That’s right, Beijing. With the mercury set to be pushing 30 degrees in the coming weeks, if not days, it’s time to think about the important things in life, such as: where can I make the most of the weather before it gets too warm to be outside? Well, roll up your sleeves and grab that sunscreen because this is our complete guide to Beijing’s outdoor family friendly dining locations.
Somewhere we’ve missed? Leave a suggestion in the comments. We’ll be updating the list throughout the summer as we discover new places.
Gulou/Beixinqiao
Dali Courtyard The quintessential hutong dining experience for many, Dali Courtyard’s Yunnan fare has remained reliable after many years in business.
Eatalia (Di’anmen location) Young and funky Italian mini-chain Eatalia boasts a nice terrace at their Di’anmen location.
Hua’s Restaurant Excellent Peking duck and creative Chinese dishes in a restored courtyard setting at their original branch on Guijie .
Hutong No. 44 Kitchen Classic Guizhou dishes in a classic hutong setting. Be sure to reserve in advance as it gets packed on weekends and holidays.
Katchup This spot from one of the original creators of Burger Counter has a surprisingly nice rooftop on which to consume their huge (and delicious) burgers.
King’s Joy Creative vegetarian cuisine in a refined courtyard setting. Bring your Amex for this one. (Expensive)
Le Little Saigon Very hot with Dianping users, Le Little Saigon serves Vietnamese/French fusion food with a leafy terrace on the roof.
Saffron Chef Yao Yang’s modern Mediterranean cuisine has been drawing punters to Wudaoying for years, as does the secluded courtyard set back off the ever-busier hutong.
Susu Susu is like the courtyard home we wish we had. The trel down Qianliang Hutong to find it only makes the excellent Vietnamese cuisine that much better.
Zarah A sheltered courtyard and recently expanded wine menu make Zarah a good choice for more than just coffee and lunch.
Qianmen/Dashilar
Capital M What is left to be said about Capital M? For brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, it’s Qianmen views are one of a kind. They have different events for kids on the weekend during the brunch hours.
Spoonful of Sugar Enjoy local and seasonal-inspired food on Spoonful of Sugar’s terrace, surrounded by their aquaponic garden.
Sanlitun
Blue Frog Although they lost their original huge terrace to Pizza Express, Blue Frog has still managed to retain a few outside tables for you to chow down on your burger.
Element Fresh The terrace at the Sanlitun branch of Element Fresh is one of Beijing’s best places to grab a salad in the summer.
Enoterra This Shanghai transplant has made a stable home in Beijing with a Nali Patio location that combines two of our favorite things – wine and drinking outside.
Flamme The row of tables outside Flamme offer a pleasant locale to tuck into your reasonably priced steaks.
Great Leap Brewing No. 45 Brewpub The newest location of Great Leap in Xinyuanli comes complete with a huge rooftop terrace shaded by leafy trees.
MODO Urban Deli MODO’s terrace doesn’t get much sun, but that makes it a pleasant place to hang out and try one of their excellent salads on a steamy summer’s day.
MOKA Bros You’ll have to be quick to get a seat on MOKA’s south-facing terrace – it tends to be full from breakfast to sunset cocktails.
Pinotage Sample Pinotage’s all new South African Braai (barbecue) on the roadside terrace at their Sanlitun branch.
Pizza Express Taking over the former Blue Frog space, Pizza Express’ terrace is classily decorated in their signature black and white color scheme.
Rumi The terrace at Rumi is our favorite among the Middle Eastern restaurants lining Gongti Beilu near Tuanjiehu. They don’t serve alcohol, but you can bring your own for a small charge.
Sureno Sureno’s sunken terrace is equally suited to a business lunch or a romantic tete-a-tete over some excellent pan-Mediterranean food.
Taco Bar We love Taco Bar in any case, but the addition of a new terrace outside has cemented their place in our Margarita-soaked hearts.
Tavalin Bagels The reincarnation of Tavalin Bagels has a substantial outdoor seated area on which to enjoy their substantial bagels.
Village Cafe All of the Opposite House’s venues have great outside spaces, but Village Cafe’s is our favorite, with its long bench seating and ample sunshine.
Vineyard Cafe by the River The second branch of popular Wudaoying cafe the Vineyard improves on the original with a rooftop terrace, but keeps the excellent fry-up.
Gongti/Xingfucun/Chunxiu Lu
Da Dong The Gongti branch of Da Dong has a surprisingly substantial deck on which you can partake of some of the best roast duck in town.
El Gran Bocado Reliable interpretations of Tex-Mex classics at El Gran Bocado’s Xingfucun Zhonglu location.
Gung Ho! Pizza Beer cocktails and gourmet pizzas go together with the small terrace at this sit-down incarnation of Beijing’s most visible pizza delivery chain.
Hacker-Pschorr Brauhaus Size matters at Hacker-Pschorr, with big beers, big portions and a big sunken terrace on Xindong Lu.
In & Out The (relatively) new branch of In & Out at the Tunsanli Mall has a small street-level terrace on which to enjoy their delicious authentic Yunnan dishes.
O’Steak You’ll feel like you’re at Parisian street-side brasserie when they serve you your alfresco steak at O’Steak. Just try to ignore the taxis honking as they go by.
Liangmaqiao/Lido
Brasserie FLO It may seem a bit out of the way, but their choice of location becomes clear when you see FLO’s extensive outside terrace.
Element Fresh The Lido branch of Element Fresh has first and second floor terraces on a quiet, leafy street.
Eudora Station Several terraces and a shady beer garden make Eudora Station an excellent choice in the area. America food and a good selection of beers and cocktails.
Florentina Smart Italian restaurant with a large outside terrace, shared with 27 Cafe next door.
MOKA Bro’s The Solana branch of MOKA Bro’s opened last summer and you can be sure we will be back again this year to grab a spot on their sun-drenched south facing terrace.
Opus Lounge, Four Seasons Beijing Tucked down the side of the Four Seasons Beijing, Opus’ terrace is great for discreet business meetings.
Tube Station The roof deck at the Tube Station branch of Lidu makes for an excellent location to chow down on one of their signature huge pizzas.
798
Feast "Simple things, done well" is the motto at Feast. They already serve one of our choice brunches, and the recently renovated outside deck only makes it better.
Laker’s You know what you’re getting at Laker’s, with reliable Western options served up on a nice terrace at the 798 location.
Yi House Once one of Beijing’s most popular brunch destinations, Yi House has fallen off the radar in recent years but the courtyard seating still makes for a pleasant alfresco brunch.
CBD
Aria Enjoy chef Phillip Taylor’s delicate, modern food on Aria’s small but perfectly formed terrace. The set lunch menu is a bargain.
Caravan The arrival of Caravan and its spacious street-side seating area has livened up this otherwise quiet corner of Guanghua Lu.
Swiss Taste Newly opened Swiss restaurant and cultural hub Swiss Taste has a substantial outdoor seating area for Central Park residents to enjoy a glass of one of their more than 30 Swiss wines.
Pak Pak The newly-added street-level terrace at Pak Pak has essentially doubled their seating, which for a restaurant this popular can only be a good thing.
Pekotan Good for CBD office dwellers who want to escape for their lunch break, Pekotan provides reasonably priced sandwiches and salads, and nice outside seating.
Obentos We love Obentos’ healthy take on Japanese cuisine, and there is nothing better than grabbing one of their outside tables and tucking into a fresh salad on a hot day.
Shuangjing
EAT/DRINK Plan B Neighborhood sports bar with sunny outside seating in Pingod. They do a mean line of burgers too, which are two-for-one on Mondays.
Other
The Rug (Chaoyang Park) Set in a quiet residential compound, The Rug’s Lishui Jiayuan location is one of our favorite places for Weekend brunch.
Baijia Dayuan (Suzhou Jie) Sample modern imperial cuisine in a courtyard set around a large pond.
Wangjing Yihao (Wangjing) Enjoy pungent Sichuan dishes in a flowery courtyard.
Windy City Ballroom (Olympic Village) The terrace at Windy City Ballroom overlooks a large pond. A bit of a trek, but worth it for the excellent renditions of classic Americana dishes.
This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on May 22, 2015 and has been modified
Photo: Ken
