The Best Al Fresco Dining in the U.S.

Light ocean breezes, a stretch of sand dotted with turquoise and white beach umbrellas, and shades of blue in the sky and the Pacific create the ambiance at American Express Fine Hotel & Resort property the Rosewood’s newly opened restaurant. Along with this view, exquisite service and the dishes of chef Massimo Falsini make a meal at Caruso’s a memorable experience. The freshest ingredients from local Santa Barbara farmers, carefully selected cheeses, and highest quality seafood and meats are influenced both by chef’s Southern Italy style and California coastal cuisine. A Hudson Valley Foie Gras appetizer is adorned with roasted peaches, sour mascarpone, and almonds. Green Bee Farms Toy-Box Tomato Salad, a combination of tiny multi-colored tomatoes in a light dressing with creamy buffalo mozzarella, is topped with basil buds. The Japanese Wagyu Matsusaka Kuroge A5 Striploin features potato pavé, foraged mushroom and squash hash—with Bordelaise.

With its setting on a bluff overlooking Mt. Hope Bay, Boat House diners can watch sailboats, sunsets, and seabirds while enjoying New England seafood and local specialties. Their large outdoor patio is the place to be in summer, and their dock on the Sakonnet River is perfect for an after-dinner stroll. Oysters, chowder, lobster, crab cakes, mussels, scallops, and more will make seafood fans happy. Roasted chicken, grilled beef filet, and a delicious burger are also on the menu. There’s a Maine lobster roll for those who can’t let a summer pass by without one. 

Classic elegance in what feels like a tree-covered garden in the south of France is the downtown Palm Springs setting of long-time favorite and Open Table award winner Le Vallauris. Recognizing their patrons’ love of al fresco dining, the outdoor patio is actually larger than the dining room. The traditional menu offerings include Roasted Veal, Alaskan Halibut, and Crispy Roast Duck. Prix Fixe menus are available, and they change weekly. An extensive and tempting dessert menu includes Crème Brûlée, Grand Marnier souffle, and an assortment of cheeses. Start with Russian caviar, and choose a French champagne to accompany your appetizer. Sunday brunch is a local favorite, with many appetizer and entree choices including Organic Eggs Benedict with either smoked salmon or Prosciutto di Parma. The shaded patio is comfortable and inviting both day and evening.

Note: As of August 31, 2020, Le Vallauris is closed for its summer season and will reopen shortly for the fall.

Rustic and elegant, Cress is just steps above Oak Creek under graceful trees with the natural backdrop of water flowing over the creek’s smooth rocks. Local seasonal ingredients are featured in the constantly changing menu, ensuring fresh, creative dishes. Some are even foraged on the resort’s property and enhanced by the skilled culinary team. The restaurant’s prix-fixe menu offers three or four courses as well as a special chef’s six-course tasting menu. Examples of current first course choices are Jumbo Asparagus and Burrata with Kalamata olives, lemon zest wild rice souffle, and guanciale with brown butter Hollandaise or Duck Confit “Rolls” with Vidalia onion soubise, Yukon gold potatoes, spicy yellowcress, and red currant gastrique. Beef, lamb, lobster, and fresh fish entrees are offered with similarly creative accompaniments. A cheese plate is available along with sweet desserts.

Note: Cress on Oak Creek is open only to guests of L’Auberge and has temporarily paused service to outside guests at this time. 

Look out over Biscayne Bay with the glittering high-rise buildings of Miami’s skyline in the background from your table on the outside terrace of La Mar at the Mandarin Oriental, an American Express Fine Hotel & Resort property. You might be sipping a Pisco Sour in this upscale spot led by Peruvian chef-restaurateur Gaston Acurio. The ceviche specialties are made to order with a variety of fresh seafood in a citrus-based marinade of lime and aji peppers. The extensive menu, with hot and cold appetizers, salads, seafood, and meat will give you a delicious introduction to Peruvian dishes and the chef’s Asian-Peruvian focus as well. On Sundays, a two-hour brunch with unlimited cocktails, seafood and grilled item stations, choice of main course, dessert, and select wine, beer, and Taittinger champagne is a local favorite. The Peruvian-inspired entrees include Pescado Escabeche made with crispy mahi-mahi, Tallarines Verdes with Beef Milanese served with Peruvian pesto, and other tasty additions.

This elegantly restored historic building in the heart of Kentucky Bluegrass country is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The current owners have operated the restaurant for nearly twenty years, and it is a favorite with locals and visitors to horse country and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This year, the Holly Hill Inn celebrates its 40th anniversary with menus inspired by Kentucky’s poet community, a unique way to recognize the milestone. Outdoor tables are set on a porch looking out over rolling green hills. The three-course Bluegrass Brunch menu includes country ham biscuits, shrimp and grits, Kentucky porchetta, and Buttermilk fried chicken. Desserts make good use of a local specialty: Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon sauce and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pie.

Just three miles from the hotel on the white sand beach of Lido Key with Gulf of Mexico views, Ridley’s Porch is casual and inviting. Sunsets are gorgeous on Florida’s west coast, but anytime is perfect to enjoy the atmosphere, cocktails, and dishes along with the view. If you’re lucky and the timing is right, you might spot sea turtles in their nesting area on the beach. Seafood dishes include Mojito Shrimp Ceviche and Ridley’s Porch Seafood Pasta with mussels, blue crab, and tiger shrimp. There’s prime rib, pork, and chicken as well. A selection of classic and local brews are available along with cocktails like the Scorched Jalapeno Margarita and Hemingway Daiquiri. Try the Ridley Carrot Cake which they claim will be the best you’ve ever had. For kids, there’s the “Sand” Bucket sprinkled with chocolate chip cookie crumbs.

The al fresco dining deck and stone-designed patio bar of On the Rocks overlook two waterfalls and Gull Lake at the historic lodge, providing stunning views for diners. The Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake has been a summer vacation spot since 1916, with golf, a spa, and a variety of accommodations including private cabins and lakeside homes. Built-in fire pits and wooden pergolas create the perfect atmosphere, and the sound of splashing waterfalls completes the al fresco scene. The menu is casual with plenty of salads, sandwiches, and burgers to choose, and the summer cocktail list includes an Aperol Spritz and Northwoods Old Fashioned. Sized to share, Patio Punches are popular, with one named for the Gull Lake setting.

Open for dinners Thursday, Friday, and Saturday by reservation only, Cloudland Farm (just a few miles down the road from beautiful Woodstock) is the stuff of pastoral dreams. The seasonal, local menu changes weekly (you can check it out on the website every Monday), and this farm-to-table property allows BYOB, so guests can bring their own bottle to uncork before and during dinner. Enjoy a stunning four-mile drive up Cloudland Road, ending at the working farm and barn structure with a wrap-around porch where dinner will be served. 

It's no surprised that this NYC icon made our list. The newly-minted "Gramercy Tavern in the Street" offers guests the hospitality that typically accompanies any Gramercy experience, but with the backdrop of the beautiful and bustling 20th Street. The al fresco dinner menu includes an impressive raw bar (think Island Creek oysters and steamed lobster), as well as such dishes as cioppino, campanelle bolognese, and fresh tomato carpaccio.