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Smoking Goat on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, with a new covered outside seating area — one of London’s best Thai restaurants
Smoking Goat on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, with a new covered outside seating area
Michaël Protin/Eater London

Where to Eat Outside in London When It’s Raining

The restaurants across the city that offer shelter from the storm

by Adam Coghlan and James Hansen Updated
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Smoking Goat on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, with a new covered outside seating area
| Michaël Protin/Eater London
by Adam Coghlan and James Hansen Updated

In London, the rain, alas, will always come. And while outdoor dining persists as a very welcome holdover from COVID-19, that has changed the face of the London restaurant experience, it is not just a fair weather pursuit.

Hence, this map: The best places to eat outside in London when it’s raining. Which is to say, the places in London that have covered outdoor space to safeguard all manner of restaurant indulgence, with heating to boot.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Tranga Market Table x Tapería

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This Newington Green favourite is serving its large, awning-protected terrace quality, unfussy plates of Spanish sunshine newly guided by a shift towards grocery supply. Tapas are heavy on tinned fish and friends, while larger, Galician plates based on meat (Iberico pork) fish (octopus) and autumn produce (late season tomatoes) catch the eye.

61 Newington Green, Mildmay Ward, London N16 9PX, UK
020 7359 4988
020 7359 4988

Brat x Climpson's Arch

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Chef Tomos Parry’s Basque-inspired restaurant continues to occupy the covered yard outside Climpson’s Arch in London Fields. It is here, undercover, fans of the brand can enjoy its famous grilled turbot and smoked potatoes, plus new dishes like a hefty cast iron pot of chicken rice and grilled mussels with nubs of the restaurant’s own fresh chorizo.

374 Helmsley Pl, Hackney, London E8 3SB, UK

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Ombra

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Chef Mitshel Ibrahim’s Ombra has added a dinner tasting menu at £65 per person alongside its rank of Italian dishes that regulars will recognise. A fine terrace has fresh decking, ample space, an awning, and some extra coverage to protect against the rain. 

1 Vyner St, London E2 9DG, UK
020 8981 5150
020 8981 5150

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Smoking Goat Shoreditch

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One of London’s best Thai grills has retained its covered terrace on Redchurch Street, giving dozens of diners the chance to eat its celebrated dishes: Fish sauce chicken wings; soya chicken; stir-fried Cornish vegetables; delectable laabs made with a variety of meats and in a variety of styles; and exceptional lardo fried rice.

64 Shoreditch High St, Shoreditch, London E1 6JJ, UK

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Smokestak

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The covered, heated terrace at this Shoreditch barbecue don comes into its own in the rain, when brisket buns with pickled chilli and slowly smoked, fall-apart meats offer warming shelter from the storm.

35 Sclater St, Shoreditch, London E1 6LB, UK
020 3873 1733
020 3873 1733

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Tsiakkos & Charcoal

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The front terrace here is open to the elements, but the backroom-outdoor-glass-roof section of this Maida Hill legend is the perfect place to listen to rain drumming overhead as a soundtrack to grilled souvlaki, fall-apart kleftiko, and smooth tarama that was repping whipped smoked cod’s roe well before it became the hottest small plate in town.

5 Marylands Rd, London W9 2DU, UK
020 7286 7896
020 7286 7896

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Master Wei Xi'An

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At Master Wei, chef Wei Guirong’s restaurant in Bloomsbury, the focus is on the Xi’an region’s flour-foods, mianshi: peerless biang biang noodle dishes, with vegetables or beef and hot chilli oil; fine liang pi, cold skin noodles with a cool, piquant, umami-rich dressing; and the chef’s inimitable “burgers” with a cumin-spiced beef or pork filling. Plenty of space, to order all of this, on the awning-covered terrace on Cosmo Place.

13 Cosmo Pl, Holborn, London WC1N 3AP, UK
020 7209 6888
020 7209 6888

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Café Deco

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The covered terrace is a coveted people-watching spot at Anna Tobias’s debut restaurant in Bloomsbury. Cafe Deco, which began life as a traiteur and sandwich shop, feels like an institution despite its short time on this earth so far, largely due to the consummately elegant cooking coming out of Tobias’s kitchen.

43 Store St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7DB, UK
020 8091 2108
020 8091 2108

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Spitalfields Market

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The covered market in Spitalfields features countless food traders. The best of those are John and Yi Lee’s Dumpling Shack, the purveyor of delicious shengjianbao, crispy fried spring onion pancakes, dan dan noodles, and prawn wontons. Elsewhere, check out another outlet of Bleecker Burger, and Pleasant Lady Jian Bing.

56 Brushfield St, Shadwell, London E1 6AA, UK
020 7377 1496
020 7377 1496

Kaffeine

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This Fitzrovia institution’s covered awning has long been a place to gather with one of the best flat whites in the city, as locals, cyclists, and celebrities journey in over the morning; it’s even more satisfying when sheltering from the rain.

66 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 7QJ, UK
020 7580 6755
020 7580 6755

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Bloomberg Arcade

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The three picks of the City’s architectural restaurant thoroughfare are as follows: Japanese udon specialists Koya, JKS Restaurant’s Indian barbecue spot Brigadiers, and Bleecker for one of the city’s finest cheeseburgers. The Arcade is totally covered and each restaurant has its own terrace.

Bloomberg Arcade, London, UK

The River Café

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One of London’s great restaurants, perhaps its finest Italian restaurant, is in possession of the city’s truly great garden terraces, which overlooks ... the River Thames. Stylish parasols here are the only protection from the elements, so check the weather before booking. #DrizzleProof

Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 9HA, UK
020 7386 4200
020 7386 4200

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Pizzeria Pellone London

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One of London’s best Neapolitan pizzerias: Pellone respects the classics with care, but the more adventurous and modern “Pizze Le Pizze Gourmet” section is perhaps what sets it apart: the white pizza with mortadella with pistachio pesto and the “Toto” — a base topped with mozzarella, yellow tomatoes, Italian sausage, and provolone are fine places to start. A cosy outside section is covered by the restaurant’s rain-resistant awning.

42 Lavender Hill, Battersea, London SW11 5RL, UK
020 8062 7133
020 8062 7133

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Fish, Wings and Tings Brixton

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Inside the covered Brixton Market, find one of London’s best places for Trinidadian dal puri roti, filled with curried mutton, or vegetables — pumpkin, string beans, chickpeas and potatoes — and kuchela (a delicious hot, spiced green mango condiment). Elsewhere, there’s Jamaican jerk chicken, stewed oxtail, and coconut curry prawns, served with rice, peas, mango chutney, and coleslaw.

Brixton Village, Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Ln, Coldharbour, London SW9 8PR, UK
020 7737 4888
020 7737 4888

Llewelyn's

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Awnings and umbrellas aplenty on this Herne Hill pavement, stood to attention to protect bijou but unfussy plates from the elements — perhaps a classic whole sole with sauce vierge, or an assembly of mushroom, courgette, and Pecorino. The brown butter panisse with aioli is an extremely necessary side order.

293-295 Railton Rd, London SE24 0JP, UK
020 7733 6676
020 7733 6676

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Sumi Restaurant

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Endo Kazutoshi’s — casual — Westbourne Grove paean to sushi is perhaps the sleekest, most elegant rendition of “casual” to open in London in a good while, and the only one to offer caviar as a side. Much like his revered tasting menu restaurant in White City, everything pivots on impeccable quality nigiri and sashimi — the richest of which are offered aburi style for a whisper of char as a counterpoint. But there’s also A4 wagyu, and temaki for a sense of fun.

157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS, UK
020 4524 0880
020 4524 0880

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Sarap Bistro

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Chef Budgie Montoya is the reigning champion of lechon in London. This, the chef’s second restaurant-proper, having made his name on the pop-up and supperclub circuit, arrives on the borderlands between Mayfair and Soho. Montoya is currently cooking at the peak of his powers, with a shift to a set menu allowing him to add even more control to his bountifully elegant approach to modern Filipino cooking.

10 Heddon St, London W1B 4BX, UK
020 3488 9769
020 3488 9769

Koya Ko Hackney

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With a small heated tent just off Broadway Market, udon specialist Koya’s third London restaurant is ideal for a windswept Japanese breakfast or lunch. Miso broth laden with ginger pork, strips of ginger, watercress, udon, and spring onion is the fortifying, steadying stuff of dreams, while a side of brisk tsukemono or saucy negi fried chicken can’t be ignored.

10 Broadway Market Mews, London E8 4TS, UK

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Tranga Market Table x Tapería

61 Newington Green, Mildmay Ward, London N16 9PX, UK

This Newington Green favourite is serving its large, awning-protected terrace quality, unfussy plates of Spanish sunshine newly guided by a shift towards grocery supply. Tapas are heavy on tinned fish and friends, while larger, Galician plates based on meat (Iberico pork) fish (octopus) and autumn produce (late season tomatoes) catch the eye.

61 Newington Green, Mildmay Ward, London N16 9PX, UK
020 7359 4988
020 7359 4988

Brat x Climpson's Arch

374 Helmsley Pl, Hackney, London E8 3SB, UK

Chef Tomos Parry’s Basque-inspired restaurant continues to occupy the covered yard outside Climpson’s Arch in London Fields. It is here, undercover, fans of the brand can enjoy its famous grilled turbot and smoked potatoes, plus new dishes like a hefty cast iron pot of chicken rice and grilled mussels with nubs of the restaurant’s own fresh chorizo.

374 Helmsley Pl, Hackney, London E8 3SB, UK

Ombra

1 Vyner St, London E2 9DG, UK

Chef Mitshel Ibrahim’s Ombra has added a dinner tasting menu at £65 per person alongside its rank of Italian dishes that regulars will recognise. A fine terrace has fresh decking, ample space, an awning, and some extra coverage to protect against the rain. 

1 Vyner St, London E2 9DG, UK
020 8981 5150
020 8981 5150

Smoking Goat Shoreditch

64 Shoreditch High St, Shoreditch, London E1 6JJ, UK

One of London’s best Thai grills has retained its covered terrace on Redchurch Street, giving dozens of diners the chance to eat its celebrated dishes: Fish sauce chicken wings; soya chicken; stir-fried Cornish vegetables; delectable laabs made with a variety of meats and in a variety of styles; and exceptional lardo fried rice.

64 Shoreditch High St, Shoreditch, London E1 6JJ, UK

Smokestak

35 Sclater St, Shoreditch, London E1 6LB, UK

The covered, heated terrace at this Shoreditch barbecue don comes into its own in the rain, when brisket buns with pickled chilli and slowly smoked, fall-apart meats offer warming shelter from the storm.

35 Sclater St, Shoreditch, London E1 6LB, UK
020 3873 1733
020 3873 1733

Tsiakkos & Charcoal

5 Marylands Rd, London W9 2DU, UK

The front terrace here is open to the elements, but the backroom-outdoor-glass-roof section of this Maida Hill legend is the perfect place to listen to rain drumming overhead as a soundtrack to grilled souvlaki, fall-apart kleftiko, and smooth tarama that was repping whipped smoked cod’s roe well before it became the hottest small plate in town.

5 Marylands Rd, London W9 2DU, UK
020 7286 7896
020 7286 7896

Master Wei Xi'An

13 Cosmo Pl, Holborn, London WC1N 3AP, UK

At Master Wei, chef Wei Guirong’s restaurant in Bloomsbury, the focus is on the Xi’an region’s flour-foods, mianshi: peerless biang biang noodle dishes, with vegetables or beef and hot chilli oil; fine liang pi, cold skin noodles with a cool, piquant, umami-rich dressing; and the chef’s inimitable “burgers” with a cumin-spiced beef or pork filling. Plenty of space, to order all of this, on the awning-covered terrace on Cosmo Place.

13 Cosmo Pl, Holborn, London WC1N 3AP, UK
020 7209 6888
020 7209 6888

Café Deco

43 Store St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7DB, UK

The covered terrace is a coveted people-watching spot at Anna Tobias’s debut restaurant in Bloomsbury. Cafe Deco, which began life as a traiteur and sandwich shop, feels like an institution despite its short time on this earth so far, largely due to the consummately elegant cooking coming out of Tobias’s kitchen.

43 Store St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7DB, UK
020 8091 2108
020 8091 2108

Spitalfields Market

56 Brushfield St, Shadwell, London E1 6AA, UK

The covered market in Spitalfields features countless food traders. The best of those are John and Yi Lee’s Dumpling Shack, the purveyor of delicious shengjianbao, crispy fried spring onion pancakes, dan dan noodles, and prawn wontons. Elsewhere, check out another outlet of Bleecker Burger, and Pleasant Lady Jian Bing.

56 Brushfield St, Shadwell, London E1 6AA, UK
020 7377 1496
020 7377 1496

Kaffeine

66 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 7QJ, UK

This Fitzrovia institution’s covered awning has long been a place to gather with one of the best flat whites in the city, as locals, cyclists, and celebrities journey in over the morning; it’s even more satisfying when sheltering from the rain.

66 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 7QJ, UK
020 7580 6755
020 7580 6755

Bloomberg Arcade

Bloomberg Arcade, London, UK

The three picks of the City’s architectural restaurant thoroughfare are as follows: Japanese udon specialists Koya, JKS Restaurant’s Indian barbecue spot Brigadiers, and Bleecker for one of the city’s finest cheeseburgers. The Arcade is totally covered and each restaurant has its own terrace.

Bloomberg Arcade, London, UK

The River Café

Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 9HA, UK

One of London’s great restaurants, perhaps its finest Italian restaurant, is in possession of the city’s truly great garden terraces, which overlooks ... the River Thames. Stylish parasols here are the only protection from the elements, so check the weather before booking. #DrizzleProof

Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 9HA, UK
020 7386 4200
020 7386 4200

Pizzeria Pellone London

42 Lavender Hill, Battersea, London SW11 5RL, UK

One of London’s best Neapolitan pizzerias: Pellone respects the classics with care, but the more adventurous and modern “Pizze Le Pizze Gourmet” section is perhaps what sets it apart: the white pizza with mortadella with pistachio pesto and the “Toto” — a base topped with mozzarella, yellow tomatoes, Italian sausage, and provolone are fine places to start. A cosy outside section is covered by the restaurant’s rain-resistant awning.

42 Lavender Hill, Battersea, London SW11 5RL, UK
020 8062 7133
020 8062 7133

Fish, Wings and Tings Brixton

Brixton Village, Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Ln, Coldharbour, London SW9 8PR, UK

Inside the covered Brixton Market, find one of London’s best places for Trinidadian dal puri roti, filled with curried mutton, or vegetables — pumpkin, string beans, chickpeas and potatoes — and kuchela (a delicious hot, spiced green mango condiment). Elsewhere, there’s Jamaican jerk chicken, stewed oxtail, and coconut curry prawns, served with rice, peas, mango chutney, and coleslaw.

Brixton Village, Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Ln, Coldharbour, London SW9 8PR, UK
020 7737 4888
020 7737 4888

Llewelyn's

293-295 Railton Rd, London SE24 0JP, UK

Awnings and umbrellas aplenty on this Herne Hill pavement, stood to attention to protect bijou but unfussy plates from the elements — perhaps a classic whole sole with sauce vierge, or an assembly of mushroom, courgette, and Pecorino. The brown butter panisse with aioli is an extremely necessary side order.

293-295 Railton Rd, London SE24 0JP, UK
020 7733 6676
020 7733 6676

Sumi Restaurant

157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS, UK

Endo Kazutoshi’s — casual — Westbourne Grove paean to sushi is perhaps the sleekest, most elegant rendition of “casual” to open in London in a good while, and the only one to offer caviar as a side. Much like his revered tasting menu restaurant in White City, everything pivots on impeccable quality nigiri and sashimi — the richest of which are offered aburi style for a whisper of char as a counterpoint. But there’s also A4 wagyu, and temaki for a sense of fun.

157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS, UK
020 4524 0880
020 4524 0880

Sarap Bistro

10 Heddon St, London W1B 4BX, UK

Chef Budgie Montoya is the reigning champion of lechon in London. This, the chef’s second restaurant-proper, having made his name on the pop-up and supperclub circuit, arrives on the borderlands between Mayfair and Soho. Montoya is currently cooking at the peak of his powers, with a shift to a set menu allowing him to add even more control to his bountifully elegant approach to modern Filipino cooking.

10 Heddon St, London W1B 4BX, UK
020 3488 9769
020 3488 9769

Koya Ko Hackney

10 Broadway Market Mews, London E8 4TS, UK

With a small heated tent just off Broadway Market, udon specialist Koya’s third London restaurant is ideal for a windswept Japanese breakfast or lunch. Miso broth laden with ginger pork, strips of ginger, watercress, udon, and spring onion is the fortifying, steadying stuff of dreams, while a side of brisk tsukemono or saucy negi fried chicken can’t be ignored.

10 Broadway Market Mews, London E8 4TS, UK