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Summary

Canada's Best Restaurants For Outdoor Dining Were Unveiled & These Patios Are Breathtaking

Whether you want to dine on the waterfront in Vancouver, alongside mountains in Banff or at a lush outdoor oasis in Toronto, this has you covered! 😍

​Oretta Midtown's patio in Toronto. Right: Person dining at Bonterra Trattoria's patio in Calgary.

Oretta Midtown's patio in Toronto. Right: Person dining at Bonterra Trattoria's patio in Calgary.

Senior Writer

The best restaurants in Canada for outdoor dining have been revealed just in time for warmer weather.

So, if you want to find out which patios across the country offer not just mouthwatering food but also breathtaking views, here's what you need to know!

OpenTable recently shared how you can find the "perfect outdoor oasis" with the 2023 list of Canada's 100 Most Popular Outdoor Dining Restaurants which is based on more than one million reviews for diners.

This year, the list features 59 restaurants in Ontario and 21 in B.C. along with nine dining spots in Quebec, seven in Alberta and four in Atlantic Canada.

That means there are so many stunning restaurant patios to check out from coast to coast!

Quite a few outdoor dining spots are returning favourites from last year including Provence Marinaside in Vancouver and Bonterra Trattoria in Calgary.

But there are also newcomers on the 2023 list like Oretta Midtown in Toronto and Maison Boulud in Montreal.

OpenTable has shared that the cuisine Canadians love the most — aka what's booked most often — is Italian.

That's followed by Canadian cuisine, steakhouse fare, seafood and American eats.

However, locally, people have different preferences when it comes to their favourite cuisines for outdoor dining.

The cuisines of the most booked restaurants in Vancouver are seafood, Canadian and Japanese.

Then, in Toronto, the top ones are Italian, Mexican and international fare.

If you're looking for recommendations about which patios to visit this summer, here are a few of the spots that have been named the most popular restaurants for outdoor dining.

Bonterra Trattoria

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 1016 8 St. SW, Calgary, AB

Why You Need To Go: Contemporary Italian fare made with simple and fresh ingredients is on the menu. Plus, there's a beautiful Tuscan terrace that you can dine in.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Bonterra Trattoria menu

Maison Boulud

Price: 💸💸💸

Cuisine: Contemporary French

Address: 1228 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC

Why You Need To Go: Artisanal Quebecois products and local ingredients are used to make the food at this restaurant.

You can sit outside and enjoy a meal on one of two summer terraces that are surrounded by greenery and rustic wood details.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Maison Boulud menu

El Catrin

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Mexican

Address: 18 Tank House Lane, Toronto, ON

Why You Need To Go: Located in Toronto's Distillery District, this restaurant pairs a tapas-style menu of traditional and modern Mexican cuisine with Canada's biggest mezcal and tequila collection. Also, the outdoor dining room is lush, vibrant and beautiful.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

El Catrin menu

Park Distillery Restaurant and Bar

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Gastro Pub

Address: 219 Banff Ave., Banff, AB

Why You Need To Go: This restaurant is in a backcountry lodge-inspired craft distillery in Banff that serves campfire-inspired cuisine and wood-fired rotisserie specialties.

Since it's located in Banff's downtown core, the patio offers stunning views of the mountains.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Park Distillery Restaurant and Bar menu

Drift

Price: 💸💸💸

Cuisine: Canadian

Address: 102-1709 Lower Water St., Halifax, NS

Why You Need To Go: Modern takes on classic Atlantic Canada dishes are served at this spot. There is a salon, bar and promenade along with a patio that offers views of the ocean.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Drift menu

Provence Marinaside

Price: 💸💸💸

Cuisine: Seafood

Address: 1177 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver, BC

Why You Need To Go: Located beside False Creek in Vancouver's Yaletown, this restaurant is like a visit to the south of France without having to leave the country.

When dining on the patio, you get views of False Creek and the Quayside Marina.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Provence Marinaside menu

Oretta Midtown

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 2131 Yonge St., Toronto, ON

Why You Need To Go: Traditional modern-day Italian cuisine and signature cocktails are served at this restaurant. Even though it's in the city, the covered patio here is so lush and beautiful because it's surrounded by flowers and greenery.

Oretta Midtown menu

The Boathouse at Kits Beach

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Steakhouse/Seafood

Address: 1305 Arbutus St., Vancouver, BC

Why You Need To Go: Serving seafood caught sustainably from B.C. waters and ingredients from local farms, you can dine on delicious foods while sitting on the patio that's right next to the beach and the water.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

The Boathouse at Kits Beach menu

These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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