perched right on the harbour for prime views of the waterfront and the downtown skyline from their two levels of patio seating. Seals frolic in the water, and orcas also have been spotted from the patio. The restaurant takes its food and ingredients seriously, in addition to having an unbeatable location. The menu draws inspiration from its surroundings, spotlighting West Coast cuisine in exemplary dishes like a premium seafood chowder and a bountiful seafood plateau, featuring citrus poached prawns, marinated PEI mussels, dungeness crab, and local oysters. Casual options include handhelds like a fried cod sandwich, while other dishes—like roasted sablefish, and a surf and turf with grass-fed tenderloin, lobster, and prawns—add elegance to the menu.
Slightly away from the waterfront is a growing brewery and cidery district, with many establishments with patios. Windfall Cider features a cozy, covered curbside patio with a wooden banquette, comfy cushions, and hanging fern planters (dogs are welcome). Choose from their many cider options (e.g., Hail Mary, a rose cider) as well as refreshing slushies. This summer, Chef Doug Lee is running his pop-up, Eluvian, at Windfall, crafting plates that exemplify impressive craftsmanship, exuberant creativity, and unceasing dedication. His cooking is not to be missed.
Just a few doors from Windfall Cider, La Cerveceria Astilleros has a curbside patio, featuring the same blue and white tiled pattern that decorates the brewery itself. The drinking is easy, with options like a paloma grapefruit lager and orange fresca pilsner, while guac and chips and tacos (e.g., al pastor, beef barbacoa) keep the eating equally as relaxed. Dogs are welcome.
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