5 of the best restaurants around Sacramento to enjoy outdoor dining this summer

Benjy Egel

May 30, 2023 at 8:00 a.m.·2 min read

Sprawling, quickly-assembled outdoor patios are mostly in Sacramento’s pandemic past, as changes to city regulations and customers’ preferences have resulted in many being torn down.

Fortunately, Sacramento has plenty of restaurants with longstanding, beautiful outdoor dining setups.

These are five of my favorite restaurant patios in Sacramento. Though some are in the thick of business corridors, each was designed with a sense of place that lets the eater enjoy a bit of outdoor refinement.

Rio City Cafe (1110 Front St.): Brunch at this 29-year-old Old Sacramento institution comes with views of Tower Bridge, the Sacramento River and West Sacramento’s pyramid-like Ziggurat building. To complete the local landmark theme, try Rio City Cafe’s Pink Linen, a riff on the city’s flagship White Linen cocktail with cranberry juice, cucumber vodka and lime in addition to gin and club soda.
Tower Cafe (1518 Broadway): A person who loves trees is known as a dendrophile, and also (probably) a Tower Cafe fan. James Seyman’s multicultural Land Park restaurant has been a Sacramento favorite since 1990 thanks to its lush patio, flowing fountain and items such as the East African veggie burger.
Aioli Bodega Española (1800 L St.): Aioli wrapped up its makeshift sidewalk seating as COVID-19 rates slowed, but who would choose that over the back patio, anyway? Decorated with mosaic tiles and shaded by a tree canopy, it’s a delightful place to nibble on tapas or dive into Spanish entrees such as paella.
Wildwood Kitchen & Bar (556 Pavilions Lane): Lobster ravioli, string lights and live music make Wildwood’s patio a sultry summer date night spot in Arden Arcade’s Pavilions Shopping Center. Owned by Matt and Fred Haines (Roc & Sol Diner, Suzie Burger, 33rd Street Bistro), it’s been around since 2016.
Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse (1322 V St.): Did someone say misters? Peter Hoey and Rob Archie keep people and dogs cool at their Southside Park barbecue joint and beer bar with a combination of water features, sail sheets and Mexican lagers.

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