Dallas’ Best New Patio Restaurants: 5 Must-Try Outdoor Dining Hotspots

It’s the perfect time of year in Dallas to get outside — and you don’t even have to take a hike for fresh air and stunning views. We rounded up the best new patios in the city so you can take full advantage of the weather and the burgeoning restaurant scene at once.

These patio restaurants are spread across the city, so you can take it in Dallas from all angles. From a clubby rooftop spot with Peruvian-inspired sushi in Uptown, to a Trinity Groves cafe with prime views of downtown and vegan brisket, there’s something new for everyone this spring.

Now’s the time to raise your glass to warm-not-hot temperatures and gorgeous city views at these new patio hotspots.

1). Nikkei

This buzzy Uptown spot boasts a spacious rooftop patio with views of Crescent Court and nightclub-like energy, but it also offers something entirely new to the Dallas food scene: Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. The restaurant’s name, pronounced nik-ay, is a term for Japanese immigrants and their descendants who have created communities around the globe.

The fusion of cultures makes for an innovative menu, which is well-executed with fresh ingredients and stunning presentation. The rooftop has a more limited menu than the restaurant below, but it’s not all bad news: happy hour is exclusive to the bar.

2). Mirador

You barely have to step foot inside of Forty Five Ten’s sleek Main Street digs to know that Mirador is a seriously chic eatery. The restaurant is perched atop the high-end department store, so diners have prime views of downtown from the light-flooded dining room as well as the patio.

After you shop your way up to the top floor, you can reward yourself with a sophisticated lunch – the farro bowl is a favorite — or perhaps just tea and dessert. It’s a modern Dallas dream spot for ladies who lunch and the art crowd alike.

3). Smoky Rose

Smoky Rose is a stone’s throw away from the arboretum, and there couldn’t be a more lovely way to top off a walk in the gardens than a lunch on its beautifully laid-back patio. The menu is centered around the restaurant’s custom smokehouse, but it also offers a variety of bright, garden-inspired dishes.

If you want the best of both worlds, order one of their featured salads with the addition of smoked meat. The restaurant also has over 15 domestic and craft beers on tap, a solid wine list, and a few craft cocktails.

4). V Eats

Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are few and far between in this city. That’s why V Eats, the new vegan spot in Trinity Groves with amazing patio views of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and downtown Dallas, is so exciting. Despite some controversy surrounding the “vegan brisket” the restaurant serves — we’ll remain neutral on the subject — V Eats has drawn rave reviews since opening last fall.

Menu items like Southwest chili, brisket tacos, fried Chick-none, and Salisbury steak should please meat-eating diners as well as herbivores.

5). Dot’s

Deep Ellum got an important addition to its patio scene when Dot’s Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard opened last winter. Now that the weather is warming up, the beer garden’s sprawling patio is ripe for use. The courtyard has a simple, upscale-industrial look, with a single, massive chandelier dressing up the exposed brick, picnic tables, and quirky stained glass motifs.

Dot’s beer list is sure to satisfy even the craftiest of beer snobs, with more than 100 beers on tap, including a wide selection of local brews. The Deep Ellum hangout also offers a menu of indulgent, elevated bar fare, like duck fat cheese fries, hot wings, and a burger.