The patio at The Grad Club

Summer was a short one this year. So far, at least. But here we are, with Labour Day, the unofficial end of summer, barrelling down upon us. Fall begins on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, but if past years are any indication (I mean, they aren’t, given the climate situation, but that’s another issue), we’ll have decent weather until early October at least. That gives us several more weeks to enjoy Kingston’s many amazing patios! With that in mind, we’ve assembled a guide to the best patios around!

There are two key factors to a patio: the establishment that they belong to, and the setting. The quaintest, funkiest, coziest patio is bunk if the food is garbage. At the same time, I could be quite content wedged into a wonky table with loud cars going by if there’s a killer sandwich, a tasty pint, and a witty server.

But this isn’t about me, it’s about you! What is your favourite patio in Kingston? Are a regular visitor to some of the staples, like Chez Piggy, Lone Star, or The Mansion? Or do you prefer something a bit out of the way like Musiikki Cafe, Amadeus Cafe, or David’s Tea? Maybe a patio near the water is more your style, like Juniper Cafe, or The Dox at Holiday Inn. Of course there are plenty of great patios outside of downtown: Spearhead just opened theirs, plus there are well-established patios at Red House West, The Rose & Crown, and even at Fort Henry!

Kingstonist has covered this hot topic several times in the past, often earlier in the season, but patio weather came late this year, and now we’ve had a few weeks to really test them out, so we thought it was time for another look. There was some debate in the Kingstonist newsroom as to how to go about it this time around. Our informal count is somewhere around 50 patios. Some are hidden in courtyards, some are streetside, none are properly on the water save for the Wolfe Island Grill and the Kingston Yacht Club (though their patio spent quite some time in the water this summer), and some are in parking lots. Oh, and a couple on rooftops! Most belong to a restaurant or bar, but a few are just for coffee or tea. If we did a poll, as we often do, we’d be sure to omit a handful of patios as there are just so many in all corners of the city, so let us know in the comments here or on social media what patio is your favourite and why. Cheers!

