Summer weather arrived late this year in the Bay Area, but the balmy evenings from now through early autumn should provide plenty of opportunities to enjoy dining on a shaded terrace or twinkle-lit patio. Here are eight wonderful new spots from Sunnyvale to Lafayette to Belmont and beyond.
Tropa, Lafayette
Chef JB Balingit’s newest restaurant is Tropa, a modern FIlipino restaurant that took over the former location of The Hideout. (Photo by Cat Fennell, courtesy of Tropa).
JB Balingit knew it was going to be a vulnerable and personal journey to open a restaurant so near and dear to his heart, but he was ready for it.
Balingit, who was born in Los Angeles but grew up in the Philippines, just opened Tropa, serving modern Filipino food that required years of creative planning and on-site research across the Pacific Ocean.
“I needed to understand the ingredients and flavors again,” he said. “Filipino food is so culturally diverse. As a colony of Spain, our cuisine is heavily influenced by Spanish flavor. Also a lot of Indian flavors, a lot of curries, a lot of Chinese and Japanese influences. You can expect the menu to be rooted in Filipino flavors and inspired by our rich heritage.”
For people new to Filipino food, he recommends the oxtail kare-kare, a stew with peanut butter sauce, long beans, eggplant and okra, served with a side of shrimp paste.
“And the Filipino barbeque I’m excited about,” Balingit said. “That’s a beer’s best friend.”
Balingit packed suitcases full of memorabilia from the Philippines to cureate the space, which is the former location of The Hideout, another Balingit restaurant that was moved to a more prominent downtown location two years ago.
The outdoor patio seats 35 people and is built around an old mulberry tree. “It reminds me a lot of eating in the province, he said.
Details: Open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, with Sunday brunch coming soon, at 3406 Mt. Diablo Blvd in Lafayette; tropaeats.com.
Valley Goat at the Treehouse, Sunnyvale
The spacious patio at Valley Goat restaurant in Sunnyvale. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
The greenery-filled interior blends seamlessly with the green outdoor dining spots at “Top Chef” Stephanie Izard’s debut Northern California restaurant.
Her Valley Goat is the star restaurant tenant of the first Treehouse Hotel in the United States. Built on the former Sheraton site on North Mathilda Avenue, that site east of Highway 101 offered plenty of room to spread out. Combined, the indoors and outdoors can comfortably seat 250.
One alfresco option, an extension of the bar, offers stand-up tables and other casual seating for quick bites and drinks — or can be booked for after-work groups and gatherings. The other patio accommodates diners looking for a full brunch, lunch or dinner experience, with generous spacing between tables.
Like Izard’s Girl & the Goat restaurants in Chicago and Los Angeles, the Valley Goat presents globally influenced, locally sourced, shareable dishes — including one featuring that signature ingredient, the popular Goat Empanadas. (BTW, the catchy theme came about because the name Izard is a type of mountain goat in the French Pyrenees.)
Notable dishes on her inaugural Sunnyvale menu also include the Sticky Pork Shank; Wood-fired Eggplant with Tahini, Carrot Hummus and Tzatziki; Pork Belly Noodles with Wood-fired Pineapple; and Spiced Fish Tostadas.
Izard got her big break on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” in the fourth season, becoming the first woman to capture the title. She won the James Beard Foundation award for “Best Chef: Great Lakes” in 2013 and has chalked up numerous other awards and raves.
Details: Lunch/brunch, bar bites and dinner are served daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 1100 N. Mathilda Ave., Sunnyvale. Reservations are recommended; www.sevenrooms.com/explore/valleygoat/reservations/create/search
Naschmarkt, Pleasanton
The patio area at Naschmarkt restaurant in downtown Pleasanton. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Adding to other Naschmarkts in Campbell and Palo Alto, the Pleasanton location features a chic and spacious interior dining room with additional seating at a royally appointed bar.
Out front, in a prime location to watch passing foot traffic, is a charming patio with flower-wrapped trellises and butcher-block tables, each decorated with a precious little lamp. Large umbrellas block the sun during summertime, and heat lamps are available to temper California’s version of bitter German winters.
Naschmarkt draws its name from the largest open-air produce market in Vienna, and fresh ingredients sourced from local producers is key to its philosophy.
A classic veal Wiener Schnitzel is a popular option and is the beef goulash with Hungarian pepper and sour cream. Pan-seared salmon is served with parsnip puree and a blood-orange reduction, and vegetarians can fork up eggplant lasagna with spinach and smoked mozzarella. Dessert might be a sacher torte with apricot preserves and whipped cream or a Salzburger nockerl – a kind of fluffy, vanilla soufflé – with blueberries and vanilla ice cream.
The beverage menu is a truly impressive document encompassing everything from European beers (pilsners, lagers, sours, high-octane Belgians) to fortified wines to zeroproof cocktails spiked with tropical fruit. One might be tempted to close the eyes and plop a finger down at random, to see what fun thing shows up: a Guldren Draak 9000 Quadruple beer, for instance, or a Sweet “Ol” Fig Fashioned cocktail with caramelized Black Mission fig syrup, whiskey and black walnut liqueur.
Details: Open daily (lunch available Thursday-Sunday) at 310 Main St., Pleasanton; naschmarktrestaurants.com
Rouge Lounge, San Carlos
Jane Underwood and her son Sam, from Redwood City, with their dog Dalton, a 9-year-old yellow Labrador Pitbull mix, sit in Rouge Lounge’s outdoor seating area in San Carlos, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Downtown San Carlos has a new wine bar run by husband-and-wife owners Steve and Sema Tosun. Inside, red walls create an old-school supper-club vibe, while the outside patio feels plucked off the streets of Paris.
Their European-style wine bar has a curated yet eclectic wine list, including local offerings from San Carlos-based Flying Suitcase Wines. And small bites like a cheese board help to sate customers too.
“We’ve always wanted to do something like this,” Sema Tosun says. They’re from Turkey and have lived in Redwood Shores for well over a decade.
Sema has worked in the nonprofit sector supporting low-income seniors through Fund a Need, and Steve previously ran another Peninsula restaurant. When they found their current location, one set up for a wine bar rather than a full restaurant, they went for it.
Early feedback suggests it’s just what the community was looking for, she says.
Details: Open 1-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2-9 p.m. Sunday at 890 Laurel St., San Carlos.
Prescott Market, Oakland
Historically industrial West Oakland can always use more food options and green spaces. The newly opened Prescott Market fulfills both in a tiny but powerful way.
What began as a night market on the street – which is still happening once a month through October – this year upgraded into a brick-and-mortar complex with several restaurants, an Almanac Beer taproom and a butcher shop.
Ally Northam, of Oakland, holds her drinks as her dog Gretchen Wieners, left, and Ajax walk with her to an outside table at Prescott Market in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
A corridor of vibrant murals of classic cars and native wildlife leads to the market’s outdoor area, which holds up to 400 people and has a verdant patio hemmed with planters of reedy vegetation. There are picnic tables and beach umbrellas, a large sandbox for the kids and lawn games like soccer darts for kid-hearted adults. Live bands pop up Friday evening and shoppers wander in Sunday from the neighboring farmers’ market. On game days at Raimondi Park, expect Oakland Ballers fans hanging out to tailgate.
Diners can sit at a table and order via QR code with their phones; the eateries text them when it’s ready. But what to get? Well, a Hugs Hefeweizen or a Buenas Vibras Mexican lager from the Almanac West Oakland Clubhouse is a nice way to chill out – or if it’s really warm, perhaps a boozy slushie.
Pizzeria Violetta serves up pies with a bubbly crust and fresh toppings from local farms and butchers. It’s a joy for flavor lovers, with combos like a Hot Hawaiian with sugar-cured pineapple and pickled jalapenos and a Sweet Little Pig with brown sugar-candied bacon. Fast Times Burgers is critically lauded for its smashburgers and duck-fat shoestring fries. Its Oklahoma-style fried-onion burger is a cheesy, juicy mess made by pressing thin-cut onions and grass-fed beef on the grill.
Details: Open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday (Alamanac and Pizzeria Violetta sometimes open later) at 1620 18th St., Oakland; www.prescottmarket.com
Rise WoodFire, Santa Clara
The outdoor dinning area at Rise Woodfire Pizza & Rotisserie in the Rivermark Village in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Restaurateur Omid Zahedi, who transformed the historic San Mateo train station into a huge eatery and bar with outside dining during the pandemic, has now renovated a spacious Santa Clara venue for wood-roasted prime rib, pizza and fish, along with house-baked pies.
This Rise Woodfire — at Rivermark Plaza, in the former Piatti — offers seating for about 200 diners inside the restaurant, with a modern-meets-rustic design that matches the elevated comfort food. The patio accommodates scores of guests, with a large, breezy space favored for parties and corporate events, plus a fire-pit gathering spot and umbrella-shaded tables.
The South Bay menu matches the Peninsula one. Pizzas include such combinations as Medjool Date-Chevre, Funghi-Fontina, Calabrese-Honey and Artichoke-Spinach. There’s even fire-roasted pineapple for the spicy Hawaiian-style pizza.
The wood-roasted Whole Branzino, served atop romesco sauce, has been particularly popular with the Santa Clara crowd, Zahedi said, as has a new offering, Chicken Parmesan, from chef Domingo. Prime rib is available as an entree or a French Dip sandwich, and the rotisserie chicken comes with two sides and a dipping sauce.
Details: Open daily from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 3905 Rivermark Plaza, Santa Clara; www.risewoodfire.com
Amara, Belmont
Looking for outdoor dining that’ll whisk you away to the Mediterranean for an afternoon?
Look no further than Belmont, where Peninsula restaurateurs and couple Ajay Walia and Reena Miglani opened the doors of their new restaurant concept, Amara, in January. You might recognize them for their other Peninsula restaurants, Rasa in Burlingame (one of California’s first Michelin-starred Indian restaurants) and Saffron in San Carlos.
But this restaurant is something different, built around helping visitors find a sense of vacation escape right in town. Complete with its own signature scent meant to evoke a Mediterranean isle – a blend of Sicilian lemon, bergamot, lime blossom and cedarwood — the ambiance is perhaps best experienced from the garden, a landscaped outdoor dining area complete with a water feature and lush greenery.
The saffron-marinated, roasted half-chicken at Amara in Belmont is served with charred Persian cucumber and tzatziki. (Courtesy Kristen Loken)
On the menu, you’ll find an array of small plates, bites and spreads, from caviar and charcuterie to hummus and barbecue lamb short ribs with garlic tahini sauce. Mains include a 32-ounce Tomahawk steak with za’atar butter and Brussels sprouts, a whole branzino, a half chicken marinated with saffron and rabbit tajine. Look for desserts like a baklava sundae or citrus cake paired with pickled, roasted strawberries and pine nut ice cream.
And don’t forget brunch: Moroccan roast lamb, house-made yogurt and shakshuka are just a few of the offerings. For an extra-special treat, pair it with one of the restaurant’s morning aperitifs like the Tropical Garibaldi, featuring Campari, fluffy pineapple and orange juice.
Details: Open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday and 4-9 p.m. Tuesday at 1015 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont; amararestaurants.com.
Calicraft Brewing Co., Walnut Creek
Located across the lot from Calicraft’s original taproom in Walnut Creek, Shadelands Beer Garden is open daily (photo by Evan Bass).
When one door closes, a 6,500-square foot outdoor beer garden opens.
Such was the case for Calicraft Brewing Co., which closed its original location in downtown Walnut Creek after the building was sold to a new owner, but re-opened as an entirely-outdoor venue this May.
Next year Calicraft will re-open its indoor facility, which will feature two stories of space with a full kitchen, restaurant, brewery, winery and distillery, as well as a 5,000-square foot patio attached to it.
For now, Calicraft is operating as an outdoor hangout spot called Shadelands, which is centered around a 40-foot-long container bar on the same plot of land. There’s more seating, more bathrooms, fire pits, umbrellas, string lights, a kids play area and 30 trees to keep you cool and comfortable while you have your beer.
“It has that Mediterranean vibe,” said brewmaster Thomas Dang Vo.
Located across the lot from Calicraft’s original taproom in Walnut Creek, Shadelands Beer Garden is open daily (photo by Evan Bass).
Calicraft is also hosting nightly food trucks, including Oakland-based Citizen Pizza, which is there four nights a week. Citizen’s chef, Jeffrey Amber, will also be the head chef for Calicraft’s restaurant when the new location opens next year.
First, Calicraft will open its “Upstairs” location, which will feature a rooftop patio on Mt. Diablo Blvd. A grand opening is expected by the end of this summer.
Details: Located across the lot from Calicraft’s original taproom, Shadelands Beer Garden is open Monday, 3-8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, 3-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon-10 p.m., and Sunday,12-8 p.m. at 2700 Mitchell Drive in Walnut Creek; calicraft.com.