The 8 best restaurant patios in Charlotte

Charlotte eats outside for eight months of the year, and the patios that work are the ones with shade, a view of something other than a parking lot, and a kitchen that does not treat outdoor tables as an afterthought. This list covers rooftops, gardens, porches and one terrace on the rail trail. Several are already in our other guides for their food; here they earn a place for where you sit. Hours are current as of this writing.

1. The Goodyear House

The restored 1920s mill house in NoDa with a gravel garden under a pergola strung with lights, and the best patio in the neighborhood by a distance. It feels like a hidden garden instead of an overflow area, which is the difference. The kitchen does creative Southern cooking and weekend brunch. Service can be slow when the room is full, and several reviewers have said so recently.

Hours: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 3032 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• The prettiest patio in NoDa.
• A historic mill house setting.
• Weekend brunch outside.
• Expect a wait on food when busy.

Directory listing: The Goodyear House

2. Hestia Rooftop

Sixteen floors up at Ballantyne Village, with a view that reaches from Charlotte into South Carolina, and the only serious rooftop dining in the south of the county. Modern Asian cooking, a sea bass people come back for and a tomahawk presented at the table. Prices match the setting. The terrace is occasionally closed for a private event, so call before you drive out.

Hours: Monday and Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to midnight

Address: 14819 Ballantyne Village Way, 16th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28277

Why it made the list

• The best view of any patio here.
• Serious cooking, not just a bar menu.
• Built for an occasion.
• Check the terrace is open.

Directory listing: Hestia Rooftop

3. 300 East

The converted house on East Boulevard that has anchored Dilworth for forty years, with porch seating that is the reason half the regulars come. Small rooms inside and a patio outside mean you can always find a corner. The kitchen is steady instead of fashionable, which after four decades is the point, and Freedom Park is a short walk for afterward.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 300 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• A porch with forty years on it.
• Quiet corners indoors and out.
• Walkable to Freedom Park.
• Weekend brunch.

Directory listing: 300 East

4. Market on Morehead

Just off the rail trail in Dilworth, with one of the most relaxed patios in the city and a large outdoor television that turns a summer afternoon into an event during a tournament. Casual without being scruffy. The wagyu burger and the short rib special are what regulars plan around, though breakfast prices run high for what arrives.

Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 11:30 a.m. to midnight; Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight; Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Monday

Address: 1001 Morehead Square Dr, Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• A television outside for the game.
• Right on the rail trail.
• Open late Thursday to Saturday.
• Breakfast is the expensive meal here.

Directory listing: Market on Morehead

5. Chapter 6

The Dressler group’s Mediterranean room on Hawkins Street with a patio over the rail trail. Shared plates across Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Italy, and a $70 per person tasting tour called The Treatment that works out better value than ordering yourself. Dog friendly, and staff bring a water bowl without being asked.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 2151 Hawkins St, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• The Treatment is the order.
• A rail trail patio in South End.
• Genuinely dog friendly.
• Sunday brunch outside.

Directory listing: Chapter 6

6. Mariposa

On South Tryon in Uptown with a patio that catches the afternoon and a Sunday jazz brunch that fills it. Spanish and Latin tapas built for a table: duck arepas, elote fritters, pork belly, a Moroccan pie. It works as a wedding and event venue too, so the space is set up for a group instead of two.

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Monday

Address: 500 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Why it made the list

• Live jazz at Sunday brunch.
• Tapas for a table.
• Handles large groups.
• Closed Monday.

Directory listing: Mariposa

7. Southern Pecan, Gulf Coast Kitchen

The Gulf Coast kitchen at Phillips Place in SouthPark, with a patio set back among the shops instead of facing a road. Shrimp and grits, blackened redfish, pecan fried catfish and an oyster po’ boy, with roasted poblano pimento cheese to start. Parking is easy, which almost no patio on this list can claim. Service slows when it is full.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: Phillips Place Court, Charlotte, NC 28210

Why it made the list

• Easy parking, rare for a patio.
• Gulf Coast cooking done properly.
• Set back from the road.
• Service can drag at peak.

Directory listing: Southern Pecan, Gulf Coast Kitchen

8. Angeline’s

The Italian room at the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, with outdoor seating on Church Street and the ricotta and sourdough bread service people plan return trips around. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days, so the patio works at any hour, and the elevator to Merchant & Trade’s rooftop is at the door if you want a second view afterward.

Hours: Monday to Friday 7 to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m.

Address: 303 S Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Why it made the list

• Outdoor seating at any hour of the day.
• The bread service.
• A rooftop bar at the same address.
• Open seven days.

Directory listing: Angeline’s

Also worth knowing

The rooftop bars get their own guide, including Merchant & Trade above Angeline’s and the terrace at Fahrenheit. For a patio with a lawn instead of a table, the South End breweries do it better than any restaurant. If we missed your patio, tell us.