Diners' Choice: Great for outdoor dining restaurants in Connecticut

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are great for outdoor dining in Connecticut? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Match Burger Lobster

4.8

4.8 (318)

$30 and under

American

Westport

About the restaurant

The tables on our covered heated patio are the only seats being booked via opentable. Outdoor uncovered tables are first come first served.
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Fun & Casual - Elevated Road Shack. The delicious Match Burger & Lobster Roll come together on a whimsical menu that will please everyone from age 2 to 102! We have put a simple new England staple menu together, with some twists of course, and execute it at the highest level with the finest ingredients staying as local as we possibly can. We want our guests to crave our food and return for consistant & delicious meals. If you are the heath nut looking for lunch or dinner we are loaded with salads, vegetable’s & a veggie burger made in house, if you are looking to be indulgent how do fries covered in lobster, truffles & cheddar sound?! We look forward to showing you an amazing time in a casual atmosphere with food & service to match our higher end sister restaurant Match.

Top review

Raleigh

Dined on Nov 22, 2024

We did their "After Dark" special dinner menu, picking out our steaks, appetizers, etc from their butcher shop portion of the restaurant. It was AMAZING. NYC steakhouse (or even better) steak, sauces and sides. All house-made. It was a fantastic experience and am so glad to have this option close by.

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Popular dish

Key Lime Pie

Monty's River Grille

4.7

4.7 (65)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Shelton

About the restaurant

Monty’s River Grille is open to the public for the season!

Distinctively situated overlooking the Housatonic River and our award-winning golf course, Monty’s River Grille brings fine dining to new heights. You’ll be sure to enjoy the comfortable, rustic interior with windows that beautifully frame the landscapes, or the picturesque outdoor patio with spectacular seating and panoramic views.

Our menus created by Chef Matt Adkins feature a Contemporary American menu, comprised of the freshest and most flavorful sustainable ingredients. Here you will find culinary innovation and expertise from some of the most experienced chefs and culinary professionals in the area.

Whether you are here for a round of golf or sipping a mimosa at Sunday Brunch, you’ll always be welcomed with impeccable service and gracious hospitality.

Top review

Terri

Dined on Nov 21, 2024

Food was excellent and ambiance was very nice even though it was a rainy day. Our server was very good.

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Experience

Burgers & Brews Night

Famous Greek Kitchen

4.6

4.6 (332)

$30 and under

Greek

Greenwich

About the restaurant

Opened 33 years ago this family style Greek restaurant has been a staple in Greenwich, CT. Today it has been passed down from one generation to the next. John's son Seve, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, has expanded the menu with simple, healthy, homemade dishes. The decor has been updated and the service still remains top notch.

Top review

John

Dined on Oct 19, 2024

Sarah is always terrific and in this particular visit, our waiter was exceptional. His recommended dish (halibut) I accepted on faith and it was outstanding. His frequent visits to the table to check on us were both comforting and appreciated for water. Refills and other intermediate needs. This restaurant has family atmosphere vibes, great food, and noise level all conversation. Bravo to the team.

Market Place Kitchen and Bar - Newtown

4.6

4.6 (156)

$30 and under

American

Newtown

About the restaurant

Welcome to Market Place Kitchen & Bar, a new modern American restaurant, located in the heart of Newtown, CT. We celebrate and encourage Local, Organic, and Sustainability harvested food. Come in and enjoy yourself with friends, family and our wonderful staff. Be part of a progressive approach towards healthier and sustainable foods and restaurants in America.

Top review

AsterVIP

Dined on Dec 3, 2024

Great ambiance, great drinks. Short rib was a home run. Chicken pot pie was dry.

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Experience

Sunday Brunch Specials

Experience

Sunday Brunch Specials

Boqueria West Hartford

4.6

4.6 (48)

$30 and under

Spanish

West Hartford

About the restaurant

A lively, Barcelona-inspired tapas bar serving Spanish classics, seasonal specials, and curated cocktails in a vibrant and contemporary space.

Top review

RonaldVIP

Dined on Nov 16, 2024

My party enjoyed some new and interesting taste experiences Alonso (I believe that’s his name) our server was an excellent host. The carrot tapas were delicious. The salmon entrée was a huge piece of well seasoned fish. We all enjoyed ourselves

Scotch Plains Tavern

4.5

4.5 (703)

$30 and under

Pub

Essex

About the restaurant

If you’re looking for an authentic tavern cuisine and rustic ambiance, Scotch Plains Tavern is the place to be. Located minutes from Essex Steam Train, Rt. 9, and I-95, guests can kick back with a drink and some wings in our newly renovated upstairs bar, redesigned in a modern vintage industrial style while maintaining the original bar from Oliver’s Tavern. The bar, retrofitted for additional space, was originally built in 1913 for a bar in Chicago where Al Capone is rumored to have regularly tipped a glass.

Top review

Joseph

Dined on Nov 14, 2024

Food and staff are Great! Will not disappoint...

Market Place Kitchen and Bar

4.4

4.4 (101)

$30 and under

American

Woodbury

About the restaurant

Welcome to Market Place Kitchen & Bar! We are a new Modern American Restaurant in the heart of Woodbury, CT, we are run by Executive Chef Matt DeLongis. We celebrate and encourage local, organic and sustainably harvested food and spirits. The interior of our space is compiled of sustainable and local materials, utilizing beautiful 300 year old barn wood from the Gurski Farm in Brookfield, CT. For three years in a row we were named Best Farm To Table Restaurant by the readers of the Waterbury Observer! We look forward to you trying our inventive, seasonally inspired cuisine and cocktails. Eat sustainably, live well, and enjoy your experience at Marketplace!

Top review

Craig

Dined on Dec 7, 2024

Two couples for dinner. Service was prompt, all our dinners were good to excellent and the atmosphere is always comfortable. It was fairly busy but there was a nice holiday vibe, pleasant lighting and music. Always reliable for a happy night out.

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Experience

Sunday Brunch Specials

Harbor Lights

4.3

4.3 (800)

$30 and under

Seafood

East Norwalk

About the restaurant

Harbor Lights is the premier seafood house located in East Norwalk, CT. Located on the Norwalk Harbor, it offers well-prepared, attractively presented and sophisticated fare. Open year round, the glassed-in terrace allows for a comfortably heated dining experience in the winter without losing the outside dining experience in the summer. Our long dock in front of the restaurant provides plenty of room for boaters to tie up for lunch or dinner, and the dining room affords fantastic sunset views. Harbor Lights has been bringing the fresh refined flavors of the Mediterranean to Diners in Fairfield County for over a decade. The Prime sunset seating and views of the Harbor, the breeze, the um-brella-bedecked outdoor patio, unparalleled service and incredible food make this waterfront spot hard to resist.

Please Note: We Do Not Guarantee Specific Tables. We Do Not Guarantee Waterfront, Window or Deck Seating.

Top review

Elaine

Dined on Dec 12, 2024

Lovely lunch! Beautiful setting, peaceful great menu and food.

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Popular dish

CT Hot Lobster Roll

Popular dish

Main Cold Lobster Roll

Sign of the Whale

4.2

4.2 (582)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Stamford

About the restaurant

We are taking INDOOR reservations - We are accepting reservations of up to 4 guests via OpenTable, please call us (203.883.8282) or email (events@signofthewhalect.com) for reservations of 5 or more. Tables have a 90 minute max.

Check in downstairs with host.

Sign of the Whale is one of Harbor Point’s most dynamic spaces. We proudly boast Stamford’s first rooftop- complete with lounge space and comfortable seating, an elevated dining room and a lively bar scene. We are a place where you can sit back with friends eating well-crafted food, sipping on playful cocktails, and listening to great music

Top review

Sarah

Dined on Dec 11, 2024

This is a fun, festive experience and I really enjoyed my visits here to Sign of the Whale. Food is always fresh and good and they have an excellent drink selection. Everyone here is so friendly and attentive. Great service.

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Experience

Outdoor Igloo Experience

Bacari Social

4.2

4.2 (123)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Westbrook

About the restaurant

Bacari Social, located in Westbrook Safe Harbor Pilot's Point Marina is a Seasonal waterside restaurant specializing in fresh seafood, unique small plates, and plentiful sandwiches and entrees! Our restaurant offers ample waterside views inside and outside while you enjoy our creative cocktails, extensive wine list, and fresh menu options.

Top review

Surf betty

Dined on Sep 1, 2024

Lovely sunset dinner on the outdoor patio. We brought our dog, sat outside and enjoyed the live music, sunset, drinks and delicious food. Enjoyed Rhode Island clam chowder which was fresh and delicious. Seared scallops over lobster risotto is a delight with 4 large tender scallops and generous risotto portion with lobster. Pear avocado salad with fresh tender salmon. Drinks were very tasty and we split an Oreo pie for dessert. Perfect evening thank you see you next year. I’ll dream of Bacari food all winter. Cheers!

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