These 12 San Francisco restaurants nail outdoor dining

Foreign Cinema is arguably one of San Francisco’s most renowned patios. The outdoor space is still going strong in the Mission, with classic films projected al fresco onto the garden wall. Nothing beats dinner and a movie under the stars alongside Foreign Cinema’s Californian-Mediterranean menu, which includes oysters on the half shell, spiced duck breast, and Madras curry sesame fried chicken. For those who prefer a matinee, try the famous homemade fruit pop tarts served at brunch.

The Vault Garden, from the hospitality group behind New American favorite Trestle, showcases its enormous courtyard downtown with decor transformations from season to season. Covered and heated areas allow for comfortable outdoor dining in all kinds of weather. It’s lined with floral curtains, twinkling lights, and plenty of greenery, making it a festive space to enjoy a contemporary American menu featuring favorites such as caramelized onion dip, wedge salads, and steak frites.

Pizza and pasta are Fiorella’s specialties, best sampled via dishes such as a burrata pie, funghi pie, and chitarra alla cacio e pepe. A local beer list, regionally sourced produce, and city-themed murals and wallpaper make all the locations distinctly San Franciscan. The original outpost on Clement has a compact backyard with tables and sunny yellow chairs, string lights, and heaters for cool Richmond nights. But the newest location in the Inner Sunset is buzzier, opening up to a sceney rooftop with black and gold striped awnings.

Moroccan fare gets filtered through a California lens at Khamsa in the Mission. The mainly halal menu includes dishes such as chicken bastilla (pot pie), fish, chicken, or duck tagines, and beef and lamb kafta (meatballs). It’s all available on the outdoor patio, decked with twinkly lights, heaters, and plenty of foliage.

The latest restaurant from the acclaimed team behind State Bird Provisions and The Progress brings European seafood traditions to the Bay Area, most evident in the house specialty, local anchovies cured in vinegar, boquerones-style. The menu also includes shellfish such as oysters and clams, along with a few meat dishes. They’re all ideal for enjoying on the restaurant’s cozy heated parklet. The half dozen tables—an extension of the tiny but mighty fish bar—are lined with spiky grass and lit by paper lanterns.

Potrero Hill neighborhood darling Mochica is a go-to spot for ceviche, rotisserie chicken with chimichurri, and other bold Peruvian fare. Outdoor seating stretches onto the street under a covered area that’s livened up with green turf, planters, string lights, and heaters. Pair your dishes with a drink from the extensive cocktail menu that focuses on pisco, a clear liquor made from Peruvian grapes.

With cane chairs, colorful rugs, and intricate wooden dividers (for plenty of privacy), the patio at this Mediterranean and Parisian-influenced bistro makes it one of the city’s coziest. Barcha’s lunch menu is known for superb shawarma and kebabs and an unexpected treat for those commuting downtown again. Other winning Middle Eastern dishes include fattoush salad, brightened with mint and sumac, and pistachio and fig jam baklava.

This Mexican neighborhood restaurant sits behind Moscone Center and Yerba Buena and features a heated parklet that’s surprisingly secluded and lush with greenery. Kick back and relax with palomas, esquites, and cochinita pibil tacos. The chef is originally from the Yucatán—where the slow-roasted dish originated—so the pork is seriously succulent.

This groundbreaking vegetarian restaurant first opened in 1979, and it’s still nourishing diners with fresh spring rolls, hearty gratins, and seasonal pastas. Greens boasts a beautiful home in one of the Fort Mason warehouses, where rich wood interiors look out onto the bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The restaurant recently built a wooden “pavilion” outside, so you can dine to a soundtrack of lapping waves and gulls—with plenty of space heaters to cut the fog.

The only thing better than demolishing a perfect shrimp dumpling might be doing it with a view of the Bay. Diners feast on the finest dim sum up on the deck at Harborview, such as baked barbecue pork buns and full Peking duck platters. The family-style Chinese feast pairs well with the exquisite Embarcadero tableau, which includes the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge.

Sometimes even locals forget there’s a national park tucked inside San Francisco, and several excellent restaurants including Presidio Social Club among the eucalyptus trees. The Californian restaurant inhabits a historic military barrack with a wraparound porch. Visitors love the solid brunch menu of croque madame and challah French toast while regulars return for grilled swordfish dinners under the stars.

Ride the elevator up to the top of the swanky Proper Hotel and step out onto a space studded with fire pits. Charmaine’s occupies a triangular rooftop with city views up and down Market Street. The menu is anything but an afterthought, since acclaimed chef Jason Fox (of MICHELIN-starred Commonwealth fame) took over the hotel kitchen. Graze on huitlacoche-stuffed potatoes, chopped salads or cheeseburgers, and sip a Pimm’s cup with a curly cucumber garnish as you take in the striking skyline.