Top outdoor dining spots in SF

Spring equinoxes and summer solstices don’t necessarily mean puffer jackets go into hibernation for the season when you’re living in the city. But when the weather does let you shed those extra layers be quick to claim your spot outside amongst the rest of the vitamin D-starved herd to soak up clear skies.

Stick it to the fog at one of these five BARTable San Francisco dining favorites donning outdoor seating. And when you do need that puffer jacket, heat lamps are most likely within reach.

Want more? Explore our East Bay outdoor dining guide.

Foreign Cinema is located at 2534 Mission St. in San Francisco, a 6-minute walk from 24th St. Mission Station BART Station.

Dining with a movie and outdoor seating makes Foreign Cinema a San Francisco staple. Twinkling lights hang overhead where a large screen projects foreign and independent films out on the celebrated patio in the Mission, and Cali-Mediterranean cuisine from the kitchen (plus epic brunch!) seduces the rest of your senses.

Foreign Cinema

24th St. Mission (SF)

This quiet, downtown gem overlooks the green scene and waterfall at Yerba Buena Gardens. Creative international fare and a comprehensive tea list (of course) are complemented by the serene park atmosphere steps from museum musts — it’s a great stop after a visit to SFMOMA that proves alcohol doesn’t need to be in the mix for a memorable time out.

Samovar Tea Lounge

Powell St. (SF)

Rooftop revelry next door to Foreign Cinema, El Techo is another crowd-luring favorite in the Mission. Latin American street foods (try some mango with chili powder, plantains or empanadas) are all the hotter with a cocktail in hand and the San Francisco skyline in view.

El Techo

24th St. Mission (SF)

Steps from Embarcadero BART Station, this Mediterranean restaurant and bar adds impressive visual wow factors to its menu. Expansive views of the Bay Bridge and the Ferry Building are what keep Sens a major player on the map for San Francisco outdoor dining.

Sens

Embarcadero (SF)

It’s all about city sleekness at this SoMA restaurant and bar. Craft cocktails and a bamboo-lined outdoor patio bubbling with fountains bring a New York City feel atop Hotel Zelos, where Dirty Habit dishes up a New American menu.

Dirty Habit

Powell St. (SF)

by Linda Koffman

Linda Koffman is an SF-based freelance writer and editor. Also a beginner gardener by day/performing songwriter by night, she feels grateful to live a life of extremes balancing plenty of contemplative silence with rocking out in a band. When not writing, she keeps her hands busy (and dirty) with old guitar strings and soil, and enjoys engaging with the Bay Area’s diverse environmental and cultural beauty. She loves puns to a fault and shamelessly laughs at her own jokes.