Every New Englander knows the feeling – when sunlight lasts past happy hour and the daffodils are bringing pops of spring, we all just want to grab our sunglasses and soak up the vitamin D. Alas, spring is fickle around these parts — so you may need a heater to keep you warm, or a view to make you forget the cold. Or both. Here are some patios with outstanding features to get you back outside.
180-degree Harbor Views and Sushi: Legal Harborside – The Overlook
When the weather is fine, both the walls and the roof retract at this four-season rooftop spot, surrounding diners with Boston Harbor. Order the Moulin Rouge (Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret gin with crème de pêche and Fever-Tree lime and yuzu soda) and a Lobster Tempura Roll to celebrate the sun.
Fireside Dining and Blooming Flower Boxes: Harvest Restaurant
Splurge on some caviar to top your house-made Chips and Onion Dip, perhaps paired with Champagne Taittinger, available by the glass, at this legendary spot marking 50 years of elevated American dining. Tucked along a cobblestone pathway in Harvard Square, the patio at Harvest features a fireplace and a partial roof, making al fresco dining a four-season experience.
Raw Bar and Fire Pits in the North End: Mare Oyster Bar
Order a seafood tower, packed with 18 oysters plus clams, shrimp, half a lobster, and Alaskan king crab, and a Tequila Spritz and sink into a couch on this lounge-y patio hidden from the street and the crowds of tourists that pack the North End. This seafood-focused restaurant from local Italian impresario and chef Frank DePasquale, which recently moved from Richmond Street, will keep you warm with fire pits and a charming view of the Financial District skyline.
Charles River Views and Small Plates: Monteverdi
Seth Greenberg’s critically acclaimed Italian restaurant at the Royal Sonesta Boston Cambridge boasts a large patio right at river level, with views that stretch from the Museum of Science to the spiky towers of the Back Bay and beyond. Order a Cucumber Collins, made with V-One Vodka and sparkling cucumber enhanced with lemon, thyme and rosemary, with a Norcina Flatbread (topped with buffalo mozzarella, sausage and mushrooms), but be sure to check social media before making plans – this patio is totally open to the elements and is thus a fair-weather friend.
Sky-High Views and Bar Bites: View Boston at Prudential Center – Stratus
There are rooftops, then there is Stratus, located on the 51st floor of the Prudential Building at View Boston’s observation deck. It’s sundowners at sunset, so try the “Cue the Duck Boats” a tiki-inspired blend of rum, and more rum, as well as passionfruit, citrus and Angostura bitters, naturally. Add an order of Maple-Whiskey wings to keep the party going.