14 great New Orleans restaurant patios just in time for prime-time outdoor dining

This winter was oddly long. Summer will be predictably longer. Now is the ideal time to dine al fresco in a city where world-class dining and outdoor spaces often collide.

Bacchanal

600 Poland Ave., New Orleans, 504.948.9111

Word has spread far and wide at least as far as Hollywood about the seductive allure of the urban southern wild that is Bacchanal's back yard. It is regularly packed at night for live music and the generally terrific new American cooking. A more recent revelation is the equally good daytime lunch menu, stocked with sandwiches made on housemade ciabatta. It's hotter in the day, but way fewer people, and lots of shade.

Bayona

430 Dauphine St., New Orleans, 504.525.4455

It is hard to imagine the lush tranquility of Bayona's patio if you've only ever seen the restaurant from the sidewalk, or even if you've only ever viewed its patio through the windows of the restaurant's tiny lounge in the dead of winter. French Quarter properties are like this: They conceal what is behind the faade, making the revelation of hidden banana trees and palmettos all the more pleasing. Not only are Bayona's scant outdoor tables the best seats "in the house." They feel like the best seats in New Orleans while you're occupying them.

Bouligny Tavern

3641 Magazine St., New Orleans, 504.891.1810

New Orleans' gastropubs are interestingly patio-centric. (See also: Cane & Table, Sylvain, Oxalis.) John Harris' polished, cocktail-friendly food and Bouligny's stylish barroom are such a harmonious package it's easy to forget there's a courtyard on the side. Don't.

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14 great New Orleans restaurant patios just in time for prime-time outdoor dining