Where to embrace al-fresco dining this summer
From long lunches on the terrace to rooftop cocktails, there's nothing like dining 'en plein air' come summertime
After a long, long winter, you know it's that time of the season, when the possibility of enjoying lunch outside at The River Cafe is on the table. That frisson of excitement as the winter menu changes to spring; bitter curls of Puntarelle alla Romana give way to the joy of eating English asparagus dunked in anchovy butter; and a chilled glass of something divine and rosy from Abruzzo replaces a warming bottle of a Barolo. Of course, the River Cafe is a perennial favourite and obvious choice, but when a flash of sunshine descends in London, there is nothing like finding a perfect table outside, away from the crowds, and relishing the return of summer.
Outside dining at The River Cafe
Particularly the mythical tables that exist at Chelsea's ...At Sloane. Here, there's an ease, grace and sophistication to the whole place, largely down to its fabulous manager, Tariq, who you will want to have on speed dial to help you get one of these tables. It's an intimate affair with six tables immaculately laid out set on a small balcony, overlooking the storybook red-brick mansions of Sloane Gardens below. It's the definition of 'if you know, you know'. The menu is an homage to the original Parisian bordello-chic bolthole Hotel Costes (which also has one of the best courtyard gardens to enjoy a perfect plate of Pâtes pomodoro), and the menu here is an edited list of decadent hits, such as a superlative steak frites and that renowned signature tomato pasta.
...At Sloane offers balcony seating with views over Chelsea
Of course, Italy has an abundance of terraces and gardens made for long, languid lunches. Particularly under the most romantic loggia in the fabled Locanda Cipriani on the Venetian island of Torcello, which is said to reopen later this spring. As does Airelles Palladio, Venice – a majestic sprawling restored convent with one of the largest secret gardens in Giudecca, where you can savour some Jean-Georges Vongerichten classics next to vine-draped walls. And further down south at La Posta Vecchia, there are few culinary experiences that can rival dining under the umbrellas of this sun-baked Roman villa, a dolce vita vortex (and former home of John Paul Getty), with a terrace made for sipping negroni sbagliatos. New this year is a divine beach club, so there is no real reason to leave, as you bumble from your room to the pool or beach, via the terrace for a cocktail, ice cream or, indeed, the best bruschetta, overlooking the sea beyond.
'No one can conjure up a series of eating "en plein air" moments quite like hotelier Paddy McKillen at his wine estate-cultural space, Château La Coste, where every night feels as if the song Summer Wine has come to life.'
Meanwhile, over in LA, which is a city that excels in high-octane al fresco terrace moments (hello, Polo Lounge and Chateau Marmont terrace), but there is something refreshingly low-key and down-to-earth at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, which has two distinctly different outdoor experiences, much like a Californian remix of dolce far niente. There is The Terrace restaurant, with colonnades strung with fairy lights, overlooking a fountain, which is the quintessence of quiet, refined glamour. Here, you can enjoy Tahitian vanilla French toast to a soundtrack of birdsong in the morning and in the evening, savour the signature corn agnolotti. Dusk is when the rooftop bar, Dante, comes alive on the hotel's ninth floor, serving delectable cocktails and icy Martinis as you gaze out to the most distinctive view of LA; the Hollywood sign glaring at you as you sip away on the signature Garibaldi (the fluffiest orange juice and Campari creation).
Dante, the rooftop bar at The Maybourne, Beverly Hills
But no one can conjure up a series of eating 'en plein air' moments quite like hotelier Paddy McKillen at his wine estate- cultural space, Château La Coste, in the Luberon region of Provence. At this enlightening epicurean place, every night feels as if Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's wistful song Summer Wine has come to life (where McKillen's Château La Coste 2024 Rosé d'une Nuit really does taste like 'strawberries, cherries and an angel's kiss in spring').
Louison, at Villa La Coste
The hotel, Villa La Coste, is an unquestionably aesthetic experience, where you're struck by the most romantic scent-scape, supplied by the rows of lavender and streams of jasmine arching down its walls. Then there is the dizzying repertoire of restaurants in the hotel and cultural estate's grounds, from the Terrasse bar and hang-out that centres around a gurgling fountain – perhaps the best spot to sip a chilled glass of the estate's rosé – to the flame-grilling of renowned Argentine chef Francis Mallmann, where you can enjoy generous cuts of rib-eye and sirloin steaks under big, starry skies. For al fresco eating as high theatre, make for the new star restaurant, Louison, headed up by chef Florent Pietravalle, who does tasting menus that subtly exaggerate the most distinctive flavours of Provence. And nothing compares to his version of the pissaladière tart, which tastes just like the end of a golden summer...
