The 20 prettiest outdoor restaurants in Europe
Outdoor restaurants speak of summer holidays and a slower pace of life that allows time to settle in for long, lazy lunches with friends where the wine flows and all that follows is a siesta under the shade of a tree. Come the evening, transport yourself to a table with a view and watch the day turn to night as delicious plates arrive and fragrant scents are carried along in the warm evening air. Europe has plenty of such places, but these are the very prettiest, from staggering mountain settings to firepit feasts on the sand.
Wild Feasts at Oxmoor Farm: Chiltern Hills, UK
In the beautiful rolling hills of Buckinghamshire, Oxmoor Farm opens its gates for a second year in a row of delightful culinary events. Wild Feasts is a series showcasing the talents of multiple chefs in an unrivalled al-fresco environment – the epitome of rustic chic, just a short journey outside of London. Next in the lineup Olivia Cavelli, whose food takes inspiration from her Italian heritage. With simplicity and a ‘famiglia’ feel at its core, the menu is the ideal accompaniment to the charming rustic setting of Oxmoor. The series will conclude with an innovative menu curated by Sophie Gordon, author of The Whole Vegetable, with sustainable and zero-waste dishes taking centre stage. Lucy Bruton
Summer 2023 events include:
- Lucy Turnbull & Emma Cantlay of The Seasonal Supper Club (17 and 18 of June)
- Olivia Cavalli (22 and 23 July)
- Sophie Gordon (26 and 27 of August)
Address: Oxmoor Farm, Great Hampden, Great Missenden HP16 9RD
Website: oxmoorfarm.co.uk
Ristorante Timeo: Taormina, Sicily
Arrive at sunset and stay until nightfall to watch the unfolding drama of the lava erupting from Mount Etna from the terrace of this romantic hotel. The presence of an active volcano leads to fertile soil that, in turn, makes Sicilian produce full of flavour. Do stay for longer than a drink and eat classic dishes like stuffed courgette flowers with ricotta cream, pistachio arancini, and Pasta alla Norma made with local aubergines and the sweetest tomatoes. Listen to the lilt of soft voices and the sound of the piano as you eat and gaze out on the view that has drawn visitors here for decades, from D.H. Lawrence to Audrey Hepburn.
Address: Via Teatro Greco, 59, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
Website: belmond.com
Robin BarbosaCasa de Chá Boa Nova: Leça da Palmeira, Portugal
The setting for this two-Michelin-starred restaurant has been declared a National Monument, such is its architectural importance. The slick modernist building on the outskirts of Porto is open-sided, with tables spilling out onto a concrete platform on the rocks with views over the Atlantic Ocean. The sound and salty spray of the sea add to the experience as you dine on a 21-course tasting menu that takes you on an oceanic journey with offerings of sea urchin, seabass, scarlet shrimp, and squid and more local fishes that have just leapt from the waves.
Address: Av. da Liberdade, 1681, 4450-718 Leça da Palmeira, Portugal
Website: casadechadaboanova.pt
Rinze VegelienDe Kas: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Municipal 1920s greenhouses form the setting for De Kas, a sustainable hotspot where produce picked in the morning is on your plate by lunchtime. A world away from Amsterdam’s bitterballen and beer scene, the cooking here is ambitious, with simple, homegrown ingredients elevated to new heights. The results are as delicious as they are pretty; picture delicate roasted white asparagus with kumquat and chervil flowers or a painterly plate of beetroot, Castelfranco, and radicchio served with ponzu beurre blanc. The main restaurant is housed under glass, but there’s also a wonderful outdoor terrace for when the sun shines where you’re even closer to the action in the garden.
Address: Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 1097 DE Amsterdam, Netherlands
Website: restaurantdekas.com
La Sponda Restaurant, Le Sirenuse: Positano, Italy
There are two almost ridiculously pretty outdoor dining spots at Le Sirenuse. Aldo’s is the more informal of the two, being a lively bar first and foremost serving up a seafood grill, fresh oysters and Caprese salads. But the prize for the prettiest spot has to go to La Sponda, the hotel’s restaurant proper, where hundreds of candles are lit every evening. Bougainvillaea climbs the walls, and lemon trees heave with citrus fruits scenting the evening air as you gaze out at the pinky-hued Positano houses and over the water to the Siren Islands.
Address: Il Sirenuse, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 30, 84017 Positano SA, Italy
Website: sirenuse.it
Andrew MontgomeryThe Teahouse at Petersham Nurseries: Richmond, London
Set within the bucolic surrounds of Richmond, Petersham Nurseries is a plant nursery as well as a restaurant set within a spectacularly pretty glasshouse. The secret – if you want to eat outside – is to aim for the Teahouse rather than booking a table at Café. Here you can pitch up for breakfast, lunch or tea and carry plates of homemade pasta, freshly picked salads and sumptuous treats like nettle and lemon cake or scones and jam to a relaxed al fresco zinc table. Sit within a fantasy garden where the scent of trailing jasmine hangs in the air, amongst pots and wheelbarrows and all the goings-on of the busy nursery.
Address: Off Church Lane, Petersham Road, Richmond TW10 7AB
Website: petershamnurseries.com
Sally MitchellThe Hidden Hut: Cornwall, UK
Trestle tables cluster around a tiny hut on the remote Roseland Peninsula. It doesn’t sound like much, but The Hidden Hut is a magic place. By day, enjoy rainbow summer salads, butcher’s pasties and grilled sardines – depending on the morning catch – overlooking the vast Porthcurnick Beach below. At night, the open-air feasts are bring-your-own-plate and might include lobster and chips or sticky ribs cooked outdoors over the wood fire. For special occasions, long tables are taken down to the beach to run along the sand for midsummer parties under the stars.
Address: The Hidden Hut, Portscatho, Truro TR2 5EW
Website: hiddenhut.co.uk
The Giri Café: Ibiza, Spain
Behind a whitewashed townhouse lies the sun-drenched garden of The Giri Café. Shaded sunbeds let you laze away the morning, sipping freshly squeezed orange juice and flat whites along with breakfast bowls and cardamom waffles. Wander between the raised beds where vegetables and herbs for the day’s menu are growing before your eyes. Stay for lunch or supper to try plates that champion the island’s produce among a laidback and effortlessly hip crowd.
Address: Plaza de España, 5, 07810 San Juan Bautista, Illes Balears, Spain
Website: cafe.thegiri.com
- DestinationsThe best walks in Cornwall
Samsara Foodhouse: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
In Romania’s student city of Cluj-Napoca, a cool young crowd come to sip green juice and berry smoothies at this top brunch spot. The menu is plant-based – making Samsara the only vegan-friendly restaurant in town – and the puddings are the highlight. Think tofu and white chocolate mousse and brownies with espresso caramel. The indoor part of the restaurant houses an olive tree, but, in the summer months, you’ll want to sit out on the terrace flanked by an enormous colourful mural, among the buzz.
Address: Cardinal Iuliu Hossu Street 3, Cluj-Napoca 400029, Romania
Website: samsara.ro
Gro Spiseri: Copenhagen, Denmark
Given the climate, northern European restaurants tend not to lead with their outdoor spaces. Gro Spiseri proves the exception to that rule, being a rooftop farm at heart. Sitting atop a former car auction house in Copenhagen’s Østerbro is a magical green oasis: sip on a glass of natural wine as you wander among the lettuce, cabbage and carrot tops that sprout from the vegetable beds. Nordic food is served family-style on shared plates in the cosy greenhouse, or on the outdoor table if the weather allows.
Address: Æbeløgade 4, 2100 København, Denmark
Website: grospiseri.dk
Belvedere Restaurant: Belmond Hotel Caruso Ravello, Italy
Ravello sits high up on her rocky throne, queen of the Amalfi Coast. From the terrace of the Belvedere restaurant, the whole of the Gulf of Salerno spreads out below. Visit at sunset for a cocktail in the elegant Il Loggiato bar, where a piano is played in the evening, and Gothic arches frame the backdrop like a painting. Then wander up to the glamorous restaurant to dine on classic Amalfi dishes as you watch the lights come on all along the hillside.
Address: Piazza S. Giovanni del Toro, 2, 84010 Ravello SA, Italy
Website: belmond.com
L’Orangerie at Airelles La Bastide: Gordes, France
Gordes clambers up the cliffside, tiny calades or cobbled streets weaving upwards past white stone houses to the top of the hill. The town’s smartest hotel, La Bastide occupies a prime position with strips of garden spreading along different levels where guests can enjoy the swimming pool and gardens with long views over the Luberon. Lunch or dinner at L’Orangerie is something special. A large terrace opens out over the green valley where the scent of olive and cypress trees floats on the warm evening air. Dine on purple artichokes with garlicky dressing and proper filet de boeuf. Finish things off with coffee and a plate of freshly baked madeleines to share.
Address: 61 Rue de la Combe, 84220 Gordes, France
Website: airelles.com
- DestinationsThe best walks in Cornwall
Claire CocanoLe Bristol: Paris, France
Paris is famed for its pavement cafes. For something a little leafier, retreat to Le Bristol where the new garden has just opened, the final part in the hotel’s decade-long renovations. Landscape designer Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd has brought a pastoral softness to the courtyard, where loose plantings and flowing grasses now surround crisp white parasols and smart tables. The gentle sound of the water features and the scent of herbs and plants adds to the experience at the hotel’s Le Jardin Français restaurant. And as part of the new design, the Bar du Bristol will have its share of the outdoor terrace for tapas and DJ nights beneath the moonlight.
Address: 112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
Website: oetkercollection.com
Chez Vrony: Zermatt, Switzerland
Staggering views over the Matterhorn steal the show at Chez Vrony, perched 6,560ft above Zermatt. From humble origins as an Alpine farm, this family-run restaurant is now one of the region’s top food destinations, with a menu that champions organic produce and livestock raised solely on alpine grass. The recipes have been handed down through the generations, so expect proper Swiss-mountain lunches with fondue, raclette, rösti and plenty of grappa. Settle into chalet chairs with their heart cut-out backs or bag one of the wooden sun-loungers with a prime position in the front row.
Address: Findeln, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland
Website: chezvrony.ch
Locanda Cipriani: Venice, Italy
Take a boat to Torcello, a tiny island at the northern end of the Venetian lagoon and head to Locanda Cipriani. Follow in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, Nancy Mitford and other illustrious guests who have dined here since the 1930s when it was founded by Giuseppe Cipriani, also of Harry’s Bar. The scene has scarcely changed; white wrought-iron furniture and linen tablecloths flutter in the breeze. The classic menu includes spaghetti alle vongole and grilled fish served in the most charming garden with its fragrant rose bushes, pomegranate trees and shaded arbour.
Address: Piazza Santa Fosca, 29, 30142 Torcello VE, Italy
Website: locandacipriani.com
Restaurant 360: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Crenellated medieval walls provide the dramatic setting for this slick restaurant in Dubrovnik old town. The former fortress of St John has been transformed into a pretty terrace with views over the sparkling sea and the port below. It’s evening-only with two five-course tasting menus as well as à la carte. Dine on sea bass with smoked mayonnaise as the daylight fades and the ancient walls are lit up against the night sky. Restaurant 360 is known for its wine; there are 70 choices available by the glass, and more than 450 by the bottle. Ask to try those from the Dalmatian coast or opt for the tasting menu with wine pairings that lead with local varieties.
Address: Ul. Svetog Dominika bb, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Website: 360dubrovnik.comThe Borzoi: Skiathos, Greece
It might feel strange to walk away from the sea views, but it’s worth winding through the white-washed townhouses of Skiathos to reach The Borzoi. Tucked behind the backstreets you’ll find a magical courtyard garden in a former taliagria or olive press. Prickly pears, cacti, hot pink geraniums, hanging lanterns and zigzag cushions invite you to the party that begins with a sumptuous dinner of sushi and cocktails and ends with late-night DJs spinning tracks into the night. Open to the stars, the white walls enclose the good vibes that have seen dancing here since 1977 when The Borzoi opened as the island’s legendary nightclub.
Address: Papadiamanti, Skiathos 370 02, Greece
Website: borzoiskiathos.com
- DestinationsThe best walks in Cornwall
To Lokali: Athens, Greece
In a previous life, To Lokali (or ‘the local’) was a summer cinema, with rows of chairs filling the flagstones. Now it’s essentially a Greek take on the beer garden. Instead of trestle tables and pints, find a spacious courtyard garden with coloured lights strung between the trees and generous gin and tonics served late into the night. Hip Athenians will meet friends after midnight, but this place opens up again from 10am with brunch and strong coffee for anyone who’s overdone it the night before.
Address: Sarri 44, Athina 105 53, Greece
Website: tolokali.gr
AlamyLa Colombe d’Or: Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
Despite its immense fame, there is still something beguiling about the Colombe d’Or. The hotel in the hilltop town of Saint-Paul de Vence has hosted some of the 20th century’s greatest artists – some of whom paid their way with paintings and gave the hotel its extraordinary art collection. It’s a joy to see these artworks where they seem to belong; in a rustic auberge among the hum of life. The restaurant fills a pretty walled garden, and even the menus, with Provençal dishes listed out in colourful inks, are irresistible.
Address: Place du Général de Gaulle, 06570 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
Website: la-colombe-dor.comAlbacara: Ronda, Spain
Just beside Ronda’s New Bridge sits the Montelirio, an old-school hotel with a prime position. Formerly the stables of the Montelirio palace, the restaurant is not for those with vertigo; its veranda perches atop the rocks of the magnificent Tajo gorge. Classic white tablecloths set the tone for the traditional menu that includes Iberico ham, grilled squid with aioli and stewed ox tail, served with wines from the region. Book a table in the front row nearest the edge of the terrace to maximise the staggering view.
Address: C. Tenorio, 8, 29400 Ronda, Málaga, Spain
Website: hotelmontelirio.com/albacara