Miami's Patios, Gardens and Courtyards: Ten Standout Spots for Eating Outdoors

With mild weather through much of the year, Miami has become a natural home for outdoor dining. A roundup published on January 26, 2022 by Miami New Times picks ten restaurants where diners can eat, drink and enjoy the South Florida air, listed in alphabetical order. The settings range from garden patios designed like jungles to shaded spaces and terraces that catch the ocean breeze.

In Wynwood, Bakan offers a Mexican-inspired, resort-style experience. Its cacti-lined outdoor bar and terrace are decorated with inverted wood-pyramid canopies and illuminated hanging baskets meant to evoke the streets of Tulum. The shaded area works as an open-air space by day, while soft lighting sets a different mood at night.

Miami Beach has two entries. Cecconi's, inside the Soho Beach House, is built around a courtyard with tile floors, plant-draped trellises, bench seating, rough-hewn wooden beams and lantern-style lights, and is served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Villa Azur, a South of France-themed venue, offers a courtyard with plush couches, lounge seating and white-tablecloth service. Its menu includes pan-seared sea bass, whole roasted chicken, spaghetti alla chitarra, seafood towers, caviar and king crab legs.

Coconut Grove accounts for three of the ten. Glass & Vine sits in Peacock Park and has a large patio shaded by trees, serving a contemporary American menu with locally sourced ingredients and a South Florida twist. Jaguar has turned its terrace into what it calls an "outdoor habitat," a mini-jungle revamped by Chef Oscar del Rivero and filled with flowering plants from nearby Kreative Gardens. Peacock Garden, described as a hidden gem with a "secret garden" feel, has a seafood raw bar, pasta, meats, salads and daily specials, along with cocktails inspired by the flowers growing on site.

Mandolin Aegean Bistro occupies a restored 1940s house founded by husband and wife Ahmet Erkaya and Anastasia Koutsioukis. Guests pass through blue gates and blooming bougainvilleas into a patio meant to recall tavernas on the Aegean coast. Dishes include maroulosalata, a salad of shredded romaine, feta, scallions and dill in a light white vinaigrette, and whole sea bass served with lemon and olive oil.

In the Design District, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink has returned in a refreshed form after 14 years. The restaurateur Michael Schwartz added a new look, a larger kitchen and an outdoor patio surrounded by greenery. Schwartz said it was important to preserve the spirit of the original restaurant, and the new courtyard extends the renovated dining room. The menu pairs longtime favorites such as stracciatella, wood oven-roasted octopus and pan-roasted poulet rouge with new dishes.

Red Rooster in Overtown opened the previous year as an offshoot of Marcus Samuelsson's Harlem restaurant of the same name. Its open courtyard is arranged around a mature tree that shades the restaurant like an umbrella. Chef Tristen Epps prepares food with Caribbean, Southern and African roots, including a fire-roasted Wagyu oxtail for sharing and shrimp and grits.

Sunny's Steakhouse, from the team behind Jaguar Sun, has reopened at Lot 6 in Little River. It serves steaks and seafood cooked over a live fire in an outdoor setting described as campfire-cool. Along with dishes from the original menu, it has expanded seafood and raw bar options, several new vegetarian choices, new cocktails and its signature martinis and manhattans poured tableside.