Patio perfect: Open-air dining in the D.C. area

“Claustrophobia due to increased working hours is nicely alleviated by dining and imbibing al fresco,” said Lynne Breaux, president of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. She also cited the effect of the new rash of anti-smoking laws.

And it’s not just about a competitive advantage. It’s a great enticement for diners to stop in. “It’s the best signage a restaurant can have,” Breaux said.

“It’s not a necessity, but it’s a great advertisement,” added Dan Mesches, president of Stir Food Group. “It’s a billboard for you.” Stir expects to open the sidewalk patio at Potenza, its new casual Italian eatery at 15th and H streets, by Monday. Mesches said when his firm considered the space, “it was important to us. It wasn’t a deal maker, but it was a heckuva lot better knowing we had that wide sidewalk.”

Below, some of our favorite spots to unwind outside after a long day:

» Best argument for location: The Oval Room. Chef Tony Conte’s cooking is often unfairly overlooked when people discuss the best toques in town, but the restaurant’s patio isn’t. Situated directly across Lafayette Park, this is about the closest you can get to eating lunch on the front lawn of the White House.

» Best place to feel as if you’re in someone’s yard: RedRocks Firebrick Pizzeria. This pizzeria stands out not just for its purist-pleasing brick oven pies, but for its location in the middle of an otherwise residential neighborhood in Columbia Heights. Trees, porches and picket fences are your surroundings as you tear into a pizza margherita with a microbrew.

» Best spot for suds in the sun: Brasserie Beck. Despite its enviable K Street location and sunny southern exposure, the best feature of the umbrella-dotted patio at Beck comes from the bar. About 100 Belgian beers are offered to complement your mussels and fries, including summer-friendly blond ales, lambics and fruit beers.

» Best place for a deal in the Virginia ’burbs: Yaku. The new South American addition to the Latin Concepts restaurant group not only boasts a gorgeous, 60-seat patio of tiled concrete, but some of the best deals going. Al fresco diners can sip $3 beers, $4 cocktails and $5 sangria while munching on appetizers and dim sum for $5 each. Weekend brunch in the sun brings bottomless $15 mimosas.

» Best place for a deal in the Maryland ’burbs: Redwood. This new American hangout boasts a massive patio on its cobblestone-lined, pedestrian-only street. A two-course lunch on weekdays is only $15, and a three-course dinner Monday through Wednesday is only $35.

» Best outdoor dining option pregnant with possibilities: The W Hotel. The W opens in the former Hotel Washington next month, complete with the city’s most missed rooftop. Called P.O.V. (Point of View), the rooftop bar/lounge will seat 110 amid hip decor, food by celebrity chef Jean Georges Vongerichten and a view that looks down onto the White House grounds.

» Best spot to go green amid the concrete jungle: Poste. Situated in the middle of Penn Quarter, Poste’s outdoor courtyard is a surprising oasis. Here, chef Robert Weland maintains an outdoor garden with 20 plants and seven varieties of heirloom tomatoes. And he just debuted an outdoor chef’s table, where he spit-roasts an animal nightly.

» Best spot to bring your pooch: Art and Soul. The patio at this Capitol Hill eatery has started a puppy menu, complete with pet-friendly beverages, frozen raw bones, a six-ounce steak and beef tips with rice. For the owners, show up on Hump Day for “Crab and Beer Wednesdays” on the patio from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.

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