During the day, Pophams is London Field’s swishest and slickest bakery cum cafe. The irresistible aroma of freshly baked croissants and rosemary twists waft outside of the light-filled industrial space to the famished parents manoeuvring buggies outside. Sambas, Hokas, Salomons—you name it—they all move quickly here when there’s a spot free on one of their outside tables. In the evening, dough is boiled instead of baked, and delicate handmade pastas are served.

Italo has the kind of freewheeling vibe that defined Bonnington Square in the 1980s. The deli and cafe is one of London’s most idyllic locations for an alfresco lunch that spills out on to the pavement. A meal can involve anything from ciabatta filled with goats’ curd and braised leeks, fresh pasta, or whipped ricotta french toast topped with blueberry sauce and maple syrup. Just know that if you’re sitting down at midday, it’s more than likely that you won’t be leaving until late afternoon.

It’s easy to understand why the word ‘cult’ features in this Dalston restaurant’s name. There’s the sensual coupling of bone marrow and Dorset crab on toast. The buzzing open barbecue syphons a permanent waft of pork chop and smoked potato across the covered terrace. And there’s a feelgood mood that’s like taking a bubble bath in 60 pints of IPA. This place will quickly enter your rotation of ultimate places to gather a few mates for good times and great food.

On a corner of Kingston filled with restaurants, Poor Boys is known for having queues that go all the way down to the river on a sunny day. Don’t be tempted to give up. Excellent OTT comfort food, a lively dive bar atmosphere, and laid-back service, make this New Orleans-inspired restaurant a go-to for a casual catch-up. Grab one of the table-barrels outside and share a meaty brisket feast between a group, or just silently concentrate on a solo portion of chicken popcorn and a beer.

Glaring sunshine, a gentle breeze, and a salad of salt cod, pink firs, and egg—The Garden Museum Cafe has got summer locked down. This peaceful canteen by the Thames, inside St Mary-at-Lambeth church, is a serene space doing British dishes. During the spring and summer months, tables and chairs are brought outside so you can enjoy a lunch (or dinner on Tuesdays and Fridays) of wild halibut and seaweed butter sauce, in a courtyard that’s been there since at least 1062.

On a sunny day, a terrace table overlooking the water at Scott’s, a seafood restaurant in Richmond, is one of the best ways to spend an afternoon in this city. The menu is a love letter to the big blue sea. You’ll find oysters, caviar served with blinis and crème fraîche, and a whole dover sole that’ll make you consider turning pescatarian.

Outdoor Situation: Pavement Seating. Campania probably has the most romantic outside seating in London. It’s a handful of tables on a cobbled street, candlelit, and (preferably) piled with risotto and pappardelle. The setup is perfect. And your organisation or luck will have to be the same. Menu-wise, just make sure you ask them to send gnudi.

Outdoor Situation: Covered Pavement Terrace. A meal outside at Ciao Bella is one of London’s great pleasures, mainly because you kind of don’t feel like you’re in London. The outside terrace is best suited to early evening meals with a bottle of wine, nicotine, and even more wine. It’s a rare restaurant that’s bang in the middle of London, and just the right balance between comfortable and crowded. Plus, when do you ever not want a good plate of pasta?

Outdoor Situation: Roof Terrace. Forza Wine is way up high on Rye Lane, and it leans more restaurant than bar. Once you see a couple happily sharing an oil-drenched panzanella on a roof in the sun, you’ll understand why. Even the inside seats feel kind of outside here and it’s one of London’s most glorious summertime eating and drinking locations.

Outdoor Situation: Front Patio. The much-loved Caribbean spot in Brixton is a dreamy setting for a summer’s day. There’s plenty of seating, rum and Ting on the menu, and perfect summer nibbles like codfish fritters or pepper prawns. If you’re in a group, share the lot alongside some roti and jerk chicken as well.

Outdoor Situation: Covered Terrace. J Sheekey’s street-side patio, is, even though you’re in a touristy part of London, relatively sheltered from the crowds. If you’re going to splurge on a fancy seafood tower, it should be here. But even if you’re not looking to flash the cash, it’s great for a few oysters and a glass of champagne before heading elsewhere.

Outdoor Situation: Garden Seating. Kudu’s little oasis out back was very much previously the bin-and-cheeky-cigarette area. Now, the South African-inspired spot in Peckham has transformed the space into a colourful, covered, and altogether idyllic looking garden. You can book too, so prepare to settle in and break some of that lardon butter bread with friends.

Outdoor Situation: Patio Seating. We once described La Goccia at Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garden as ‘the beautiful lovechild of a spa and a florist’. With tables set up outside on Floral Court, it makes for a serene spot to enjoy a few Italian small plates and a bottle of wine.

Outdoor Situation: Pavement Seating. Oh Llewelyn’s. Lovely, lovely Llewelyn’s. This Herne Hill restaurant is the kind of place you expect to see in a Richard Curtis film. It’s popular, so it’s worth booking ahead for the chance to eat some delicious food, sit in the shade of the square’s tree, and get in some top people watching.

Outdoor Situation: Pavement Seating. Morito remains one of the most reliably delicious places to eat on pretty much any occasion. The menu changes, but it’s hard to go wrong. Roast quail, seafood rice, any croquette, and cheese fritters are favourites. Oh, and roast cauliflower salad. You’ll more than likely be perfectly happy with everything. The Exmouth Market spot is still the best, with tables out on one of London’s nicest pedestrianised roads.

Outdoor Situation: Garden Seating. If seafood manti and crispy calamari in a secret and Santorini-feeling patio (with Santorini prices) sounds like just the ticket, then Mazi’s your place. The upmarket Greek spot in Notting Hill has a lovely white-walled back garden that’s made for couples and groups looking to be transported.

Outdoor Situation: Front Patio. Sunsets and siu mai dumplings: a match made in heaven. The people who run My Neighbours The Dumplings clearly thought similarly, as the front terrace of their Clapton location is made for this combo, and the veranda in their Victoria Park branch is similarly lovely on a summer’s day. Their chocolate spring rolls with ice cream and a glass of ice cold sake aren’t too shabby either.

Outdoor Situation: Covered Glasshouse. Petersham is arguably the most charming restaurant in all of London. Set inside a giant greenhouse in Richmond, it feels a million miles away from the city and all the noise and discarded hot wings that come with it. Yes, the seasonal Italian food here is expensive, but it’s also fantastic and worth splashing out on for a special occasion.

Outdoor Situation: Covered Terrace & Pavement Seating. It doesn’t get more Soho classic than Quo Vadis. A few glasses of wine, their smoked eel sandwich, a little eavesdropping. Sign us up any day, any week, and any lifetime. Plus their outside seating, a mixture of attached boothy type things and straight tables on Dean Street, is great.

Outdoor Situation: Riverside Garden. If there’s a big occasion coming up for you, then suggesting The River Cafe would be a very good idea. Even if you’re a devout atheist, nabbing one of the garden tables and praying for the sun to shine feels like the way to go. Sure, you’ll need to book way ahead. And it’ll be very pricey. But eating some of London’s best Italian food in an idyllic space that looks over the Thames is, almost, priceless.

Outdoor Situation: Covered Garden Seating. Rochelle Canteen is, without doubt, one of the top restaurants in London for eating in the great outdoors. Buzz yourself into the old Shoreditch schoolyard and enjoy a long lunch or a relaxed supper filled with cod’s roe, chatter, and a glass of something bubbly. We like to think of it as London’s little Garden of Eden.

Outdoor Situation: Covered Terrace. Sager & Wilde’s outpost on Paradise Row ticks all the boxes you’d expect of an east London restaurant. It’s housed in an old railway arch, with scuffed furniture, small plates of French and Italian-leaning food, and a nice list of wines by the bottle or glass. Come summer, the spacious terrace is excellent to lounge around on with a group of mates.

Outdoor Situation: Rooftop. If you like your oysters with a side of ‘check out that view’, then you’re going to be really into Seabird. This isn’t another rooftop cocktail bar masquerading as an overpriced restaurant. No, it’s actually home to some of London’s best oysters and with their roof terrace it’s a special combination.

Outdoor Situation: Fully Covered Terrace. If you’re looking for some high quality sushi, you should head to Sumi. The second restaurant by chef Endo, this Westbourne Grove spot is more down-to-earth than his eighth-floor omakase counter in White City, with a calming interior and a covered front terrace offering a mix of big sharing tables and tables of two. Despite being a lot more lowkey, the sushi is still the same sky-high standard.

Outdoor Situation: Pavement Seating. Towpath Café is so summery that it’s, quite literally, only open when the season is right. The Hackney canal-side spot is always rammo when the sun is shining, and that’s not just because it’s a lovely place to be. The sandwiches and salads and things on toast - from confit garlic and goat’s curd, to enormous Bull’s hearts tomatoes - are all simple and delicious.

Outdoor Situation: Pavement & Garden Seating. Restaurant gardens - especially leafy ones - are fairly special spots in London. So combine a Camberwell green space with a saucy Neapolitan pizza, a pot of some of the finest homemade chilli sauce around, and a strong drink and you’re onto a foolproof winner in the shape of Theo’s.