23 NYC Restaurants with Dreamy Secret Gardens and Patios

From first-time restaurateur and veteran bartender Christopher Reyes and chef Gerardo Alcaraz, this Mexico City-inspired eatery has a menu that is perfect for enjoying in the sun on the restaurant’s brand-new terrace. The outdoor space at Aldama is hidden from view, but once diners arrive, they’ll feel like they were transported from the Big Apple to a warmer locale thanks to earth tones, clay pots, and gorgeous lamps overhead that feel like a continuation of the dining room.

As an all-day cafe with grain bowls, salads, and beverages ranging from signature lattes to natural wines, baba cool makes the perfect spot to waste away an afternoon—and the Williamsburg location’s backyard garden area only ups the ante. The verdant patio has comfy lounge seating perfect for catching up with a small group, and when you’re ready for an afternoon activity to mix things up, the space also hosts.a court for playing pétanque, a French lawn game similar to bocce.

This French and Mediterranean restaurant may be best known for its grand interior with lofty ceilings, velvet curtains, and swanky decor. But venture to the back garden area of Cathédrale and you’ll find it’s just as dreamy. With a retractable roof, lush greenery, and the same glam decor as you’ll find in the traditional dining room, taking a seat on the terrace makes for an over-the-top outdoor dining experience.

Sauced is a trendy wine bar where instead of ordering from a menu, you simply tell bartenders what you want to fill your glass or bottle. The space is similarly laid-back, with DJs playing their favorite vinyls inside and a sprawling yard in the back that can host up to 60 guests. Alongside ivy-covered brick walls, your group can take over a hightop table to enjoy snacks from a rotating list of guest chefs or post up on outdoor pillows or in a hammock while sipping some exciting pours.

This Mesoamerican restaurant is tucked toward the back of the Selina Hotel’s ground floor, so it feels like a hidden gem in and of itself. But pass through HOWM’s trendy dining room and into the backyard, and you’ll find an expansive outdoor seating area. The bilevel space features string lights, a chef-tended garden of herbs that appear on the menu, and seats for more than 50 guests on colorful pillows and cushions.

Just as the name implies, George Mendes’ globally inspired latest venture, Veranda, sits above the streets in SoHo. The retractable pergola roof gives the standard dining room major greenhouse vibes, but grab a seat on the multi-tiered garden terrace or a private dinner on the upper terrace and you’ll quickly forget about the bustling neighborhood surrounding the restaurant.

Located behind an old-school German butcher shop, Blume utilizes the space that once held Schaller & Weber’s smoke house. Now, the hidden backyard garden space has been transformed with dozens of plants, string lights, and touches of pink into a wine garden, perfect for weekend brunch by chef Chris Norton or sipping Austrian wine and sampling charcuterie from the shop in front.

The garden at this Oaxacan restaurant may be pretty well-known at this point, but Claro’s street view conceals all the fun going on in the backyard. With lush trellises and colorful outdoor seating, the vibrant atmosphere outside matches the food. And diners that choose the backyard garden will have a front-row seat as chef TJ Steele whips up four-course dinners in the open-air kitchen.

Taking up residence along one of Fort Greene’s many tree-lined streets, this Latin- American spot that doubles as a wine shop is a vibrant neighborhood go-to by husband and wife duo Felipe Donnelly and Tamy Rofe. Inside, Colonia Verde is dimly lit and rustic with just a few dozen seating options and a bustling atmosphere, but venture to the back of the restaurant and you’ll find an open-air backyard with twinkling lights, pebbles on the ground, and tables tucked into the space’s nooks and crannies for an intimate experience.

This laid-back Brooklyn spot feels more like hanging out in a friend’s backyard than going to a bar—and that’s precisely the point. Co-owners Bill Pace and Molly Bradford live above this neighborhood beer bar with 16 constantly rotating taps (which always includes two ciders) and more than 250 bottled and canned brews. In the backyard at Covenhoven, guests will find various tables and umbrellas in a grassy space with a robust garden where, on some days, visitors can spot Bradford tending to flowers and herbs.

Venture through the sleek dining room at this neighborhood-favorite bistro, and the back of the restaurant opens up to a gorgeous backyard. Canopies overhead create an airy feel while saving you from some of the sun no matter what the season, and vines and other greenery surrounding each table adds to the garden vibe. The backyard seating area at Esme is available for brunch and dinner services, where chef Adam Volk serves classic dishes along with seasonal spins on French bistro fare.

This Mediterranean favorite in Fort Greene built out an impressive streetside patio where guests can share hummus, labne, and skewers of halloumi by Israeli-born chef and owner Tomer Blechman. But opt for seating in the sun-drenched garden hidden behind Miss Ada instead and dine near herbs used in the restaurant’s dishes and cocktails alongside a playful mural of people drinking wine.

This long-time lauded restaurant in Nolita has a hidden back garden that’s not only beautiful—it’s also extremely functional. Several tables in the garden area surround large planters of lemon balm, nasturtium, basil, and other ingredients that chef Mary Attea and the bar team pull from for dishes and drinks on The Musket Room’s globally inspired menu.

At this cool neighborhood spot located steps from Prospect Park, guests can dine in the backyard garden where chef and owner Greg Baxtrom grows produce and herbs to inspire the seasonal menu. Olmsted’s backyard seating area features a special menu with exclusive items using in-season produce like heirloom tomatoes, English peas, and more depending on the time of year, as well as seasonal desserts.

This quaint, 35-seat rustic Italian restaurant is tucked away in a 200-year-old West Village carriage house and has all the charm you’d expect based on that description. But beyond the vintage serveware and homey atmosphere inside this family-owned restaurant, the secret garden behind Palma has ivy-covered walls, several varieties of flowers growing at all times, and a warm atmosphere that make the eatery feel like a true hidden gem.

The PUBLIC Hotel has two tranquil outdoor spaces tucked away in the LES. POPULAR, the hotel’s Peruvian restaurant by chef Diego Muñoz, serves dinner and weekend brunch in The Bowery Garden, a lush space with intricate tiled floor that is often used for private events. For something more casual, visit LOUIS, a coffee shop and bakery serving drinks and bites all day long and head out to Chrystie Park, a 3,000-square foot space with adirondack chairs and picnic tables located in front of the hotel.

Located on the ground floor of the Korean restaurant Boka, Sushi Nonaka opened just before the pandemic. Since reopening, the restaurant has been serving high-quality omakase for less than $100 alongside a la carte options. At a bar inside, guests can watch as sushi is made before their eyes, but the hidden back garden area offers a tranquil respite from the bustle of Amsterdam Avenue.

This under-the-radar rotisserie operates in a fast-casual style with counter service and a full bar—and the laid-back vibe carries out into the restaurant’s back patio. The multi-level space at Risbo has a mix of tables and ground-level seating options where you can sprawl out on bright-colored cushions and poufs.

It’s the perfect Neapolitan pies that helped this NYC staple expand to multiple locations (its newest is in Domino Park) and find a home in the local freezer aisle. But the Bushwick location of Roberta’s has a semi-hidden garden, and it’s what keeps neighbors coming back for outdoor hangs. Around the corner from the restaurant’s main entrance, an expansive patio with dozens of picnic tables is hidden behind old shipping containers to create an outdoor space that is oh-so-Brooklyn.

Individual huts make this all-day Japanese restaurant perfect for social distancing anytime of year. But whether the weather holds out or gets a bit cooler, Rule of Thirds’ outdoor space, which sits tucked away in an adjacent alley, is a perfect hideaway. Make a reservation for a pavilion, and six to 10 guests can dine in individual, airy huts and choose from two pre-fixe menus with temake and other Japanese small plates that highlight seasonal ingredients.

This restaurant has an unassuming storefront and dim dining spaces throughout three rooms inside, but the back opens up to reveal a section of the restaurant you’d never know existed, where a retractable glass roof lets the sun in all year long. Under hanging glass chandeliers and surrounded by plants and luxe velvet seating, guests at Salinas can dine on chef Luis Bollo’s menu of authentic Spanish tapas from daily Croquetas and Cauliflower with Citrusy Yogurt to a Charred Basque Cheesecake.

Santiago’s took advantage of a neighboring alley to create ample space for serving up Dominican staples like Maduros (fried sweet plantains), Skirt Steak Churrasco, and Tres Leches. The colorful decor, lush greenery, and huge murals match the restaurant’s vibrant dishes, and the outdoor space is semi-covered for unpredictable weather.

New Yorkers flock to Wayla for its menu of homestyle Thai food by chef Tom Naumsuwan, but the secret garden out back is a reason to visit all on its own. Decorated with bamboo furniture and colorful textiles on rugs and pillows, the verdant backyard transports guests away from the Lower East Side for a few hours while enjoying dinner or weekend brunch.