Best Outside Dining and Drinking in Greensboro, North Carolina

Now that the weather is (finally!) getting warmer, eating and drinking outside is once again becoming an option. But not all outdoor dining venues are created equal--it's just not a lot of fun sitting outside on a beautiful day, trying to enjoy the sun and your food while cars are loudly whizzing by and the area smells like exhaust. Luckily, Greensboro has plenty of great locations for outdoor dining, whether you love calm and nature or people watching. Here's a brief guide to some of them.

Green Valley Grill: Tucked in far away from the road and surrounded by flowering trees and greenery, Green Valley Grill's patio is a beautiful place to enjoy an outdoor brunch, lunch, or dinner.

MCouls: MCouls has plenty of outdoor seating--two floors of it in fact. The first floor is nice--fenced in, equipped with umbrellas, plenty of space. But I just love the rooftop seating--spacious, convenient to the bar, and a great view. Sitting on the roof, having drinks with friends, looking out over downtown Greensboro is a great way to spend a summer evening.

Lindley Park Filling Station: While the inside of the Filling Station is a bit small and cramped, their deck is large and lovely. With areas in the sun as well as the shade, and enough distance from the road, the deck is a really comfortable, casual place to hang out, day or night, for food or drinks.

Lucky 32: Talk about a beautiful outdoor dining experience! Their veranda is surrounded by a trellis which is covered in plants. Not only does that make it both private and beautiful, but the really pretty lights that are hung from the trellis make it a great place for eating/drinking outside at night. If you want a really luxurious outdoor dining experience, Lucky 32 is probably your best bet.

Print Works Bistro: Similar to Green Valley Grill, Print Works Bistro is tucked away from the road and their deck is surrounded with flowers and trees, making it a great place for an outdoor brunch in springtime.

Liberty Oak: If you want to be able to people watch while not being too close to the road and traffic, Liberty Oak's outdoor seating is perfect for you. While it's located right on a popular downtown corner, the porch is sunken down so it's disconnected from the road, and it's surrounded by a low brick wall. Great for checking out what's going on downtown while still having a quiet meal.

Coffeology: Okay, so they don't really have a patio so much as just some tables and chair set up on the sidewalk outside, but it's another great place for people watching. Tate Street is small enough that the car traffic isn't too bothersome and there's lots of foot traffic around, usually in the form of UNCG students, which makes for good people watching.

Vintage 301: Located in a quiet part of downtown off of MLK, Vintage's outdoor seating is amidst downtown scenery without the downtown crowds and traffic. The surrounding area is really cute, and it's a nice, quiet, and comfortable place to sit outside and enjoy the weather.