Downtown Patios

Enjoy bustling patios, skyline views, and sidewalk charm in the heart of the city.
 

Fourth Street / Restaurant Row
Stretching 1.5 miles along Fourth Street, this downtown corridor—nicknamed “Restaurant Row”—is tailor-made for sidewalk dining and people-watching. You can order up a pint and pub fare at Foothills Brewing, sample award-winning brunch at Young Cardinal Café, and grab a pastry and coffee from Camino Bakery. Other popular options along the row: Quanto Basta for Italian, Xcaret for Mexican, Oh’ Calcutta for Indian, Jeffrey Adams for steaks and sides, Mellow Mushroom for pizza, and Hungry Palate, a neighborhood bar and grill.

Cugino Forno Pizza + Barcelona Burger (The Coal Pit)
Downtown’s most distinctive al fresco option isn’t really a patio. The concrete-lined Coal Pit once housed coal used to power Bailey Power Plant; which powered downtown's tobacco empire. Today, the space retains its industrial aesthetic with smokestacks and old rail trestles soaring overhead. Order Neapolitan pizza and gelato from Cugino Forno, grab a beer from Incendiary Brewing next door, and find a seat. 

Free concerts run through the summer, while vintage markets, dance nights, and other events fill the calendar throughout the year. Around the corner in Bailey South, Barcelona Burger keeps its own patio going with smash burgers and hand-cut fries.

Tuscani
The Innovation Quarter's slightly dressier option, Tuscani sits at street level in Bailey Power Plant, a short walk from the Coal Pit. The patio runs along the front of the restaurant at sidewalk level, which puts you in the front row for whatever the park has going — concerts, festivals, movie nights, and more. House-made pastas share the menu with wood-fired steaks and seafood, the the bread service gets nearly as much attention as the entrées. The restaurant also features a proper wine cellar and an open wood-fired kitchen. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday..

Spring House Restaurant
Set in a restored 1920s mansion, Spring House offers one of Winston-Salem’s most memorable dining experiences. While the elegant interior—especially the Library Bar—is a draw, the shaded patio steals the show with wrought-iron tables, garden landscaping, and a bubbling fountain. Savor seasonal dishes like duck breast or crab cakes with a side of local history.

Mozelle’s
Downtown's West End area has multiple al fresco options within a block or two of one another. First up is Mozelle’s, where umbrella-shaded tables sit close enough to the street to make people-watching unavoidable. Fans handle the warm months; heaters and blankets come out when it cools down. The Southern cooking has stayed steady for years — fried chicken, shrimp and grits, tomato pie, and a bread pudding with a cult following. It's open daily from lunch through dinner, with weekend brunch..

Betty on Burke
The Mozelle’s team opened Betty a few blocks off Fourth Street and gave it a bamboo-wrapped patio with heaters, greenery, sofas, and a long communal table. The kitchen leans global rather than Southern, with shareable plates and seasonal entrées designed for mixing, matching, and making an afternoon of it. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Bernardin’s at the Zevely House
The Zevely House, built around 1815, is the oldest surviving house from the former town of Winston. It was moved across downtown on steel beams in 1974 to its present spot at the top of West Fourth Street. Bernardin’s has since turned the grounds into one of the prettiest places to eat in the city. The draped, glass-covered patio is climate-controlled, with French doors opening toward the garden when the weather cooperates. The menu runs to filet mignon, duck, elk, and a rotating selection of seafood. Dinner only, Monday through Saturday; reservations are wise.

Fourth Street Filling Station
A converted service station a few doors up from Mozelle’s, with a brick-walled courtyard beneath a canopy of trees. String lights hang overhead, and heaters and fireplaces take over once the weather turns cold. The signature shrimp and grits are what many regulars come back for, though the crab cakes have their own following. Sunday brunch fills the patio early, so reserve or arrive ahead of the crowd.

More Downtown Favorites

• Alma Mexicana – Set beside lively Bailey Park, Alma Mexicana pairs inventive Tex‑Mex favorites with prime patio seating, perfect for people‑watching.

• Downtown Grille – Dine al fresco beside on-site herb planters in this hidden courtyard praised for elevated cuisine and attentive service.

• Sage & Salt – Located in a restored train station, the umbrella-lined patio complements upscale comfort food and handcrafted seasonal cocktails.

• The Katharine Brasserie – French-inspired with bistro chairs and string lights, this elegant patio offers dining domes in winter for cozy outdoor charm.

• The Spotted Cow – A casual favorite offering generous portions and a red umbrella-lined patio perfect for people-watching or easy solo meals.

• Twisted Pine – With beer garden energy, elevated bar bites, and crispy Brussels sprouts, the patio is a go-to for breezy, casual dining.

• Pleasants Provisions – One of downtown's newest options, this bistro-marketplace combo serves globally inspired comfort food on an umbrella-shaded patio with picnic tables and a fire pit.

These patios sit just beyond the downtown core, in West End, West Salem, and Buena Vista.

East of Texas (West Salem)
A mile south of downtown, East of Texas serves Texas-style barbecue in a cantina-sized space where even the ordering line feels half outdoors. String lights, yard games, live music, and Sunday jazz make it one of the more kid-friendly patios on the list. Get the brisket, or a sampler tray if there are enough people at the table to help.

1703 Restaurant (Buena Vista)
The menu at 1703 changes daily, which keeps this longtime neighborhood restaurant from feeling routine. Its covered patio has heaters and a quiet residential setting off Robinhood Road, equally suited to a rehearsal dinner or a Tuesday-night splurge. Rack of lamb is a recurring favorite; the daily vegetarian entrée is often one of the smartest orders on the menu. Open for lunch and dinner, with Sunday brunch.

The Porch Kitchen & Cantina (West End)
The Porch anchors West End Mill Works, a restored flour mill, and earns the name with covered porch nooks strung with lights and an open-air run of tables out back. Tex-Mex fare, Friday margarita flights, and plenty of cover keep the patio in play through much of the year, with heaters and seasonal enclosures appearing when temperatures drop.

Quiet Pint Tavern (West End area)
Sitting in this shadow of Baptist Medical Center, Quiet Pint features a large, dog-friendly patio that's covered in sections, with overhead fans for summer and enclosures for winter. The kitchen ranges well beyond basic bar food, with burgers, street tacos, flatbreads, and rotating weekly features. The draft list changes just as often.

Salem Bottleworks Complex (Bobby Boy + more) 
The 1929 Coca-Cola bottling plant reopened in 2025 as a food hall-style complex built around a shared courtyard. James Beard–semifinalist Bobby Boy Bakeshop anchors the complex with pastries, bread, sandwiches, and a glass-walled chocolate room. Grandpa Joe's Slaberia handles focaccia pizza and soda floats; Noodle Ju'b serves house-made noodles with slow-simmered broth. Order from whichever counter suits you and take it out to the courtyard. The newest option, Dale's Revision, is the complex's first full-service option, offering wood-fired cooking, a butchery, and grain milled on site.

More Favorites Near Downtown

• Muddy Creek Café (Old Salem) —  Open for lunch in the heart of Old Salem, this beloved deli pairs gourmet sandwiches, soups, and Moravian chicken pie with one-of-a-kind historic charm. 

• Cin Cin Burger Bar (West End) – Retro flair, gourmet burgers, and boozy shakes shine on a sunny patio just steps from Baptist Hospital.

• District 924 (West Salem) – This modern soul food gem serves generous brunch plates like chicken and waffles on a sunny, relaxed front patio.

Top Picks Around the City

Good patios don’t stop at the edge of downtown. Here more than a dozen great options around Forsyth County.

Village Tavern (Reynolda Village)
The original Village Tavern opened in Reynolda Village in 1984, tucked into the former service buildings of the Reynolda estate. Its patio is tree-shaded, hung with twinkle lights, and enclosed and heated during winter. The kitchen serves a broad, made-from-scratch menu all day, including shrimp and grits, French onion soup, and a Thai chicken salad that regulars order on repeat.

Village Tavern (Hanes Mall area)
Village Tavern's second location doesn’t have Reynolda’s postcard setting, but its patio is quieter, quite spacious, and beautifully planted, with magnolias, a fireplace, and a mix of covered and open-air seating. The setting is mountain lodge chic, and the menu is expanded at this location.

River Birch Lodge (Sherwood Forest area)
Canoes on the walls, fireplaces going, and a covered patio ringed in greenery. This local staple in Sherwood Plaza has a mountain lodge vibe with a menu that includes trout, game burgers, and a substantial weekend brunch. The patio can be enclosed when temperatures fall. 

Rooster’s (Thruway area)
Known as Noble's for years, Jim Noble’s longstanding eatery on Knollwood Street puts a garden patio behind a curtain of string lights. The wood-fired grill does much of the work, turning out rotisserie chicken, roasted vegetables, steaks, and small plates that get as much attention as the entrées. Heaters keep the patio usable well into the colder months.

Ryan’s Restaurant (Coliseum area)
Ryan’s sits above a wooded ravine off Coliseum Drive, and the back deck feels like a treehouse with an extensive wine list. Prime rib, fresh seafood, and steaks have made it a special-occasion room for generations of Winston-Salem families. Dinner only.

More Favorites Around the City

• Midtown Café & Dessertery (Thruway/Five Points area) – Shaded tables, a water feature, all-day breakfast, and a dessert case that is half the reason to go.

• Putter’s Patio & Grill (Coliseum area) – Family-run for decades and minutes from the Wake Forest stadiums, with cheesesteaks, hand-cut steaks, and a patio that remains comfortably low-key.

• Fratellis Italian Steakhouse (Reynolda area) – Recently renovated and now equipped with a raw bar, plus a patio roomy enough for a big Italian dinner with a crowd.

• The Sherwood (Sherwood Forest) – A neighborhood tavern with a leafy covered patio, Calabash-style seafood, burgers, and a game room in back.

• Mariscos Marlin (Stratford Road) — Mexican seafood, from ceviche and marlin tacos to large platters built for sharing, served on a landscaped patio with a fountain. 

• Reynolda Village (multiple options) – Village Tavern is the marquee, but the whole village eats outside: crêpes at Penny Path, dumplings and bao at May Way, and doughnuts made to order at Dough-Joe’s. In the center of the village, Theodore’s occupies the estate’s former dairy, serving sandwiches, soups, charcuterie, and cocktails, with tables along the village walkways.

• Three Bulls American Steakhouse (Clemmons) — Hand-cut Certified Angus beef, pasta, and fresh seafood, with a polished patio and outdoor firepit. Dinner only.

• J Pepper’s Southern Grille (Kernersville) — Fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, and North Carolina beer, served on a roomy, umbrella-shaded patio with a stone fireplace. 

Savor More in Winston-Salem

This is just a taste of Winston-Salem’s patio dining scene—not a comprehensive list. With hundreds of restaurants across the greater Winston-Salem area and dozens offering al fresco options, there’s a patio for every plan—whether it’s a laidback lunch, romantic dinner, or weekend brunch with friends. Discover even more in our Food & Drink section.