One of the rewards for enduring this city’s dreary, wet winter months is the array of “secret outdoor sanctuaries” that pop up every summer, said Allison Austin Scheff in Seattle. Recently, we peeked into many of the great nooks and crannies of the city’s dining scene to find the best little oases for enjoying food and drinks “under strings of lights and starlit summer skies.”
Sambar Grab one of the few small tables here and you’ll be rewarded with tasty cocktails and simple fare in an intimate setting of “lushly vine-covered walls and fragrant plantings.” You can’t go wrong with the shrimp cakes and rémoulade, accompanied by a “La Piqure” cocktail: tequila, blood-orange juice, Campari, and smoked chiles. 425 NW Market St., (206) 781-4883
Oddfellows Café The “secret sliver of open space” behind Oddfellows offers your party views of nothing but 10 to 12 other diners and four brick walls. But the stylish clientele helps make this minimalist courtyard an appealing setting for cured-meat plates, Bibb lettuce salads, and a chilled bottle of rosé. 1525 10th Ave., (206) 325-0807
St. Clouds Even some regulars have yet to discover St. Clouds’ secret, six-table back patio. It’s an ideal place to sip rosé and nibble smoked ribs a “little slower than usual”—because you’ll never want the evening to end. 1131 34th Ave., (206) 726-1522
