By AML Publisher

Nectar’s beautiful outdoor deck overlooks an Asian garden.
Photo courtesy of Courtney Apple Photography
Ardmore
Plate
www.platerestaurant.com
Ever since Reese (Witherspoon) decided to dine frequently at Plate last summer while filming her movie with Paul Rudd, Plate has enjoyed a very sweet flurry of activity. For those wishing a meal outdoors, Plate offers a full-service outdoor dining area that seats 75. Their chic cedar pergola and café tables and chairs allow diners to savor a good meal while basking in the beautiful weather. Afterwards, take in all the great shopping Suburban Square (Lilly Pulitzer, Blue Mercury, and Ann Taylor) has to offer.
Berwyn
Nectar
www.tastenectar.com
Chef Patrick Feury’s fantastic menu is enough reason to experience one of the Main Line’s most popular restaurants. Add to that a back patio-that is in high demand-with a serene Asian garden and you are good to go.

Tango’s outdoor deck is located just off the train tracks in Bryn Mawr.
Photo courtesy of Courtney Apple Photography
Bryn Mawr
Tango
www.tastetango.com
Tango’s menu offers contemporary American cuisine in a comfortable setting, located just off the train tracks in Bryn Mawr. A large wrap-around patio comfortably seats guests under a shaded canopy or along a fun and fabulous Cantina Bar. Visit Tango’s happening deck bar for happy hours, for a bite to eat or dine out under the stars. Main Liners can watch the trains roll by as others are wading their way home from their hectic day.
Chesapeake City, Maryland
The Bayard House
www.bayardhouse.com
If you are looking for a bit of a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Main Line, hop in your car and head to Cecil County, Maryland. A little over an hour from Wayne, Chesapeake City’s Bayard House Restaurant offers romantic dining along the C&D Canal. Enjoy lunch or dinner on their front lawn with spectacular views of a serene waterfront. The Tournedos Baltimore will not disappoint.

Chesapeake City’s charm includes outdoor dining on the C&D canal at The Bayard House.
Photo courtesy of Jubilee Photography
Downingtown
Firecreek Restaurant
www.firecreek-restaurant.com
Firecreek Restaurant and Bar is located on the bank of the Brandywine River in the center of Downingtown, PA. Firecreek offers an expansive outdoor dining area, all with panoramic views of the Brandywine. The Historic Paper Mill structure is a paradigm of vernacular architecture. Firecreek Restaurant preserves the building’s historical integrity and pairs it with modern decor, to create an exciting and eclectic dining destination.
Gulph Mills
Bar Savona
www.barsavona.com
Last summer, Savona Restaurant reinvented its upscale, popular dining experience into Bar Savona ($30 and under) in what has turned out to be a terrific business decision in an unknown economy. Part of the introduction of the more casual menu was the sexy outdoor patio-which is hopping seven nights a week with some of the Main Line’s most beautiful people-and biggest movers and shakers. If you want to dine outside to be ‘seen’, Bar Savona is your place.
Malvern
McKenzie’s Brew Pub
www.mckenziebrewhouse.com
With locales in Malvern and Chadds Ford, McKenzie’s offers fantastic beer and two outdoor patios. The Chadds Ford locale, on Route 202 and just five minutes north of the Delaware state line, just opened their new outdoor deck this summer.
Media
Dining Under the Stars
www.visitmediapa.com
Media boasts a warm weather outdoor dining event well known and loved called Dining Under the Stars: ‘Stroll, Shop, Dine!” Every Wednesday night now through mid-September from 5pm to 10pm, State Street in Media, PA is closed to traffic to provide ample space for outdoor dining at Margaret Kuo’s, Azie on Main, Sligo’s on State and more. Don’t forget to grab your honey’s hand once dinner is wrapped up and shop Media’s fantastic retail scene. Live entertainment rounds off the experience!
Plymouth Meeting
Redstone Grill
www.redstonegrill.com
Right off 476, Redstone American Grill is one of the burbs’ hottest up and coming al fresco dining destinations. Main Liners are flocking to their outdoor patio year round thanks to a fire pit that will make you think you are closer to a Rocky Mountain High than a major suburban roadway.
Radnor
Susanna Foo’s Gourmet Kitchen
www.susannafoos.com
Foo’s two outdoor patios are serene and simple-and are ideal for a business party or rehearsal dinner. Chic torches offer the perfect touch when the sun goes down and the party heats up. Foo’s main patio seats about 60. An adjacent patio which connects with a private room (good for about 75) seats another 40.
333 Belrose
www.333Belrose.com
Available for private parties, Belrose’s elegant outdoor patio is ideal for baby and wedding showers, intimate family functions, rehearsal dinners and more. Chef Carlo DeMarco is considered one of the Main Line’s top chefs-and his seasonal cuisine never disappoints. Plus, it’s a hop, skip and jump from the Blue Route.
Rosemont
Gullifty’s
www.gulliftys.com
Gullifty’s Gaarden is one of the Main Line’s premier outside dining experiences. The Gaarden opened in July of 2004 and is truly a unique experience-with a fully functioning, self contained outside kitchen and bar. The menu is exclusive to outside customers and everything is prepared in an open kitchen behind the bar. The Gaarden seats 90 people and prices range from $8 to $22. This season Gullifty’s Gaarden, in cooperation with Lancaster fresh farms has introduced grass fed, pasture raised and grazed, and 100% organic beef burgers.
Wayne
Christopher’s
www.christophersaneighborhoodplace.com
Molly Todd and chef Chris Todd have a good thing going with Christopher’s right on restaurant row in the heart of downtown Wayne. Come spring and through the first week of October, Wayne restaurants open their sidewalks to their patrons-and Christopher’s is one of the great places to grab a bite al fresco. With six rotating draft beers and a friendly staff, almost any night there’s a good reason to choose Chris’s.
Great American Pub
www.greatamericanpub.com
Rare is a sunny afternoon or evening along the Main Line’s top dining scene (Wayne) that GAP’s outdoor seating area is not completely packed. Main Line singles, moms, shop owners and more make this the place to network and ‘be seen’ seven days a week. Thanks to a new fountain and growing greenery, diners experience a fun, more private ambience with just North Wayne Avenue traffic only a few feet away.

July 14th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Lansdowne – Sycamore BYOB.
July 15th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Good stuff showcasing some of the better restaurants in the area — but I’m not sure how Chesapeake City, Maryland is a Main Line destination. Might it be related to the banner ad at the top and bottom of the page for the Eastern Shore of Maryland?
July 16th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Thanks MainLine Dad! Chesapeake City is a very popular destination for Main Liners (only about an hour car drive) and is a fantastic daycation that offers dining alfresco on the C&D Canal. Its been a personal fav of mine for years-if you have not been, I highly recommend the experience that Chesapeake City, MD has to offer!