Toronto patio season lasts about 14 weeks if the weather cooperates, which means every sunny afternoon counts. This guide doesn't rank patios, it sorts them by what you're actually looking for. Great food. Good drinks. A view worth the Uber. Or a vibe you want to sit inside for three hours.
We'll take you a journey through a few of Toronto's boroughs' favourite spots to have a laid back summer drink or a great meal while enjoying the outdootrs.
Toronto Patio Season: What You Need to Know
Most patios open in mid-April and peak from May through September. If there are earlier sunny days, Toronto locals will brave a chillier day for the sake of the vibe. Some covered and heated patios run from October through November and a few operate year-round.
Reservations: Rooftop patios and higher-end restaurant patios typically require booking, especially on weekends. Many casual patios are walk-in only, even if indoor tables are reservable. The notes in each section below tell you what to expect.
Best days: Thursday evening is consistently the sweet spot for popular patios. The crowd is there, the energy is good, and you won't wait 45 minutes for a table. Friday and Saturday nights at top-tier spots often require a reservation made 48 hours in advance or more, but reservations often don’t apply to patios, double-check when you book.
Weather backup: Covered and heated patios are noted throughout this guide. If you're planning around a specific date, check whether your spot has weather protection before committing.
Budget: Food patios run 25 to 45 per person before drinks. Drinks-only spots are typically 15 to 25 per person.
Best Patios in Toronto with Food
These are patios where the food is genuinely the reason to go. The outdoor setting is a bonus.
La Plume, The Well, 444 Wellington Street West
La Plume at The Well delivers full Parisian vibes, complete with bistro-style chairs, striped parasols, and a Wellington Street-facing patio. The food is French and properly made. Steak tartare, a good wine list, and the kind of service that doesn't rush you out. Come for a long lunch or early dinner and stay until the street light changes.
What to order: Steak tartare and a glass of whatever the sommelier recommends.Timing: Reservations recommended on weekends. Walk-in possible early on weekdays.Vibe: Parisian bistro, Wellington Street energy. Good for a date or a slow Friday lunch.
Osteria Alba, 784 College Street, Little Italy
The opening of Osteria Alba was met with big expectations from Little Italy, and it delivers. Grilled calamari smacks of freshness, and rigatoni alla vodka hits all the right spicy, saucy notes. The two patios include a large enclosed space beside the restaurant and a covered rooftop terrace.
A proper Italian dinner patio. The rigatoni alla vodka is the dish people order twice. The rooftop terrace is covered and good for shoulder-season evenings when the weather is unpredictable.
What to order: Rigatoni alla vodka. Grilled calamari to start.Timing: Book ahead on weekends, especially for the rooftop terrace.Vibe: Authentic, neighbourhood Italian. Little Italy done correctly.
⚑ Flag: Verify current rooftop availability seasonally.
Cluny Bistro, 35 Tank House Lane, Distillery District
French bistro inside the Distillery Historic District, with a patio facing the cobblestone courtyard. The menu is inspired by France's modern food movement and paired with lively cocktails. The cobblestone courtyard does the heavy lifting visually, but the menu holds its own. Good for a summer Sunday when you want to make a day of the Distillery.
What to order: The French onion soup and whatever fish is on the daily menu.Timing: Walk-in friendly on weekday afternoons. Weekends get busy by noon. The patio is extremely small, but you can easily kill time in the Distillery while you wait for a table.Vibe: Heritage courtyard setting, tourist-friendly without being a tourist trap.
Best Patios for Drinks in Toronto
Spots where you're there to drink, not necessarily eat. Good bar programs, good energy, walk-in friendly where noted.
Pennies, 1338 College Street (and 1386 Strachan Avenue)
Both Pennies locations have large wrap-around patios loaded with picnic tables set against the backdrop of the bar's bright yellow façade. Slushies are cold and boozy; cocktails are simple; the list of beer, wine and cider is short; and the baskets of tater tots come piled high. Add sliders and tacos or enjoy boatloads of free popcorn.
This is what a neighbourhood patio is supposed to be. Cheap, cheerful, and the kind of place you arrive at 3pm and leave at 8pm without noticing time passed.
What to drink: The boozy slushie. Order the tater tots regardless.Timing: Walk-in. Picnic tables fill fast on hot Saturdays but there's almost always room.Vibe: Casual, loud in the best way, anyone is welcome.
Burdock Brewery, 1184 Bloor Street West
A go-to for a beer-and-a-burger patio day. Expect $9 to 11 beers, burgers around the low $20s. Burdock makes good beer, the backyard patio is shaded and not overcrowded, and the food is honest. A proper afternoon patio without pretension.
What to drink: Ask what's on tap. The house lagers are consistently good.Timing: Walk-in. Tends to fill up on Friday and Saturday evenings.Vibe: Bloor West locals, craft beer crowd, relaxed.
The Three Speed, 1054 Bathurst Street
A back patio with string lights and a relaxed bar-food menu. Good for a casual date or a post-dinner drink. One of those Annex-area spots that doesn't try too hard. The back patio is small, well-lit, and exactly the right vibe for a Tuesday evening.
What to drink: Whatever's on tap. The cocktail list is short and reliable.Timing: Walk-in. Small patio fills on weekends, easier mid-week.Vibe: Low-key, neighbourhood, the kind of place you come back to every summer.
Best Patios with a View in Toronto
Rooftops, waterfront spots, and elevated terraces where the view is worth the booking.
Harriet's Rooftop, 1 Hotel Toronto, 550 Wellington Street West
1 Hotel Toronto has taken one of the most coveted patios and views of the CN Tower and transformed it into Harriet's Rooftop. This verdant open-air bar is just as busy for Sunday brunch as it is for a weekday evening with the after-work crowd looking for a cocktail. The view is genuine. The CN Tower to the east, Lake Ontario to the south, the city spread out below. The Japanese-inspired menu is good. The drinks are excellent.
What to order: Chicken karaage and whatever the seasonal cocktail is.Timing: Reservations essential on weekends. Book 48 to 72 hours ahead in peak summer. Arrive for golden hour.Vibe: Luxurious, green, the kind of rooftop that justifies the price.
The Broadview Hotel Rooftop, 106 Broadview Avenue
A classic east-end skyline view over the Don Valley and downtown. The Broadview Rooftop has been a consistent pick for east-end locals and visitors who want a view without going downtown. The Don Valley stretches out to the north, the skyline sits to the west, and the sunset from this terrace in July is reliably gorgeous.
What to order: The cocktail list changes seasonally. Ask what's current.Timing: Reservations recommended on weekends. Easier to walk in Thursday and Friday evenings early.Vibe: East-end elegant. Less crowded than King West rooftops, equally good views.
Kōst, Bisha Hotel, 80 Blue Jays Way
Set 44 floors up at the Bisha Hotel, Kost is a modern and stylish rooftop bar and restaurant bringing a large slice of California vibes to the heart of downtown Toronto's Entertainment District. An open-air rooftop terrace offers amazing views over Lake Ontario and the city skyline.
The highest rooftop on this list and the one with the most unobstructed lake views. The food is California-inspired and consistently good. The infinity pool is a visual anchor even if you're not in it.
What to order: Anything from the crudo menu. The cocktails are as good as the views justify.Timing: Reservations strongly recommended. This is not a walk-in spot on a summer weekend.Vibe: High-end, hotel-cool. Worth it for a special occasion or when you want Toronto to look its best.
Best Vibe Patios in Toronto
Patios where the atmosphere is the point. Could be the lighting, the garden, the crowd, or the music. Somewhere you go to feel like summer.
The Drake Sky Yard, 1150 Queen Street West
One of the most popular rooftops on Queen Street West, The Drake Hotel's top floor Sky Yard fills up all day with brunch goers soaking up the sun and partiers grabbing a cocktail in the evening. This venue is open year-round, so you can order a pitcher of sangria or craft beer and curl up by a heater.
The Sky Yard has been a Toronto summer fixture long enough to count as a tradition. The vibe is Queen West: creative crowd, good music, and an energy that shifts from relaxed afternoon to lively evening without a sharp transition. Day-to-night patio in one spot.
What to order: Pitcher of sangria in the afternoon. Move to cocktails for the evening.Timing: Walk-in for the afternoon, book ahead for weekday evenings and weekends.Vibe: The most reliably good all-day summer patio in the city.
Baro Rooftop, 485 King Street West
High above King West on the fourth floor of Baro, lush greenery, light wood and rattan lay out the breezy summer vibe. Drinks lean tropical, with tequila well-represented, and the menu runs from ceviche and cold plates to all manner of grilled meat and seafood with Latin flare. Fully covered and enclosed in sliding glass panels, this is a rain or shine rooftop.
Baro Rooftop is the answer to the weather problem. Covered, enclosed when needed, and with a Latin-inspired menu that gives you real food alongside the cocktails. The YYZ cocktail (Bacardi Añejo Cuatro, Fernet-Branca, house-made cola syrup) is the signature order.
What to drink: The YYZ. Then ceviche and another YYZ.Timing: Reservations recommended. The covered setup means it runs even in light rain.Vibe: King West elevated. Latin energy, good music, stays lively late. A phenomenal place to start a night out on King West.
Sunny's Chinese, Kensington Market
Sunny’s has a hidden back patio in Kensington Market that rewards showing up without a plan. If you're going on a weekend evening, show up early. Sunny's is the kind of patio that rewards showing up without a plan. The back patio at Kensington Market is unexpected and consistently good. Chinese-influenced menu, honest cocktails, and the neighbourhood energy of Kensington on a summer evening.
What to order: The dumplings and whatever's on special.Timing: Walk-in. Arrive before 6pm on weekend evenings to get the patio.Vibe: Neighbourhood, unpretentious, the kind of evening that turns into a night.
The Patio Crawl: Steal This Itinerary
Looking to make a day of it? Follow us through the the coolest boroughs as we should you how to get to the city's best patios, and when to go.
11:00am: Pennies, College Street (Drinks Patio)Start slow. Boozy slushie, tater tots, picnic table in the sun. This is a morning patio in the best sense.
1:30pm: Osteria Alba, Little Italy (Food Patio)Walk five minutes west along College Street. Sit on the enclosed patio and have the rigatoni. Take your time.
4:00pm: The Three Speed, Bathurst Street (Drinks Patio)Head north to Bathurst. String lights, back patio, afternoon drinks before things get busy.
6:30pm: Harriet's Rooftop, King West (View Patio)This requires a reservation made in advance. Arrive for golden hour, order the Japanese-inspired menu, watch the CN Tower change colour as the sun sets.
9:00pm: The Drake Sky Yard, Queen West (Vibe Patio)End the day on Queen West. The Sky Yard transitions cleanly from dinner to drinks. This is where the evening finishes.
Total distance: about 4 kilometres of walking. Budget for the day: $80 to $130 per person including drinks.
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Honourable Mentions
RendezViews (229 Richmond Street West): A patio playground that offers the absolute best sports-watching in the city. Built out of a dormant parking lot, it now operates as Canada’s largest outdoor patio and an open-air hub for sports watch parties: giant screens, unobstructed views of the CN tower, hordes of fans. Cheap beer, great vibes, the best place you could possibly hop on a Toronto sports bandwagon.
Amsterdam Brewhouse (245 Queens Quay West): A big, reliable waterfront patio that is built for groups. Gets crowded but the lake is right there.
Hemingway's (142 Cumberland Street): A long-running Yorkville patio staple with a big roof deck that can carry you from afternoon into late night. Unpretentious in a neighbourhood that often isn't.
Terroni Price (1095 Yonge Street, Rosedale): The rooftop patio has a good view of Rosedale and is the right place to drink an Aperol Spritz with pasta.
Bar Allegro (Ossington): Booze-forward cocktails and bar bites with a covered side patio wrapped in greenery. Good for a long evening on the Ossington strip.
Bandit Brewery (2126 Dundas Street West): A Roncesvalles area favourite with a patio that feels like a mini beer garden. Pints are 10. Exactly what it should be.
Local Public Eatery (141 Adelaide Street West): A financial district staple. A massive, generally great menu and an equally massive patio to match. Get the spicy margarita and the blackened chicken sandwich.
Cactus Club Cafe (77 Adelaide Street West): It would be remiss to make a list of Toronto patios without Cactus Club. The financial district’s answer to casual happy hours, elegant room, great cocktails, upscale-but-easy food. The frozen peach Bellini is a basic but iconic choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does patio season start in Toronto? Most patios open in mid-April. Heated and covered patios sometimes open in late March. Peak season is May through September. Some patios run year-round with heat lamps and enclosures.
What is the best rooftop patio in Toronto? Harriet's Rooftop at 1 Hotel Toronto consistently ranks among the best for views and food quality. Kōst at the Bisha Hotel has the highest elevation and best lake views. Baro Rooftop is the most weather-proof option.
Are there heated patios open in winter in Toronto? Yes. The Drake Sky Yard operates year-round with heaters. Baro Rooftop is enclosed with sliding glass panels and runs in shoulder seasons. El Catrin in the Distillery District offers fireside tables and warm-you-up spicy margaritas throughout the Christmas market. Several downtown patios have heaters that extend the season into November.
Do you need reservations for patios in Toronto? It depends on the spot. Rooftop patios and higher-end restaurants require reservations, especially on weekends in summer. Most casual patios are walk-in only. The notes in this guide indicate what each spot requires.
What are the best patios downtown Toronto? Harriet's Rooftop, Kōst, La Plume at The Well, and the Drake Sky Yard are consistently the strongest downtown options. For a more casual downtown patio, RendezViews on Richmond Street West has a large, colourful outdoor space.
What are the best waterfront patios in Toronto? Amsterdam Brewhouse on Queens Quay West is the most reliable waterfront patio for groups. Harriet's Rooftop at 1 Hotel has lake views from above. For a more casual option, Cabana Pool Bar at Polson Pier is a summer institution.