Eating Out(side) in Denton

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett

Finally, it’s safe to sit outside. Winter is over, so you can dine in the open air without wishing you hadn’t.

I can’t name all the Denton-area eating establishments with outdoor seating, but here are several.

Denton Record-Chronicle/Ellen Sackett

Patrons Jana and Jim Lampe enjoy medium-sized cups of coffee on the patio at Zera Coffee Co. on East McKinney Street.

On the downtown Square, enjoy a cosmic cup of coffee in front of Jupiter House, savor specialty ice cream at Beth Marie’s, or devour a typical English meal with a cold brew at Abbey Inn — that is, if you can find an empty chair.

One block south, locals and college students go to Sweetwater Grill & Tavern’s enclosed patio for the feel of outdoor eating year round. Rooster’s Roadhouse and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Industrial Street offer picnic tables in front and more outdoor seating in the back, and if you crave drinks and live music, head down a few doors to Dan’s Silverleaf.

For a more upscale dining experience, listen to the gurgling fountain on the backyard terrace at Hannah’s Off the Square, enjoy a cool breeze on the patio at the Greenhouse Restaurant or relax with a glass of fine Italian wine behind the renovated Victorian-style home that is Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant.

For outdoor Tex-Mex, think On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina off Interstate 35E, or stop in at Mig’s Beer Garden at Miguelito’s on East McKinney Street at Bell Avenue, then go next door for some Mexican hot chocolate at Zera Coffee Co.

Want someplace scenic? For a wide open vista of North Texas spaces, head for WildHorse Grill at Robson Ranch near Ponder, or look beyond Interstate 35 from the west porch of Good Eats at North Loop 288. End the day by going to the Pourhouse Sports Grill patio to watch the sunset over Unicorn Lake.

Don’t let spring showers put a damper on your outdoor dining. Don your raincoat, dodge the drops, don’t wait and don’t forget — it’s Texas, after all.

The weather is sure to change, and 100-degree heat is just around the corner.

Originally written for Denton Record-Chronicle, DentonTime, April 1, 2010