20 Best Los Angeles Restaurants For Outdoor Dining

Thanks to the mild, sunny Southern California weather, activities in LA take place outdoors almost year round — and that includes dining. Whether you're perched on a rooftop overlooking the downtown skyscrapers, enjoying the coastal breeze in Venice, or people-watching on a patio among the bar scene in West Hollywood, you can choose from an endless amount of outdoor eateries throughout the city.

This list will help point you to some of the best places, both in terms of food and ambiance, to narrow down your search for outstanding outdoor dining. The restaurants below cover many areas in town, from the coast of West L.A. to Burbank and down to Chinatown. Whether you prefer the classic dishes and elegance of a French bistro, the laidback atmosphere of a restaurant serving New American cuisine, or perhaps what the city is best known for, mouthwateringly delicious Mexican food, you will find something to suit almost every preference and palate.

Viviane is a Beverly Hills poolside hotspot where you can sit in one of the surrounding tables or semi-private cabanas to enjoy perfectly crafted cocktails and a delicious menu to boot. If you've already dined at Viviane and want to try something different there, try showing up on a Wednesday or weekend. 

The restaurant has themed "Wednesdays in Italy" with Italian specials like rigatoni bologna and tartufo arugula. The pasta is all made fresh in-house, giving the dishes an extra authentic quality. On weekends, you can go with a friend or group to take advantage of the Weekend Roast special, which costs $75 per person, at the time of publication, and includes salad, mushrooms, a juicy ribeye, truffled potatoes, and dessert, making it well worth the price. Otherwise, just pop in for a fabulous poolside brunch with continental and American cuisine featuring fresh, local California ingredients with a focus on healthy, balanced meals. 

Though the menu at Castaway Burbank is perhaps a tad expensive, featuring a mix of scrumptious seafood as well as meat, people come to this restaurant primarily for the view, which is worth the price. If you want to watch the sunset over all of Los Angeles (on a clear day, of course), book a table in advance, as you'll have trouble finding a last-minute opening at dusk. Take in the view of the hills, the city lights, and even downtown LA in the distance, while enjoying the warmth of the nearby firepits. 

Castaway is famous for specials like the Seafood Tower, perfect if you want a sampling of a variety of ocean dwellers, and the Steak Progressive. This meat lover's dream includes four different cuts of steak, including filet mignon, 30-day dry-aged ribeye, Wagyu Zabuton, and prime hanger steak. This spot is perfect for those who want a night out with a big group of family or friends, as a lot of the dishes are meant for sharing. Vegetarians need not worry, as options like the wild mushroom pappardelle pasta are meat-free and delicious.

Perch specializes in serving French small plates, complemented by a wonderful selection of wines and cocktails. However, the most impressive aspect of this restaurant and bar is its rooftop location. Customers get to dine 15 floors up, overlooking the skyscrapers and brights lights of downtown Los Angeles. Less crowded than other famous rooftops, Perch has retained a nice intimate feel even as its popularity has skyrocketed over the years. 

Drop by between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. for the happy hour menu, which unlike the casusal salty dishes served at most happy hours, serves mouthwatering small bites like the wild mushroom arancini and the brioche beef slider. If you want some fine French-inspired cuisine, but don't necessarily want to make the trek up to the rooftop, Perch's restaurant also offers delivery. As the restaurant has become a well-known vista point, reservations are highly recommended, especially if you want to grab an outdoor table with a good view.

The restaurant at Cara Hotel prides itself on sourcing local ingredients from California farmers, making their cooking process more sustainable, ethical, and fresh and flavorful to boot. When you walk into the restaurant, the posh white furniture and romantic lighting surrounding the beautiful turquoise pool may make you feel like you've entered a movie set. The establishment is open from breakfast through dinner, but the outdoor environment is definitely best enjoyed in its evening light. You can sit in the courtyard surrounding the pool or one of the two front patios.

Though walk-ins are accepted, this restaurant has become a trendy spot in L.A., in addition to seating a lot of the hotel guests staying in the rooms up above, so you may want to make a reservation in advance. Before heading out the door, keep in mind that Cara is a cashless restaurant. Once you're there, you can't go wrong with almost any dish on the menu, but the branzino and black truffle pappardelle are truly exceptional.

One of the most expensive options on this list that is also entirely worth the price is the famous Nobu restaurant, perched on the sands of Malibu. Iron Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurants have become world-renowned, known for the quality and freshness of the Japanese sushi and cuisine served at each and every location. Los Angeles has two Nobu restaurants, one in West Hollywood, and the other in the ultra-rich neighborhood of Malibu. When deciding on a great outdoor dining space, the latter's view is absolutely unrivaled.

Trust the knowledgeable kitchen at Nobu's, and go ahead and try the Nobu Signature or omakase menu. The chef picks some of the regular menu's highlights, brainstorms which flavors pair with what, and serves a multi-course tasting menu so you can sample the delicious flavors Nobu has to offer. The restaurant opens at 12 noon every day, at the time of publication.

Unlike many of the upscale and expensive restaurants in the Malibu area, Neptune's Net prides itself on being a laidback local hangout. The kitchen serves a mix of fresh seafood, burgers, and some refreshing beers to accompany the food. Though you might spot a celebrity here, and the eatery, established in 1956, has been featured in plenty of movies like Point Break and Fast and Furious, it's the furthest thing possible from a snobby paparazzi spot. In fact, it's more well-known as a biker hangout for both local motorcycle clubs and people taking their rides up the Pacific Coast Highway.

The restaurant does not take reservations, but for those hoping for a late-night dinner, keep in mind that it closes early, even on the weekends. Pick your seat carefully, as you can either sit on the "restaurant side", which serves fried food and canned beverages, or the "seafood side", which specializes in fresh seafood and draft beers.

Among the many popular cafes and restaurants lining Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz you will find Alcove Cafe & Bakery, still one of the top hangouts in the area thanks in part to its comfortable, plant-filled outdoor area. The ivy-covered cafe and decorative brick walls pay homage to the historic nature of the building, as Alcove is housed in two of the oldest bungalows in the area.

Alcove is a great stop for a brunch or lunch catch-up with a friend, as its menu focuses on home-baked goods and breakfast items like pancakes, biscuits, and eggs. The kitchen also serves its own twists on classics like eggs Benedict, serving a short rib Benedict with dry-aged braised short rib in place of the usual bacon or ham. The adjoining building, known as Big Bar, is part of Alcove but specializes in expertly made cocktails. Reservations are strongly recommended on weekends when Alcove is bustling with locals.

If you're heading to Firefly for dinner, the mushroom pappardelle and jidori chicken are both excellent options, with a Spanish octopus or beet and goat cheese salad as an appetizer. Firefly is incredibly mindful of customers with dietary restrictions and preferences, so they clearly label the many items on the menu that are gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan.

The dimly lit, library-like interior of this Studio City restaurant will temporarily make you forget you're in the sunny city of L.A., calling to mind an upscale New York or London eatery instead. If you want to enjoy a warm summer evening, the brightly accented patio with hanging lights and bougainvilleas is a much better option, as well as one of the most romantic outdoor dining areas in the city. Firefly is only open for dinner service, starting at 5 p.m. every day, except Sunday, when it opens at 4:30 p.m., at least at the time of publication. 

You can indulge in the offerings of a French bistro right in the heart of Culver City, at Simonette Restaurant in the historic Palihotel. One of the perks of eating here is the bright, charming outdoor courtyard, as well as the happy hour offerings Tuesdays through Sundays. These include French dishes like croquettes, as well as some refined American burgers, such as the Burger Parisienne with caramelized onions and bordelaise sauce. 

At Simonette, the atmosphere is fun and convivial, with many dishes meant to be shared among friends; while the restaurant is elegant, it is by no means uptight. The staff is incredibly welcoming and friendly, regardless of whether you are a hotel guest or just walked in off the street. For dinner, go for a very classic French dish like the bouillabaisse boil or poisson en papillote, made of fish with fennel, leeks, carrot, and tomato.

Chef David Chang, the founder of ultra-prestigious Momofuku in New York, has another hit restaurant on his hands with Majordomo. Though the menu takes its overall inspiration from Korean cuisine, there are a lot of twists and interesting updates, citing flavors from Korea to Italy. Go for dishes you're unlikely to find elsewhere, like the duck confit crispy rice and grilled yu choy. Adventurous diners will love this one-of-a-kind establishment in Chinatown. Majordomo is best enjoyed with a big group, as you can also get a variety of dips to try, ranging from the traditional (butter and honey) to the slightly more out there (whipped bone marrow and caviar).

The restaurant's interior is a smartly decorated revamped industrial space, and the patio has a laidback, comfortable ambiance. Though the restaurant is not as jam-packed as it was when it first opened, when customers needed reservations over a month in advance, reservations are still highly encouraged.