London’s best restaurants for outdoor dining

What is it? Fresh seafood in the heart of Epping Forest. 

Why we love it: There’s nowhere better on a sunny day than one of London’s excellent outdoor spaces, and the ancient woodland of Epping Forest might be one of the best. It’s made even better by the fact that the capital’s best value raw bar is here too. The Oyster Shack is just that, a ramshackle spot next to the Kings Oak Hotel boozer, but the seafood here is fabulously fresh. Come for a seafood platter stacked with crab, prawns, cockles and whelks, or level up with a whole tray of oysters and their iconic mango prawns. Grab a picnic bench and scoff to your heart’s content. 

Time Out tip: Grab a pint of Guinness from the pub next door to wash down your oysters. 

Address: Next to the Kings Oak Hotel, Waltham Abbey, Loughton, IG10 4AE.

Opening hours: Thu-Sun 11am-5pm.

Expect to pay: Oysters £12-15 for a half dozen, seafood £4-10, baps £5-8.  

What is it? A local al fresco landmark with food to match, Brian Danclair's heaving Caribbean spot in Brixton Village market, with half the ‘outside’ tables under cover and the rest on the patch by Coldharbour Lane is known for its effervescent service and reggae tunes.

Why we love it: The tables are mostly communal and the food is bold, memorable stuff; codfish fritters, reggae wings (juicy chicken slathered in tangy, peppery, tongue-tingling tamarind sauce, plus a pile of sweet crushed pineapple) and curried mutton, rice and peas, green beans and chutney. 

Time Out tip: Vegetarians are in luck because now there’s the neighbouring Veg & Tings, offering plant-based takes on the main menu. 

Address: 2 Atlantic Rd, Brixton, SW9 8PS.

Opening hours: Tue-Thu and Sun 12-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-10.30pm.

Expect to pay: Small plates £5-10, big plates around £15.

What is it? Breakfast on the towpath overlooking the Regent’s Canal near Whitmore Bridge is a terrific way to start the day, and once you’ve bagged a table you may be tempted to linger for hours, especially if the sun is shining. Seasonal, it usually opens in March and closes in November for the winter.

Why we love it: Sure, the queues can sometimes be intimidating, but this self-consciously low-key café has always been a favourite with passing dog-walkers, runners and cyclists, who stop off for coffee and snacks, light-as-air cakes and rustic but skilfully cooked hot lunches. Now it might be somewhat of a hipster haven, but that doesn’t stop it from serving some of the best dishes in east London.

Time Out tip: Towpath doesn’t take bookings, so you’ll just have to turn up and chance it. It’s easier to get a seat on a weekday morning, but come the weekend it’s something of a (sourdough) bunfight. 

Address: Regent's Canal towpath, between Whitmore Bridge and Kingsland Road Bridge, N1 5SB.

Opening hours: Wed-Sun 9am-5pm.

Expect to pay: Small plates on the blackboard menu range from about £8 to £20.

What is it? A delightful deli on Bonnington Square which specialises in Italian produces and simple, delicious daily lunches and seasonal sandwiches. A real gem and proper community hub. 

Why we love it: For the regular, super varied supperclubs that take over the outdoor terrace. Think; Belgian al fresco feasts, chefs from the likes of Sessions Arts Club, slap-up pizza parties and up and coming chefs such as Millie Lagares and the guys from Gorka. For special events like these you need to book your tickets and tables in advance, but on Fridays to Sundays you can get early evening pasta and simple Italian dishes by just walking in.

Time Out tip: Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates and news on the next kitchen takeover. 

Address: 13 Bonnington Square, SW8 1TE.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-3pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm. Kitchen Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm 5.30-8.30pm, Sat 11am-3pm 5.30-8.30pm, Sun 11am-3pm 5.30-7.30pm.

Expect to pay: Daytime sarnies are reasonable - you can get lunch for around a tenner, but takeovers might run to £40 a head-ish. 

What is it? Essentially, a carpark in Dalston with a very lovely covered terrace and a live fire restaurant from former Brunswick House chef Andrew Clarke.

Why we love it: For an innovative barbecue menu that’s not your run-of-the-mill bangers and burgers menu. Try small plates such as beetroots with sweet and sour dill dressing, beetroot purée, pickled blueberries and sorrel and grilled leeks with pistacho romesco. Alongside the food, there are special edition beers brewed by neighbouring 40FT Brewery to pair with the menu. 

Time Out tip: While the menu isn’t exactly vegetarian, veg is the star of the show and vegans and will get along here extremely well, with the likes of charred carrots with sourdough mole and carrot top pesto.

Address: Abbot Street, Dalston, E8 3DP.

Opening hours: Tue-Wed 5.30-10pm, Thu 12-3pm 5.30-10pm, Fri 12-3pm 5.30-11pm, Sat 1-11pm, Sun 12-5pm.

Expect to pay:  Starters are around £10 and mains around £20-35.

What is it? Absolutely delightful, actually. The award-winning café at the Garden Museum in Lambeth has a small but lush alfresco garden courtyard. 

Why we love it: It’s open for lunch daily and for dinner on Tuesdays and Fridays and head chefs Harry Kaufman (previously at St John Bread and Wine and Lyles) and George Ryle (Padella and Primeur) make seasonal sensations. Think smoked eel and tomato starters and whole lemon sole mains with mussels and sea beets.

Time Out tip: The cheese plate here is always a good one. Expect the likes of Devon Blue or Appleby’s Cheshire with house-made chutney and crackers.

Address: 5 Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB.

Opening hours: Lunch daily 12–3pm. Dinner Tue 5.30-9pm, Fri 6-9pm.

Expect to pay: Starters are around £10 and mains £25.

What is it? The bawdy, gastro-pubby current kitchen residency at much-loved Islington boozer the Compton Arms. Bag a table in the sun-trap garden (which is heated during those more chill moments of the year). 

Why we love it: Rake are Jay Claus and Syrus Pickhaver, two London chefs with some serious kitchen pedigree under their belts. They honed this project in the dining room of the dearly departed Gun pub in Hackney, and it is now at peak performance. The seasonal menu has just switched up for spring, and features buttermilk ranch cuttlefish salad, roasted courgette with wild garlic and Irish sheep labneh, as well as their quickly iconic ray wing tenders crumpet. We are, frankly, not worthy.

Time Out tip: Please order the deep fried cockles and clams on skewers, the best pub snack we may have ever encountered. Salty and vinegar-y and a bit like licking the edge of the ocean. 

Address: The Compton Arms, 4 Compton Ave, N1 2XD.

Opening hours: Kitchen open Wed-Sun. 

Expect to pay: Starters around £8, mains up to £20.

What is it? A beloved fresh pasta spot in Hackney. 

Why we love it: The terrace is basically on the canal, so if you can’t get into the excessively popular Towpath Cafe down the way, this is an excellent back-up option. Ombra specialises in high-end but fun dining. Everything is striking, creative and substantial. There’s evidence of attention to detail and flair in every dish, but also the desire to provide unpretentious, hearty meals. Order the gnocco fritto; warm and golden pillows of lardy dough, which come wrapped in elegant yet chunky blankets of wild-boar mortadella.

Time Out tip: The canalside outside bit is heated, so there’s no need to wait for summer.

Address: 1 Vyner Street, Bethnal Green, E2 9DG.

Opening hours: Lunch - Wed-Fri 12-3pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm. Dinner - Wed-Sat 6-10pm, Sun 6-9pm.

Expect to pay: Snacks £4-11, pasta £18-ish, mains £25-40.  

What is it? The latest incarnation of the storied boho Holland Park bistro, with chef-patron Owen Kenworthy (Brawn, The Pelican) doing unfussy but elegant French brasserie faves. Ignore the martini trolley at your peril. 

Why we love it: To feel very, very west London on the chic terrace which spills out onto the paved, pedestrianised Portland Road. 

Time Out tip: Come for boozy Ab Fab-style weekend brunch, with lobster roll or baked eggs with king oyster mushroom friccassèe and truffle washed down with a green tomato martini. Bliss. 

Address: 135 Portland Road, Holland Park, W11 4LW.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-midnight, Sat 11.30am-midnight, Sun 11.30am-9.30pm.

Expect to pay: Mains veer from £20-45. Not cheap, but super glam.

What is it? Toklas is the first restaurant venture from the founders of Frieze art fair and magazine, Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, and it sits within the brutalist 180 The Strand building, also home to their offices and a cutting-edge art gallery. It's named after Gertrude Stein’s life partner, Alice B Toklas. Impossibly chic, in other words. 

Why we love it: For simple the unfussy food served on a massive 2,500-sq foot terrace designed artfully by Miria Harris. There's lots of foliage and head chef Chris Shaw is in charge of the kitchen, serving the likes of monkfish and rosemary skewers, and nroad beans with rocket, mint and pecorino salad. House wine comes with artwork by Turner Prize-winning Lubaina Himid. Told you it was chic. 

Time Out tip: Next door is Toklas Bakery, one of London’s best bakehouses. Grab some pastries for the road.  

Address: 1 Surrey St, Temple, WC2R 2ND.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 12-2.30pm 5.30-9.30pm.

Expect to pay: Starters are about £15, while mains come in anywhere from £20-42.

What is it? A waterside west London bistro from the same team as the really very good Bistro Freddie.

Why we love it: The location is immaculate, and the outdoor terrace is on a private stretch of the Grand Union Canal, so you won’t be bothered by bikes or walkers. The food is pretty decent too, with seasonal sharing dishes by New York-born Adrian Hernandez, such as mangalitza sausage, bream crudo with cherries, and honeydew melon with speck. 

Time Out tip: Cocktails are made in collaboration with A Bar with Shapes for a Name. Ignore the overly sweet raspberry gimlet and go for the savoury olive oil negroni. 

Address: 11b Woodfield Road, Westbourne Park, W9 2BA.

Opening hours: Daily 12-10pm.

Expect to pay: Small plates £5-18, large plates £19-90 (for a sharing rib eye steak). 

What is it? A contemporary Greek restaurant that both defies and embraces neighbourhood taverna cliches.

Why we love it: The food at this Borough restaurant is neither rustic simplicity nor beholden to tradition. Instead it’s all about big flame-cooked flavours and robustly fresh ingredients. Pyro has heavy beachside vibes, which is very bold in Southwark but it carries it off in large part because of its surprisingly enormous outdoor area. That it doesn’t fall over the precipice of novelty is due to the mostly excellent food. We loved the spanakopita pastel del nada, mussel saganaki, and pork souvlaki skewers.

Time Out tip: Order the ‘layered’ potatoes. A sort of fantasy hybrid of classic roast potato and pommes anna, it consists of layered cubes of spud, thinly crispy and lightly spiced on the outside and is outstanding. 

Address: 53b Southwark Street, Borough, SE1 1RU.

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 12pm-1am, Sun 12-9pm. 

Expect to pay: Starters £4-9, fire dishes £14-105, sides £7.

What is it? Upmarket but relaxed, offering arguably the best outdoor seating in the swish King’s Cross development Coal Drops Yard. There's also a similarly sweet terrace at Parrillan’s Borough Yards location on the other side of the river. It opens in March for the spring and summer. 

Why we love it? DIY Spanish cooking on a parilla (grill) is what you’re here to do. The seafood, from shimmering scallops to fabulously fresh red prawns, is stunning. Try the Lagarto Ibérico, the best-value dish on the menu, and don’t forget some hearty wedges of pan con tomate and cheese-stuffed ham croquetas. You’ll think you’re on actual hols. 

Address: Unit 102, Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, N1C 4DQ.

Opening hours: Mon-Wed 5-10pm, Thu-Sat 12-3pm 5-10pm, Sun 12-5pm.

Expect to pay: Snacky, tapas-style starters from £5-15, while single items for the grill range from £4-15.

What is it? An Irish eatery by the towpath in Hackney Wick.

Why we love it: From pretty little plates at Towpath Cafe to pizzas and pints at Crate Brewery, canal-side dining has long been an east-London failsafe, and Inis (which means ‘island’ in Irish) has now boldly entered the chat. There’s seating for 50 out front by the towpath, but also a big, grand room for those who don’t feel like an al fresco dinner. Run by Lynsey Coughlan, the former director of Ginger Pig butchers, and her partner, Lindsay Lewis, these know what they're doing; Irish flourishes decorate a menu of seasonal fare, with the occasional full-throttle modern Gaelic dish, such as a raucous starter of potato scallops (aka, massive thick cut wedges halfway between crisps and chips) accessorised with a pot of creamy curry sauce.

Time Out tip: All all-day spot, Inis opens at 8am, perfect for a canal-side coffee and spot of breakfast before you start your uber creative Hackney Wick working day.

Address: 13 Rookwood Way, Fish Island, E3 2XT.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 8-11.30am & 1-11pm, Sun 8-11.30am & 1-6pm. 

Expect to pay: Breakfast £4-16, dinner starters £6-16, mains £19-29.

What is it? An authentic Portuguese small plates restaurant and wine bar tucked beneath some London Bridge railway arches, specialising in fresh produce and top quality wines.

Why we love it: Bar Douro is the closest thing you’ll get to experiencing Euro Summer without having to set foot in a hellish and overly heated airport. Not one dish was a dud – my favourites included sweet, meaty prawns drenched in a golden garlic sauce, a simple heritage tomato salad in zingy white port vinaigrette, and perfectly smoky bites of sausage croquettes. This, alongside fantastic service and delicious wine (they have a wide Portuguese selection of vinho) packaged neatly inside an airy and blue-tiled little restaurant, made for a lovely dinner indeed.

Time Out tip: If you must sit inside, choose the counter looking at the open kitchen. It’s ideal for a first date, where you can watch the chefs doing various bits of chopping, sautéeing and frying if the flirty banter dries up.

Address: 35B, Arch, 85B Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 0NQ.

Opening hours: Tues-Sat 12-10pm, Sun 12-9pm.

Expect to pay: Sharing plates range from £5-£25.50, with two to three dishes recommended per person. Set menu for £42 a head.

What is it? Brixton’s Laundry has long since stopped steaming your sheets, but you may want to get steaming here in a different way; by sipping summery spritzes on their sizable terrace.

Why we love it: Food here is bistro-perfect, with breakfast served until midday (later on weekends) and then offering classics such as prawn cocktail, panzanella salad, bavette steak, and a big old Sunday roast, too.

Time Out tip: Swing by from Monday through to Wednesday for their £15 lunch deal.

Address: 374 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton,  SW9 8PL.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 8.30am-11pm, Fri 8.30am-midnight, Sat 10am-midnight, Sun 10am-8pm.

Expect to pay: Brunch dishes are £15-18, while regular starters are £10-15, and mains £18-26.

What is it? Very, very posh. This is the Twickenham outpost of storied Mayfair seafood spot Scott’s.

Why we love it: For the frankly gorgeous terrace, which looks out over the Thames, as well as a big budget menu of oysters, crab, caviar and plenty of Champagne to wash it all down with. You'll need plenty of cash to splash, we recommend you do so on lobster thermidor. 

Time Out tip: The lunch set menu is pretty good value, at £30 for two courses and £36 for three. 

Address: 4 Whittaker Ave, Richmond, TW9 1EH.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-12.30am, Sun 12-8pm.

Expect to pay: Starters are around £17.50, mains can be anything from £25-60, with whole lobster £70 and a grilled shellfish platter at £110. 

What is it? Converted from the bike sheds of an old Victorian school, this unassuming canteen for Shoreditch creatives (and others) was opened by Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson in 2004 and has since become one of the capital’s most reliable restaurants. 

Why we love it: Whatever the weather, you can depend on the kitchen for a daily menu of colourful yet homely dishes featuring seasonal ingredients. You’ll be inside a heated, see-thru tent which comes in handy during the chillier months, and the ever changing menu offers classy comfort dishes, with lots of British meat and the finest homegrown produce. 

Time Out tip: Do not skip dessert. The ones here are decidedly old school; expect pavlovas, trifles and boozey sorbets.

Address: 16 Playground Gardens, Arnold Circus, E2 7ES.

Opening hours: Wed-Sat 12-3pm, 5.30-7.45pm, Sun-Tue 12-3pm.

Expect to pay: Starters around £10, mains from £19-30.

What is it? A delightful terrace by the manic Vauxhall Cross gyratory. Wait, come back! Despite its chaotic location, you'll have no idea you're in one of London's most brutal interchanges when you're sat in this stunning walled-in garden. Open during the summer months, this secret space is perfect for incognito catch-ups.

Why we love it: For the fabulous food as well as the bohemian charm, darlings. Chef Jackson Boxer cooks up a seaonal storm from this Georgian mansion, which backs onto antiques yard Lassco. You've never eaten anywhere quite like it.

Time Out tip: Check out regular jazz nights in the historic crypt below the mansion. 

Address: 30 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall Cross, SW8 2LG.

Opening hours: Tues 5-11pm, Wed-Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-5pm.

Expect to pay: Starters are £6-15, and mains £17-33. 

What is it? A marvellous neighbourhood Malaysian joint. 

Why we love it: Former holder of our Best Restaurant in London title, our respect for Mambow is strong. Founder Abby Lee’s Malaysian dishes skip trad rendang and roti, and see her digging deep into her Peranakan heritage to create fiery flavours, a scintillating signature sambal and one of the most exciting small kitchens in the capital. Come for creamy, sarawak black pepper curry chicken, serious salads of grilled banana blossom and spiced fried peanuts, and chalkboard specials of formidable rempah paste-slathered, charcoal-grilled sardines. In the summer months there’s a sweet, white-walled garden in which to eat it all. 

Time Out tip: Order whatever dish is on the specials board – and anything with fish in it. Abby Lee has a masterful touch when it comes to seafood.

Address: 78 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, E5 0RN.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 5.30-10.30pm, Sat 12-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm.

Expect to pay: Starters and snacks £5-17, salads around £12, mains £16-27.