The Best Al Fresco Dining in the US

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 crudo appetizer of striped bass is adorned with strawberry slices and local avocado for a colorful presentation. Tuttifrutti Toy-Box Tomato Salad, a combination of tiny multi-colored tomatoes in a light dressing with creamy buffalo mozzarella, is topped with crushed pistachios. The Santa Barbara Harbor Cioppino is a tasty selection of octopus, calamari, ling cod, clams, mussels, spot prawns, and Dungeness crab in a perfectly seasoned tomato broth.

Set in Central Park and quintessentially New York, this restaurant has evolved through the years since 1934, with its most recent major renovation in 2014. Summer al fresco brunch surrounded by the Park’s greenery or dinner amidst the twinkling lights are favorites among tourists and residents. Brunch is a mix of classic and new, with Eggs Benedict Florentine, Vegetable Frittata, and Avocado Poached Eggs among the tempting dishes. Dinner choices include Roasted Long Island Duck and several Raw Bar options, including the Olmsted Tower of oysters, clams, snow crab claws, and cocktail shrimp and the even more elaborate Vaux Tower named in honor of Central Park’s co-designers. The beverage list is extensive, and several specialty cocktails are named for New York City’s boroughs. The tempting dessert menu includes Lemon Blueberry Cobbler, Crème Brûlée, and of course, New York Cheesecake.

Year-round al fresco dining is offered at this restaurant because this is Los Angeles, where the weather is almost always moderate. Outdoor tables are set in a brick-walled pathway between a bookstore and theater for a slice of al fresco atmosphere and an intimate vibe. Even inside, the airy greenhouse-style, with high ceilings, trees, and lots of plants, feels like outdoors. Chef Pritchett’s selections play off the diverse cultures and cuisines of Los Angeles, with representatives of Hispanic, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Armenian, and Middle Eastern dishes on the menu, some even cleverly combining ethnic ingredients. You’ll find Grilled Focaccia with kimchi butter and Oatmeal Congee Carbonara along with panna cotta and budino for dessert. Creatively designed and named cocktails include Modern Love, New Romantic, and About Last Night.

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 braised pork chop are also on the menu. There’s a Maine lobster roll for those who can’t let a summer pass by without one. Sunday brunch includes Newport Benedict and combination plate of eggs, bacon, Belgian waffle, and home fries named Sakonnet Sunrise for a local touch. This place offers an extensive cocktail, beer, and wine list with local brews and Vidal Blanc from a Rhode Island winery.

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.

What could be better than blue sky, swaying palm trees, and Pacific Ocean views while you watch seabirds, surfers, and crashing waves? Oh yes, delicious seafood! That’s the obvious specialty, with whole fish the focus at chef Michael Mina’s signature line-to-table restaurant. Daily deliveries by local fisherman to the restaurant’s back door ensure his supply of the freshest bounty from Hawaii’s pristine waters. Abalone Spaghetti, with Osetra caviar Yuzu butter, and chives is on the starter menu along with Ahi Tartare spiced with Habanero-sesame oil. Small plates, the signature seafood tower, and Hawaiian-style grilled fish are featured on the menu. Multiple exterior decks offer plenty of space, views, and breezes, with beachside “feet in the sand” dining available for a true Hawaiian al fresco dinner. A stroll through the Four Seasons, an American Express Fine Hotel & Resort property, and a walk along the shore afterwards sounds like a perfect ending.

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.

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.