Connecticut's 27 Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining

Editor's Note: Now is the best time of the year to dine outdoors, so Patch is re-posting this popular guide in case you missed it the first time around.

With summer weekends almost here, thoughts have turned to alfresco dining. And in Connecticut, there are lots of wonderful options. Connecticut Magazine last summer listed 27 of the most gorgeous and delicious outdoor dining spots in the state. How did they come up with list? Pretty simple, for all of them "the scenery is as fine as what’s on the plate."

The magazine used 11 categories to break it all down:

• Shoreline East
• Fairfield County Waterfront
• On the River
• Litchfield Hills
• Farmington Valley
• Up on the Roof
• By the Empire State
• The Quiet Corner
• City Solitude
• For Jet Setters
• Par for the Course

Below is the list; click here to read the full story on the Connecticut Magazine website, which includes details as to why the magazine selected each restaurant.

Shoreline East
Fresh Salt, Saybrook Point Inn
The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel, Madison
Oyster Club, Mystic
Red 36, Mystic
Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough, Noank

Fairfield County Waterfront
l’escale, Greenwich
The Whelk, Westport
Paloma, Stamford

On the River
Gelston House Restaurant and Inn, East Haddam
Blue Oar, Haddam

Litchfield Hills
Hopkins Inn, Warren
The White Hart, Salisbury
The White Horse Country Pub, Washington

Farmington Valley
Millwright’s, Simsbury
Apricots Restaurant & Pub, Farmington

Up on the Roof
Rooftop 120, Glastonbury
Goodfellas, New Haven
Ecco Rooftop Eatery and Bar at La Zingara, Bethel

By the Empire State
Bernard’s Restaurant and Sarah’s Wine Bar, Ridgefield

The Quiet Corner
The Golden Lamb Buttery, Brooklyn
Lake View Family Restaurant, Coventry

City Solitude
L’Orcio, New Haven

For Jet Setters
121 Restaurant at OXC, Oxford

Par for the Course
Monty’s River Grille at Great River Golf Club, Milford
On the Rocks at Fox Hopyard Golf Club, East Haddam
Lion Four Tavern at Tower Ridge Country Club, Simsbury
Jesse Camille’s, Naugatuck

Photo credit: The Blue Oar Restaurant, Haddam