NYC's Best Restaurant Patios

The well-edited menu spins to the season, but get nibbling on grilled pancetta spiedini, topped with a spicy aïoli and agro dolce. Follow this up with such light and simple pastas as garganelli tossed with a cream-kissed ragù Bolognese and Parmigiano—this is Italian cuisine in all its glory. The back patio isn't green—rough-hewn wooden tables on a stone floor, surrounded by brick walls—but the string lights and umbrellas make it inviting.

Forget farm to table; this kitchen is backyard to table thanks to a blooming and expanded vegetable and herb garden that doubles as patio seating.
Creativity is abundant, as seen in snap pea sushi, which subs out rice for raw peas; and lobster thermidor with meaty crackers alongside a frothy lobster-Gruyère dip. 

Steps away from the Brooklyn Museum, this sleek and sparse location is a jewel in the city's dining crown. Snag a table on the leafy patio before diving into dishes like luscious uni set over miso-cured scallops in an apple- and Thai chili-broth. Rutabaga noodles arrive covered in fontina cream with notes of rich chicory. 

This quaint and adorable nook has a casual back patio with big, tall trees and string lights. Italian leanings dominate most dishes turned out of the adept kitchen, including pappardelle floating in a parmesan broth with tender ham hock and collards, as well as hearty arancini finished with saffron honey.