Cocooned for 6 months of the year, with furnaces and electric blankets blazing, Chicagoans revel in the warm months of late spring, summer, and early autumn. For locals and visitors alike, dining alfresco is an ideal way to experience the sights, sounds, smells, and social fabric of this multifaceted city. Just remember to be prepared to wait on a nice night, because you'll be fighting a lot of other diners for a coveted outdoor table.
Loop & Vicinity
Athena This Greektown mainstay offers a stunning three-level outdoor seating area. It's paved with brick and landscaped with 30-foot trees, flower gardens, and even a waterfall. Best of all: an incredible view of the downtown skyline with the Sears Tower right in the middle. 212 S. Halsted St.; tel. 312/655-0000.
Charlie's Ale House at Navy Pier One of several outdoor dining options along Navy Pier, this outpost of the Lincoln Park restaurant wins for lip-smacking pub fare and a great location on the southern promenade overlooking the lakefront and Loop skyline. 700 E. Grand Ave.; tel. 312/595-1440.
Chicago Riverwalk The outdoor cafes along the banks of the Chicago River's main branch, between Wabash Avenue and Wells Street, are run by restaurants that change from year to year, so I don't recommend any place or anything specific. But food is almost an afterthought on days when schooners and speedboats glide by en route to Lake Michigan harbors.
Magnificent Mile & Gold Coast
Le Colonial This lovely French-Vietnamese restaurant, located in a vintage Gold Coast town house and evocative of 1920s Saigon, has a sidewalk cafe. But you'd do better to reserve a table on the tiny second-floor porch, overlooking the street and close to Le Colonial's atmospheric cocktail lounge. 937 N. Rush St.; tel. 312/255-0088.
Oak Street Beachstro Suit up and head for this warm-weather-only beachfront cafe -- literally on the sands of popular Oak Street Beach -- which serves inventive cafe fare (fresh seafood, sandwiches, and pastas). Beer and wine are available. 1000 N. Lake Shore Dr. at Oak Street Beach; tel. 312/915-4100.
Puck's at the MCA This offshoot of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's Spago is tucked in the back of the Museum of Contemporary Art. From the terrace you've got a view of the museum's sculpture garden. Take in the art, the fresh air, and a shrimp club sandwich, Chinois salad, or wood-grilled pizza. (Restaurant-only patrons can bypass museum admission.) 220 E. Chicago Ave.; tel. 312/397-4034.
River North
Thyme One of the most beautiful alfresco spots in the city belongs to this contemporary American restaurant on the western fringe of River North. Thyme's garden is full of plants and light-illuminated trees. 464 N. Halsted St. (at Grand Ave.); tel. 312/226-4300.
Lincoln Park
Charlie's Ale House Déjà vu? Nope, Charlie's triumphs again with its wonderful beer garden in Lincoln Park. It's spacious, surrounded by tall ivy-covered brick walls, and buzzing with activity and good vibes. 1224 W. Webster Ave.; tel. 773/871-1440.
John Barleycorn Memorial Pub Tapping kegs since the 1960s, this popular neighborhood pub, situated in an 19th-century building, is long on authenticity and short on pretension. Relax with a cold one and a thick, juicy burger in the outdoor patio. 658 W. Belden Ave.; tel. 773/348-8899.
North Pond Set on the banks of one of Lincoln Park's beautiful lagoons, the excellent North Pond serves American cuisine in a romantic and sylvan setting. One caveat: Alcohol is not permitted on the outdoor patio. 2610 N. Cannon Dr.; tel. 773/477-5845.
O'Brien's Restaurant Wells Street in Old Town is lined with several alfresco options, but the best belongs to O'Brien's, the unofficial nucleus of neighborhood life. The outdoor patio has teakwood furniture, a gazebo bar, and a mural of the owners' country club on a brick wall. Order the dressed-up chips, a house specialty. 1528 N. Wells St. (2 blocks south of North Ave.); tel. 312/787-3131.
Wrigleyville & Vicinity
Arco de Cuchilleros Savvy Spanish tapas aficionados thumb their noses at trendy Cafe Iberico and Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!; the tapas and sangria at this lesser-known Wrigleyville restaurant can compete with the best of them. The intimate, leafy terrace out back glows with lantern light. 3445 N. Halsted St.; tel. 773/296-6046.
Moody's For 30 years, Moody's has been grilling some of the best burgers in Chicago. It's ideal in winter for its dark, cozy dining room warmed by a fireplace, but it's better still in summer for its awesome outdoor patio, a real hidden treasure. 5910 N. Broadway Ave.; tel. 773/275-2696.
Wicker Park/Bucktown
Meritage Café and Wine Bar Meritage wins my vote for most romantic outdoor nighttime seating. The food (American cuisine with Pacific Northwest influences) is top-notch, but it's the outdoor patio, twinkling with overhead lights, that makes for a magical experience. Best of all, the patio is covered and heated in the winter, so you can enjoy the illusion of outdoor dining even in February. 2118 N. Damen Ave.; tel. 773/235-6434.
Northside Café On a sunny summer day, Northside seems like Wicker Park's town square, packed with an eclectic mixture of locals catching up and checking out the scene. The entire front of the restaurant opens onto the street, making it relatively easy to get an "outdoor" table. 1635 N. Damen Ave. tel. 773/384-3555.
