These 14 spots are new or new to our patio guide this year. See the rest of the Pioneer Press 2026 patio guide here.

A margherita sourdough pizza is served at 1881 Eating House, located inside Union Depot in Lowertown, on May 16, 2026. The restaurant offers a limited dining menu on its patio, located on the historic train station's front steps. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

1881 EATING HOUSE, 214 E. Fourth St., St. Paul; 952-698-1881; 1881eatinghouse.com: The main dining space for this lunch and dinner cafe is located smack-dab in the middle of the lobby of Union Depot, so it only seems fitting that its patio should be on the historic train station’s front steps. The patio menu is significantly smaller than the inside menu, so be prepared to spring for tacos, a burger, salads or pizza, along with some small-plate apps. The patio is surrounded by a low-gated privacy fence, but unlike other restaurants that try to seclude patio diners from their surroundings, 1881 embraces the excitement of urban dining, inside and out.

New walleye cakes and a Wisconsin old fashioned cocktail are served on the back patio at Alary's in Lowertown on May 11, 2026. Open since 1949, the sports bar recently debuted a full in-house food menu. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

ALARY’S, 139 E. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-224-7717; alarys.com: The longtime downtown dive reopened under new ownership two years ago, and after a couple of brief kitchen residencies, the spot — now officially renamed Alary’s Kitchen and Bar — has a full in-house food menu available both inside and on the large back patio. The patio, tucked between a parking lot and a parking ramp, is really nothing fancy, which feels exactly right. That’s not a criticism, to be clear; it’s well-secluded and very well-maintained, and greenery and flowers brighten up the space. A couple of weeks ago, music over the speakers was replaced by a Minnesota Wild playoff game broadcast, set loud enough to hear but not to overpower your conversations. There’s also infrastructure for an outdoor bar and/or stage setup, which was not in use on a cool May evening but is an exciting sign for summer.

Duck confit is served on the patio at All Saints in Minneapolis on April 22, 2026. The American bistro includes a classy patio tucked between its building and the one next door along East Hennepin Avenue, across the river from downtown. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

ALL SAINTS, 222 E Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-259-7507; allsaintsmpls.com: There’s eating outside, and then there’s upscale patio dining. With classy design and thoughtful patio table service, All Saints is clearly in the latter category. The bistro is just across the river from downtown Minneapolis, with the patio tucked between two buildings along the usually bustling East Hennepin Avenue, and we find something alluring and invigorating in its night-on-the-town vibe. The patio is expansive but packed with tables; it can be a bit of a tight squeeze. But the food and drinks, from fancier-seeming options like duck confit to the underdog standout fried chicken, are all very good.

An early spring day on the patio at Crowbar in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

CROWBAR, 704 E. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul; 651-571-9276; crowbarstp.com: We are absolutely loving this quirky new cocktail bar extension of the Voliere Spirits distillery in the old Hamm’s building complex. The decor is steampunk-vintage cool, and there’s something fun to look at around every corner. The patio, new this year, has a man-made river, funky black-and-white umbrellas for shade, fun landscaping that includes birdhouses for days and even a giant bird cage for a lucky few to sit in. Oh, and the cocktails are fantastic, too.

Beers come in liters or half-liters at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)Jagerschnitzel, red cabbage and German potato salad at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

GASTHAUS BAVARIAN HUNTER, 8390 Lofton Ave. N., Stillwater; 651-439-7128; gasthausbavarianhunter.com: We’re not sure what took us so long to try this German outpost in the woods outside of Stillwater, but we’re sure we’ll be back on another nice day when we feel like a road trip. The deck outside the cabin-in-the-woods-feeling restaurant is fairly bare bones, but you’re looking at tall pines and the servers wear dirndls. The very German menu includes lots of schnitzel and wurst and some of the best German potato salad we’ve had outside of Germany, and the beers are served by the liter so you can get your workout in while you’re drinking, or the half liter if you prefer.

The mortadella sandwich at Liliana in Woodbury. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

LILIANA, 10060 City Walk Drive, Woodbury; 651-493-9089; lilianamn.com: A pretty pergola and raised bed planted with colorful flowers make you forget you’re in a suburban development. Bonus: The building provides natural shade by the time the restaurant opens in the afternoon. Enjoy a fabulous cocktail — the bittersweet gin-based Higitus Figitus or a build-your-own spritz (the restaurant stocks a dizzying array of amaros) are perfect for a summer day — and follow it with some tasty house-made pasta or the craveable mortadella sandwich, topped with chef Kenzie Edinger’s genius house-made ricotta American cheese and a giardiniera aioli that takes it over the top.

MACANDA, 294 Grove Lane E., Wayzata; 952-679-1222; macandawayzata.com: The pairing of Latin and Japanese cuisines might seem weird, but just go with it, because the 150-seat patio that is essentially right on Lake Minnetonka is all about the vibes. The food is good, the cocktails are good, the view is spectacular.

Two beverages are served on the patio at Marma, a restaurant in Lake Elmo, on May 9, 2026. The patio does not offer the full entree menu that's available inside; instead, a selection of simpler but no less delicious bar food is available. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

MARMA, 11127 Stillwater Blvd., Lake Elmo; 651-370-1342; marmamn.com: Although it’s too bad that entrees are not served on the patio — so you’ll need to dine inside if you want the tasty and globally inspired noodles, fish or beef dishes — we think it’s still worth it to grab an outside table at this Lake Elmo spot. Patio-goers have access to starters, salads and bar fare like flavor-packed but not overly spicy gochujang wings and shatteringly crispy Brussels sprouts, and the patio itself feels like hanging out in your coolest neighbor’s backyard, with turf grass, a stone firepit and a porch swing.

The view from the patio at North 20 Brewing in Rosemount. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

NORTH 20 BREWING, 12266 W. Bacardi Ave., Rosemount; 651-423-6176; north20brewing.com: It feels like you’re driving to the end of the earth to get to this brewery that is adjacent to farm fields, and the out-back patio feels just as rural. You’re overlooking a gorgeous clearing that is popular with the local deer population and is best when the sun is setting. There’s a short food menu — pulled pork sandwiches, brats, hot dogs and a few appetizers — to go with your house-brewed beer.

The patio at Obb's on St. Paul's East Side. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

OBB’S, 1347 Burns Ave., St. Paul; 651-776-7010; obbsbar.com: We’d been to this iconic east side bar many times before we knew about its hidden-gem patio. There’s landscaping, a water feature, a full roof for shade and plenty of space for groups. Plus, you get to watch people meandering down the Indian Mounds Trail across the street. Great dive-bar food and atmosphere.

The patio at Pig Ate My Pizza in Bloomington (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

PIG ATE MY PIZZA, 10700 Bloomington Ferry Road, Bloomington; 952-582-1467; pigatemypizza.com: The second outpost of this casual pizza place from the team behind Travail opened this winter in the southwest corner of Bloomington. The completely covered patio with cute wooden booths even has pull-down walls, so if the rain hits, you can just keep noshing. There are big-screen TVs out there for watching the game, too. If you prefer to be in the sun, there is a sunny strip to the back as well. The pizzas here are fantastic, but there are burgers and a few pastas, too. Drinks include beers from the team’s Nouvelle Brewing as well as a full bar with a spicy margarita that screams sunny day drinking.

Barbecue brisket and a dill pickle chicken sandwich are served on the patio at Southern Social in Eagan on April 24, 2026. Although the Southern restaurant is right along I-35E, the balcony-like patio is separated from the highway by a pond and small woods, which block traffic noise. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

SOUTHERN SOCIAL, three metro locations including 1940 Rahncliff Court, Eagan; 651-478-7919; southernsocialmn.com: We’ve been enjoying the Eagan location of this southern spot since it opened in 2023, and although you can see cars fly down I-35E from the patio, you wouldn’t otherwise know you’re dining near the highway. The restaurant is on a hill separated from the interstate by woods and a pond, which mostly mask the traffic noise, so the balcony-like patio feels surrounded more by nature than suburban sprawl. The food — especially meat-forward dishes — is worthwhile. And the cocktail menu includes “punch bowl drinks” that can be prepared in 4- or 8-person servings, but the individual portions of those drinks, a little lighter and a little cheaper than the rest of the cocktail menu, are great patio sippers.

The berry iced tea and a hard seltzer cocktail are served at Urban Growler, a brewery in St. Paul, on May 10. Although Urban Growler is best known for its beer, they offer a variety of non-beer beverages and creative food, served both in the taproom and on a beer garden-style patio. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

URBAN GROWLER, 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul; 651-340-5793; urbangrowlerbrewing.com: After ordering both food and drinks at the bar, it’s worthwhile to bring your table number outside to the patio at Urban Growler, the brewery somewhat hidden in the industrial section of St. Anthony Park. Picnic-style tables give the space a beer-garden feel, and though beer is certainly their forte, there are plenty of non-beer beverages, too, from house-made sodas to cocktails made with hard seltzer. We like the creative ways that beer is incorporated into their food menu; the beer-braised corned beef in the Reuben sandwich was particularly delicious.

A small glass of beer is held on the patio of Wandering Leaf, a brewery on West Seventh Street in Highland Park, on May 16, 2026. The patio at the brewery, which adjoins the Lao restaurant Soul Lao, is lively. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

WANDERING LEAF, 2463 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 612-293-5754; wanderingleafbrewing.com: Much of the attention paid to the Sibley Plaza brewery’s space goes to its bright, plant-filled interior, and rightly so — it’s stunning and makes for a delightful hang-out — but don’t sleep on the patio. It’s simple but lively, with picnic tables and high-tops, plus space for a food truck in back to complement the must-try options at Soul Lao next door. Massive garage-door cutouts, added by the Wandering Leaf folks when converting the space from a strip-mall dollar store, help make the patio function as one blended space with the interior.