Pizzeria Beddia is one of the more fun places to eat in Philly, and their outdoor setup is no different. During the summer, they open up the back patio—filled with long green picnic tables—so you can have incredible small plates, pizza, and natural wines while taking in the rays. Make a reservation or walk up and put your name on the waitlist, and do some Fishtown people watching between bites of a pie stacked with Calabrian cream, mozzarella, Grana Padano, and greens.

Wm. Mulherin’s Sons is one of the best restaurants in Fishtown. And with hanging lights, tall trees, long picnic tables, and a few umbrellas for some sun cover, they have one of the nicer patio setups in the area where you can share a pizza or a few plates of ricotta cavatelli and lobster gnocchi. While you won’t get the unique charm of dining inside of a 100-year-old whiskey factory if you’re outside, just order one of their whiskey-based drinks, a few plates of pasta, and soak up the sun.

It can take a lot to get people to suffer through the chaos on I-76 just for a meal. But with The Landing Kitchen in Bala cooking up everything from shakshuka to a sausage, egg, and cheese topped with salsa verde, we suggest you make the trip. With the Schuylkill River within eyeshot, an old steel mill aesthetic, and garden games like cornhole on the patio, there’s no other place in Philly quite like this American spot.

La Chinesca has one of the most recognizable patios in the city—and that’s not just because it’s a glowing neon pink. On a sunny day, The Spring Arts Mexican-Asian fusion spot is as packed as the A.C. Boardwalk on the 4th of July. It serves some of our favorite margaritas in town, so you’ll usually see people sipping on them while they split plates of Singapore noodles with shrimp, salsa topped Tijuana street dogs, and smoky kung pao chicken wings.

Like the sun and general happiness, Talula’s Garden is something you probably forgot existed during the winter. But then as soon as the weather’s nice again, it’s the only place you want to eat. Their patio is one of the bigger ones in the city and it’s full of trees and plants that might make you forget you’re in the middle of a city. Order some wine and cheese, and maybe a couple of dishes from their seasonal, produce-heavy menu.

East Passyunk’s Barcelona Wine Bar serves great shareable tapas and their outdoor patio is one of the best (and largest) in the area. There’s about as many seats on the outside as there are on the inside—and you see people on dates, celebrating a birthday, or toasting to the first sunny day in weeks with a Manhattan with a sherry twist. The tapas spot is ideal for grabbing a few plates of patatas bravas, whole fish, and good wine.

The large Sor Ynez parking lot setup is the first thing you’ll see when you walk up, and it’s a pretty lively scene—there are a bunch of people sharing lamb shanks coated in salsa verde and after-work hangouts sipping on Oaxacan Old Fashioneds. The Kensington Mexican spot also has plenty of vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes, like root vegetable ceviche vegan mixtole, so there’s something for everyone in your friend group.

The perfect outdoor date night spot should include a few things: string lights, a selection of summery cocktails, and an enclosed patio situation where you don’t have to listen to beeping car horns or imagine that there’s any real world outside those walls. Kensington Quarters has all three of those things in its Fishtown home, plus a very good burger that you should at least split with your date (if not order a whole one for yourself and another to take home with you).

What makes LMNO one of the most exciting dinner spots in the city is their outdoor setup that’s perfect for a night where you want to party without paying a cover at some club. The Fishtown spot has bright yellow and purple cafeteria-style seating, a glowing neon-lit bar that stretches from the interior to the exterior, and a few hanging lights that will shine on your round of tacos.

After a day of shopping at the Philadelphia Fashion District, you should hit up this Center City American brasserie. They have a few French 75 carafes we love to pass around the table while diving into their raw bar options like oysters, jumbo shrimp, and tuna carpaccio. Beyond the chilled choices, they also have a few small plates like fluffy corn beignets and Brussels sprouts frites that are on their Happy Hour menu.