Hello sunshine. Here are the Triangle’s top outdoor restaurants, breweries and bars
All of a sudden it’s the season of sunshine and breezes.
With winter appearing to pack up and move on for the year, the Triangle is waking up to patio weather, where the region’s many breweries, restaurants and bars seem to shine the brightest.
As we do each year, the News & Observer has compiled a Triangle-wide collection of some of our favorite outdoor spots.
Accordion Club
316 W. Geer St., Durham. 984-569-2003 or instagram.com/accordionclub
Strings of red paper lanterns swing over picnic tables in the backyard patio of this Durham dive bar, which boasts some of the Triangle’s best hot dogs and an encyclopedic menu of cheap, crushable lagers.
Ancillary Fermentation
1420 Hardimont Rd., Raleigh. 919-803-6663 or ancillaryfermentation.com
One of the Triangle’s newest and funkiest beer gardens, Ancillary Fermentation has opened its first taproom in an old bank in North Raleigh. Picnic tables line the former drive thru, where instead of envelopes of cash, bartenders slip pints of nationally acclaimed beer.
Bond Brothers Beer Co.
202 E. Cedar St., Cary 919-459-2670 or bondbrothersbeer.com
In the heart of downtown Cary, Bond Brothers is one of North Carolina’s most awarded breweries. Its wide brick patio is strung with lights and absolutely packed with cozy tables. If the original location is too crowded, try the sister spot a half mile down the road at 602 E. Chatham Street, which specializes in live music.
Boxyard RTP
900 Park Offices Dr., Research Triangle Park. 919-433-2001 or boxyard.rtp.org
This collection of popular restaurants flips the dining room model inside out. There’s a large covered space for a few dozen tables, but most of Boxyard RTP is open air, including a rooftop of “leisure bevs” from the Lagoon bar. Downstairs you’ll find beers flowing from beloved Durham brewery Fullsteam, plus hearty Detroit style pizzas, smoked meats from Lawrence BBQ and a warm cafe from Beyu.
Bull McCabe’s
427 W. Main St., 919-682-3061 or bullmccabesirishpub.com
This Irish bar keeps a grassy patch of picnic tables in the heart of downtown Durham. While no longer allowing dogs, it remains one of the Triangle’s very best spots to soak in a breeze with a pint.
The Durham Hotel
315 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 919-768-8830 or thedurham.com
From the moment it opened the rooftop at The Durham became an open air destination. Part oyster bar, part party, this rooftop attracts a glitzy crowd, but there’s usually a Narragansett tallboy in the cooler.
The Federal
914 W. Main St., Durham. 919-680-8611 or thefederal.net
The Fed’s tiny front porch has long been a top perch to grab drinks and watch Durham pass by on Main Street, but this Bull City landmark recently added a side patio with lots more biergarten style tables. With a taplist always packed with great beer, the Federal somehow got even better.
Franklin Motors
601 Franklin St., Chapel Hill. 919-869-7090 or franklinmotors.net
A relative newcomer to the drinking scene on Franklin Street, Franklin Motors offers a comfortable patio, plus a second story rooftop and snacks from resident food truck Roquette.
Gojo by Goorsha
910-B W. Main St., Durham. 919-390-2338 or facebook.com/gojobygoorsha
Essentially the backyard of Ethiopian restaurant Goorsha, this coffee shop and afternoon hang space has been discovered by many remote working folks finding a shady spot to take a laptop.
Guglhup
2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham. 919-401-2600 or guglhupf.com
Guglhupf, the ultimate beer garden, has reigned as one of the Triangle’s few German restaurants for more than 20 years. Its popular patio, done up in industrial chic wrought iron artwork, took on a new life in the pandemic, but remains an idealized spot for schnitzel and crispy German lagers.
Humble Pie
317 S. Harrington St., Raleigh.
919-829-9222 or humblepierestaurant.com
A Raleigh classic, this Warehouse District spot has a beloved and breezy patio and always-in-season margaritas.
Kotuku Surf Club
703 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. 919-294-9661 or instagram.com/kotukusurfclub
In the Before Times, this Durham bar bustled with a packed backyard and active bocce courts. Today its picnic tables remain a constant refuge for those seeking a shot and a beer, or one of the city’s best taplists.
Longleaf Swine
300 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. 984-200-9649 or longleafswine.com
The patio is larger than the dining room at this brand new barbecue spot in downtown Raleigh, where beers and towering whole hog sandwiches can be ordered from a window. In the evening, the late-night vibes can’t be matched if you’re craving one of the city’s most craved smashburgers.
Lynnwood Brewing Concern/ Wilson’s Eatery
1053 E. Whitaker Mill Rd., Raleigh. 919-424-7533 or lynnwoodbrewing.beer
This duo at Dock 1053 are part of the same Lynnwood Brewing family and together bookend a beachy, graveled patio in this popular development. Wilson’s serves an Americana menu of burgers, fries and pizzas, while Lynnwood brews some of the most consistently good beers around.
Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas
307 E. Main St., Carrboro. 919-537-8958 or lunarotisserie.com
112 W. Main St., Durham. 919-439-8702
The two Luna locations offer two distinctly different patio experiences. In the original Durham spot, Luna has built a parkside patio along the side of its brick building with strings of lights. In Carrboro, Luna took over one of the city’s best and largest patios and hosts weekly live music.
Morgan Street Food Hall
411 W. Morgan St., Raleigh. 919-307-4481 or morganfoodhall.com
At the center of Raleigh’s first food hall is a large outdoor bar, shaded with a pergola and trees and anything you’d care to drink.
Motorco
723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. 919-901-0875 or motorcomusic.com
One of Durham’s most popular patios nearly doubled in size recently with the addition of a side porch on the music venue side of the space. Any night it isn’t raining and is warmer than 50 degrees, the tables at Motorco will be bustling
Mulino
309 N. Dawson St., Raleigh. 919-838-8595 or mulinoraleigh.com
Order an Aperol spritz, and resist the urge to jump in the pool of this Italian garden at the gateway to downtown Raleigh.
Namu
5420 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham. 919-251-9794 or namudurham.com
Carrying the torch of the former Straw Valley art campus, the owners of Bulkogi, a Korean food truck, keep a kind of paradise just off the highly trafficked Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard. This garden of bamboo ebbs and flows throughout the day, starting as a morning coffee shop and morphing into an outdoor beer hall serving bibimbap and craft beer. Namu is the stuff of outdoor dining dreams.
Plates Kitchen
301 Glenwood Ave., #100, Raleigh. 919-828-0018 or plateskitchen.com
A Glenwood fixture, Plates’ patio looks out on Raleigh’s busiest stretch of nightlife but manages to stay above the fray. Look for sunny cocktails with a view.
Ponysaurus
219 Hood St., Durham. 978-482-7701 or ponysaurusbrewing.com
The open air is never nearer than at this Durham brewery, which is less a taproom than a tap-yard. Most of Ponysaurus is an open space of picnic tables and grass, where solid pizzas and Caesar salads fly out of a side kitchen and drinkers line up for dialed-in pints of beer made steps away.
Raleigh Beer Garden
614 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. 919-324-3415 or theraleighbeergarden.com
One of the Triangle’s largest beer bars is also one of the state’s largest outdoor beer gardens, as the name might imply. Dozens upon dozens of draft beer lines flow with elbow room for miles.
Saltbox Seafood Joint
2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham. 919-237-3499
On picnic tables under umbrellas, this famous Durham fried fish shack pulls the North Carolina coast a whole lot closer, with oyster shells at your feet and a shiny new James Beard medal on the wall.
Standard Beer & Food
205 E. Franklin St., Raleigh. 919-322-1499 or standardbeerandfood.com
The folks behind Bond Brothers and Ancillary Fermentation created the latest iteration of the Standard, focusing on beers that pair well with food. The beers are simple and exquisite, the snacks of smoked trout dip and truffle tots are endlessly satisfying and the backyard beer garden feels like you’re at a friend’s house.
The Station
701 N. Person St., Raleigh. 919-977-1567 or stationraleigh.com
Arguably the busiest spot on Person Street, the Station serves up popular burgers and hosts an outdoor bar that buzzes for blocks.
Steel String Pluck Farm
6901 NC-54, Mebane. steelstringbrewery.com/pluckfarm
Carrboro’s excellent Steel String Brewery built and idealized rural farm brewery 20 minutes east of Chapel Hill. Instead of rubbing elbows in a cozy taproom, there’s nothing but wide open space at Pluck Farm, where strings of lights corral picnic tables and the backdrop is the nearby forest.
Taverna Agora
326 Hillsborough St., Raleigh. 919-881-8333 or tavernaagora.com
A garden oasis in the middle of downtown Raleigh, Taverna Agora hides the city behind its second story rooftop dining room, shaded by a pergola and sidewalk oak trees.
Transfer Co. Food Hall
500 E. Davis St., Raleigh. 984-232-8122 or transfercofoodhall.com
On one side of this popular downtown Raleigh food hall are a few coveted seats at Burial Beer’s taproom, serving some of the best beer in the country. On the other side are yellow umbrellas and a wide patio hosting Transfer’s food stalls and bar.
Trophy Brewing
827 W. Morgan St., Raleigh. 919-803-4849 or trophybrewing.com
For a long time, the original Trophy on Morgan Street has had one of the most in-demand patios in Raleigh. After an expansion, there’s more room and a few fire pits.
Whiskey Kitchen
201 W. Martin St., Raleigh. 919-803-3181 or whiskey.kitchen
Looking out on Nash Square, Whiskey Kitchen earns its reputation as Raleigh’s front porch. Its patio handles all seasons and is best when bustling, which is pretty much all the time.
The Willard
9 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. 919-803-5200 or thewillardraleigh.com
This huge new rooftop bar of the AC Hotel offers a new view and perspective of downtown Raleigh, along with seating for 100, craft cocktails and small plates.
Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing
201 S. Boylan Ave., Raleigh. 984-200-1189 or wyehill.com
This two-year-old restaurant and brewery inherited Raleigh’s best view from the former Boylan Bridge Brewpub, but upgraded the menu and taplist. A shady canopy takes the edge off any day’s heat in this spot of a million selfies.
