London's Best Outdoor Restaurants and Bars 

We've hit midsummer - the sun is blazing, we're getting out and about and it's the perfect time to sit outside and enjoy the season before autumn creeps up on us.

One of the summer delights that we cherish here in the UK is the ability to dine al fresco, in the open air, soaking in the glorious weather and enjoying some fantastic food while we're at it. In London in particular, dining out is a joy because of the amount of choice you have when it comes to dining venues with outside seating options.

To help you narrow down your options, take a look at the following list we've drummed up below of some of the best outdoor bars and restaurants in London for you to try out during the summer months:

Frederick's, Islington

What's great about Frederick's, over in Islington, is that it has a real feeling of being a green oasis in a concrete desert. Decked out with greenery of all sorts, with tasteful trees overlooking manicured lawns, dining out here feels like attending a garden party and since they've been in business for over fifty years, they know a thing or two about good food as well. If you find yourself getting rained on in the unpredictable British weather that we all know and love, you can always take refuge in the conservatory and enjoy the sound of raindrops cascading across glass as you tuck into some excellent European food.

The Oxo Tower, South Bank

One of the things we love about London is its beautiful skyline that stretches across the city, dotted by all kinds of architectural wonders and sliced in half by the majestic Thames. For the best views while you're dining al fresco in London, the Oxo Tower is probably one of your best options. Soaring over the city, this characterful tower is home to a brasserie, a bar and a restaurant, each with access to an outdoor terrace. There's nothing quite like tucking into breakfast or heading out for dinner at the heights of the tower to make you feel like a bigshot business leader in a Hollywood movie, surveying the lights of London from above. Besides that, they've got an excellent menu in each venue, and some pretty fantastic cocktails too.

The Ritz, Piccadilly

Everyone's heard of it, everyone knows what it stands for - The Ritz is everything glamour and glitz in London and better yet, it has a wonderful outdoor terrace that looks just about as impressive as you'd expect it to. It's definitely a venue for an occasion, since they won't let you in if you don't adhere to their dress code, but once you're in, an al fresco dining experience awaits, complete with beautiful dishes, parasols to shield you from the sun and rain, and top-of-the-board service to give you an outside meal that you'll not forget in a hurry. The outside area is only open for summer though, so be sure to make a booking before the season, and the terrace, close for the year.

Le Pont de la Tour, Bermondsey

There are few places as characteristic of the history and architectural charm of London as Tower Bridge, with its iconic drawbridge and stately towers. Getting close and personal with this impressive site is a must for any visitor to the capital, but to get away from the normal tourist bustle and to get a tasty bite to eat, all while admiring Tower Bridge up close, you'll want to stop by Le Pont de la Tour. This charming café boasts a terrace that hangs above the waters of the Thames with a commanding view of not only the café's namesake but also the rest of the city. As for food and meals, the theme, as the name suggests, is French food with a focus on seafood dishes - it's well worth stopping by for a quick lunch on a sunny day to get the most of the unique bridge in all its glory.

Petersham Nurseries Café, Richmond

The charming Petersham Nurseries Café is one of the best dining venues in Richmond - the fact that it's outdoors makes it even better, letting you sit back and feel part of the general hubbub that makes this part of London feel so alive and thriving. Petersham Nurseries isn't actually a dining venue in itself - it's a garden centre which hosts different options for eating out and so the surrounding area is something special. Beautiful floral displays crawl across an outdoor pergola overhead which lets just enough sun through to keep you warm and basking as you tuck into some excellent food.

So that's our list of some of the best outdoor eating venues in London, but beyond those there are still plenty of fantastic restaurants, bistros, cafés, brasseries and other eateries to explore across all 32 London boroughs. 

Dining out is just another entry on a long list things that makes London such an exciting place to live and discover - if you're interested in making London your home, we've got a fantastic range of properties for sale that make for the perfect headquarters from which to venture out into the city.