The Brooklyn Paper file / Gregory Cross

Outward bound: Cobble Hill’s Pacifico offers top notch Cal-Mex fare, and eating it on their stunning patio makes it that much better.

Similar stories

Dining: All beefed up

Beyond the pale

Cinema: Popcorn culture

Dining: Good all over

Dining: Babes in soy land

Pool queue

Print this story

Share this story

Email a friend

Your name

Your email address

Recipients’ email addresses (Up to ten, separated by commas.)

digg

del.icio.us

You can barely roll a stroller down the street these days without running into a restaurant with outdoor seating. So now that summer’s upon us, GO Brooklyn’s Juliana Bunim has put sidewalk service to the test and come up with the borough’s five best al fresco options.

Thin-crust pizza
at the Cherry Tree

“The amount of outdoor space is rad,” Cate Reilly, a Boerum Hill resident, told GO Brooklyn. “But I really go here for the $5 beer bongs and the Irish bar manager.” While we’re sure those are both great, we’re drawn to this bar’s big patio for the pizzas baked outside in a brick oven — they’ve got nine varieties, but the “Di Verdi,” loaded with mozzarella, tomato sauce, goat cheese, pesto, Parmesan, tomato, onion and spinach, is the most popular pie. Also, check out the pig roast on the first Saturday of each month — it puts that hibachi on your fire escape to shame.

Do-it-yourself barbeque
at Laila Lounge

Balmy evenings are the perfect time to haul your groceries over to Laila, where the backyard grill is open to all. Splurge on your own steak and make up for it during happy hour with two-for-one beers, $4 glasses of wine and margaritas. Rotating live DJs and summer movies on the patio provide a casual backdrop for this minimalist hipster locale. If cooking isn’t your speed, don’t miss “Bloodys and Barbeque” every Sunday at 3 pm on the patio. Free hotdogs — regular and soy —and plenty of drink specials should carry you right into work Monday morning.

Cal-Mex ribs
at Pacifico

Pacifico is one of the only Mexican places that not only offers fresh veggie-loaded burritos, delicious salmon, unique salsas like sweet pineapple, and the best damn ribs in town, but does so on a stunning outdoor patio. Start with those juicy grilled pork ribs and the white sangria, but don’t leave without sipping one of their notoriously strong margaritas. The homey backyard is also great for large groups. Tequila taste test, anyone?

Manhattan views
at Alma

Peel your eyes away from postcard-worthy views to dig into a heaping bowl of mashed-to-order guacamole. In Spanish, the word “Alma” means “soul,” and there’s no doubt this place has it. The deck’s retractable roof allows diners to nibble zesty scallop and snapper ceviche under the stars year-round, and during the summer months there’s no better place to pair a cold beer with the “tamale del dia” (corn husks with steamed corn and a choice of sauces) and soak up the sunset. Once you’re satiated, head downstairs to bar B61 to shoot pool and peruse the jam-packed jukebox.

A perfect square meal
at L&B Spumoni Gardens.

At this long-standing Bensonhurst institution, thankfully little has changed in over 60 years. The outdoor picnic tables are still overflowing with devotees who make the trek for much-loved Sicilian squares. No fancy toppings here — only pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and anchovies. Bring your appetite and indulge in several squares, but make sure and leave room for the namesake spumoni — homemade in vanilla, pistachio or rainbow.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper