Fraser & Co Top Alfresco Dining Picks this Summer in London.

The Summer of 21’ will hopefully see the world returning to some sort of normality after the havoc the COVID pandemic has played on the World. With Summer around the corner and the bars and restaurants returning to normal, Fraser & Co have expertly curated collection of several dozen choice spots in London for a little al fresco dining.

Whether you’re looking to make the most of the sun after the miserable winter, or are just feeling a bit safety-first in these uncertain times, outdoor dining is the order of the summer:

Chiltern Firehouse

Chiltern Firehouse’s status as a celebrity haunt has overshadowed the fact that it has one of the nicest terraces in central London. Importantly, that holds true even on a rainy day – with a roof for shelter and fireplaces for warmth.

Where: 1 Chiltern St, London W1U 7PA

The Ivy Chelsea Garden

The Ivy crowd nowadays is distinctly Range Rover-y, but the terrace at the Chelsea Garden branch is so pretty, you can forgive just about anything. Plus, there’s always at least five varieties of gin and tonic available.

Where: 195, 197 King’s Rd, London SW3 5EQ

Alto by San Carlo at Selfridges

Located on the roof of Selfridges with views across central London. There’s a comfortable lounge area where you can enjoy cocktails in the sun or a full restaurant setup for relaxed all-day Italian dining. Over the next few months Alto by San Carlo will be putting on live entertainment to welcome guests back and there will be a walk-in policy in place to help manage capacity.

Where: 400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB

Petersham Nurseries

Petersham Nurseries now has an outpost in Covent Garden, but it’s impossible to compete with the beauty of the original Richmond café in the warmer months. Sit under a canopy of roses and wisteria and feast on dishes such as Portland crab with Amalfi lemon, or Dover sole with agretti and capers – then lose an hour or so browsing the impeccable plant selection in the Nursery and Garden Shop.

Where: 27 King St, London WC2E 9DS

Circolo Popolare

Circolo Popolare brings the company’s signature Instagrammable interiors and an Italian menu which is just as picture-perfect. Think a carbonara where your pasta is tossed hot into a wheel of cheese to create a thick, silky sauce, and a lemon meringue pie with a marshmallow-like top ten times the size of any other we’ve seen. The outdoor terrace faces onto a sweet little pedestrianised square, so is relatively peaceful.

Where: 40-41 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HX

Bluebird Chelsea

The main dining room of this King’s Road branch of Bluebird Café looks like it’s actually outside; it has a conservatory-style glass roof and loads, we mean loads, of plants. If you want to really get some fresh air, there’s a massive outdoor dining area with fake grass, umbrellas and garden-style furniture serving a Mediterranean menu. It’s the whole alfresco shebang.

Where: 350 King’s Rd, London SW3 5UU