The best outdoor dining in Raleigh

Raleigh's outdoor dining divides into two things that do not compete with each other: ground-level patios and beer gardens, and hotel rooftops. This list takes both and tells you which is which, because a fourteenth-floor bar and an 8,500 square foot beer garden solve different problems.

Two of these work year round, one because it is glassed in floor to ceiling and one because it is a skylit conservatory. Two more are tented or heated. The rest are seasonal in the way patios are.

Hours below were taken from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Raleigh Beer Garden

Nearly 8,500 square feet of patio with a rooftop garden above it, and more than 350 beers on tap, made official when Guinness World Records turned up in 2015. Handcrafted pizzas and charcuterie behind the beer, and it runs to 2 a.m. every night.

Hours: Mon-Fri 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Address: 614 Glenwood Ave., Suite B, Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• More than 350 beers on tap, verified by Guinness World Records in 2015 as one of the largest selections on earth.
• Nearly 8,500 square feet of outdoor space plus a separate rooftop garden.
• Open until 2 a.m. every night of the week, later than anything else here.
• Hop Shots mini golf on site, so there is something to do between rounds.

See the full directory listing

Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing

Covered and uncovered terraces perched at the Boylan Bridge, with the downtown skyline view that people genuinely drive across town for. They brew on site, the patio is family and dog friendly, and weekend brunch runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hours: Mon-Thu 4 to 10 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 201 S. Boylan Ave., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• The best skyline view from any patio in Raleigh, and it is the reason the building is where it is.
• Covered and uncovered sections, so it works in light rain and in full sun.
• Beer brewed on site.
• Family and dog friendly, which most rooftops on this list are not.

See the full directory listing

Level7

The seventh floor of the AC Hotel at North Hills, with panoramic Midtown views, a fire feature and proper lounge seating. Opens at 2 p.m. rather than dinner time, and Sunday runs a brunch then a lounge service.

Hours: Mon-Wed 2 to 10 p.m. Thu 2 to 11 p.m. Fri-Sat 2 p.m. to midnight. Sun brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., lounge 2 to 9 p.m.

Address: 101 Park at North Hills St., Raleigh, NC 27609

Why they made the list

• Opens at 2 p.m. six days a week, the earliest rooftop on this list.
• A fire feature, which extends the season into the cooler months.
• Sunday rooftop brunch from 11 a.m.
• Private event rooms for twenty to two hundred, so it handles a group booking.

See the full directory listing

Urban Oak Rooftop Bar & Lounge

Fourteen stories above West Davie Street at the Tempo by Hilton, and it bills itself as Raleigh's tallest rooftop bar. An uncovered patio on the north side surrounded by greenery, a covered patio on the south, and an interior lounge between them.

Hours: Mon 5 to 10 p.m. Tue-Thu 5 to 11 p.m. Fri-Sat 4 p.m. to midnight. Closed Sunday.

Address: 200 W. Davie St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• Fourteen floors up, the highest rooftop bar in the city.
• Covered patio on one side and open patio on the other, so there is a good seat in most weather.
• Open to midnight Friday and Saturday.
• Ages 21 and up, smart casual, first come first served. Closed Sundays.

See the full directory listing

10th & Terrace

The tenth floor of the Residence Inn on South Salisbury, looking over the Duke Energy Center. Contemporary American small plates with North Carolina accents, and a monthly rooftop wine tasting on the third Thursday.

Hours: Tue-Sat 3 to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Address: 616 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• Ten floors up with a direct view of the Duke Energy Center.
• Small plates built around North Carolina ingredients rather than a standard bar menu.
• A monthly wine tasting on the rooftop, third Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m. through December 2026.
• Only open five days and it closes at 9 p.m., so it is an early evening.

See the full directory listing

La Terrazza

A ninth-floor rooftop at The Dillon in the Warehouse District, glassed in floor to ceiling, which is why it still works in November when the open rooftops have given up. The bar opens half an hour before the kitchen.

Hours: Tue-Thu 5 to 10 p.m. (bar from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.). Fri-Sat 4 to 10 p.m. (bar 3:30 to 11 p.m.). Sun 4 to 9 p.m. (bar 3:30 to 10 p.m.). Closed Monday.

Address: 223 S. West St., 9th Floor, Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• Glassed in floor to ceiling, so it is the most weather-proof rooftop on this list.
• The bar opens thirty minutes to an hour before the kitchen, every day it is open.
• Ninth floor of The Dillon, walkable from the whole Warehouse District.
• Closed Mondays.

See the full directory listing

RH Rooftop Restaurant

A skylit rooftop conservatory on the third floor of RH at The Gallery at North Hills, planted with heritage olive trees around a cascading cast-stone fountain, under chandeliers. It is the most photographed dining room in Raleigh and it is open all year.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fri 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Address: 4120 Lassiter Mill Rd., Raleigh, NC 27609

Why they made the list

• A year-round skylit garden room with heritage olive trees and a cast-stone fountain, which nothing else here resembles.
• Open seven days from 11:30 a.m., and from 10 a.m. on weekends.
• Inside the RH gallery, so it is a destination trip rather than a bar stop.
• Fine dining pricing, above one hundred dollars for two.

See the full directory listing

Taverna Agora

A lush Mediterranean rooftop above the Greek kitchen on Hillsborough Street, done in the blue and white linens of the dining room below. Open seven days from 11 a.m. with a daily brunch until 3 p.m., which no other rooftop here matches.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Brunch daily 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: 326 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Brunch served every day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is unique on this list.
• Open seven days from 11 a.m., the widest hours of any rooftop here.
• The rooftop doubles as a private event space with a Greek island look.
• Walkable from the Capitol and the Hillsborough Street hotels.

See the full directory listing

Mulino Italian Kitchen & Bar

A historic poolside courtyard on North Dawson strung with twinkle lights, tented in winter and opened up in summer, which is why OpenTable diners keep naming it one of the best outdoor spots in town. The bar runs later than the kitchen Thursday to Saturday.

Hours: Kitchen Tue-Sat 5 to 10 p.m., Sun 4 to 9 p.m. Bar Tue-Wed 5 to 10 p.m., Thu-Sat 5 to 11 p.m., Sun 4 to 9 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: 309 N. Dawson St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• A historic courtyard around a pool, which is a genuinely unusual setting in downtown Raleigh.
• Tented in winter and opened up in summer, so it runs the whole year.
• Recognized by OpenTable diners as one of the best outdoor dining spots in the city.
• Bar service runs an hour past the kitchen Thursday through Saturday.

See the full directory listing

Tupelo Honey

A spacious pet-friendly patio in the Village District attached to a Southern kitchen that opens at 8 a.m. seven days. If you want an outdoor table with a dog and a biscuit at nine in the morning, this is the only real answer on this list.

Hours: Sun-Thu 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fri-Sat 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 425 Oberlin Rd., Raleigh, NC 27605

Why they made the list

• Dogs are welcome on the patio, stated on their own site rather than tolerated.
• Opens at 8 a.m. every day, so it is the only breakfast patio here.
• Street and garage parking nearby, which is not true of most Village District restaurants.
• Closes at 8 p.m. most nights, so it is not a late-evening patio.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

What is the best patio in Raleigh, NC?

Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing at the Boylan Bridge has the best skyline view of any patio in the city, with covered and uncovered terraces, and it is family and dog friendly. Raleigh Beer Garden has the largest outdoor space at nearly 8,500 square feet plus a rooftop garden.

What is the tallest rooftop bar in Raleigh?

Urban Oak Rooftop Bar & Lounge at 200 W. Davie Street sits fourteen floors up at the Tempo by Hilton and bills itself as Raleigh's tallest. 10th & Terrace at the Residence Inn is on the tenth floor and La Terrazza at The Dillon is on the ninth.

Which Raleigh rooftops are open in winter?

La Terrazza at The Dillon is glassed in floor to ceiling, and RH Rooftop Restaurant at North Hills is a skylit conservatory, so both work year round. Mulino's courtyard is tented through the winter and Level7 has a fire feature.

Where can I eat outside with my dog in Raleigh?

Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing is dog friendly on the patio and Tupelo Honey in the Village District explicitly welcomes pets on its patio. Lynnwood Brewing Concern and Wilson's Eatery share a large dog-friendly garden as well.

Which Raleigh patio is open latest?

Raleigh Beer Garden runs until 2 a.m. every night of the week. Urban Oak and Level7 both go to midnight on Friday and Saturday.