Red Lion & Sun

This historic Highgate hostelry is ambitious when it comes to alfresco drinking and dining – and able to be flexible, with an intimate, secluded courtyard at the back and a larger area facing the road at the front. They run open-air grills for ordinary punters on special occasions – for the Royal Wedding, for instance, there were burgers, pork buns, merguez sausage baguettes and chips done in the outside fryer, all washed down with one of four changing ales. Every so often, a quirky mobile catering van (such as Big Apple Hotdogs) will park up at the site – follow their tweets (@redlionandsun) for advance notice.