Restaurants across Toronto getting an early start to patio season this weekend
You don't need me to tell you that it's been a long, cold, snowy winter in Toronto, but the tides are finally turning: with a balmy weekend forecast up ahead, a swath of restaurants across the city are opening their patios.
There are really only two seasons in Toronto: snow and patio. If the city's residents can feasibly dine or drink in open air, we'll take it, and we'll press the bounds of the season for as long as they can possibly go, kicking off the second temperatures crawl into the double digits and winding down only once the first flurries fall.
Case in point, as Toronto and much of southern Ontario prepare to see the first double-digit temperatures of 2026 on Saturday, March 7, a slew of restaurants are already dusting off the outdoor furniture and marking the beginning of patio season this weekend.
While a few establishments hastily opened their outdoor dining spaces to capitalize on above-zero temperatures and sunshine on Wednesday, March 4, more are jumping on the trend for the weekend ahead.
In the Distillery District, Mexican staple El Catrin will open its expansive patio, weather permitting, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, while Pure Spirits will open its patio on Monday, capitalizing on the 15 C and sunny outlook for March 9.
For residents of Liberty Village, patio season already began earlier this week, when LOCAL Public Eatery opened its outdoor space earlier this week. The restaurant is officially kicking 2026 patio season off this Monday, but keep an eye peeled for a sneaky early opening, weather permitting.
The same can be said for both King Taps' and Earls' King West locations, which will both mark the start of patio season on Monday.
For other businesses, like Bellwoods Brewery, the start of patio season is more of a ceremonial thing, as their patio never officially closes, but rather grows more densely populated when sunshine and pleasant temperatures start to stir those Jelly King cravings.
Up on Geary Avenue, Paradise Grapevine will be opening their patio all weekend long for the Geary Art Crawl — the perfect place to wash down the grilled cheese you earned by doing some public karaoke, no?
You may want to refrain from setting your al fresco get-together in stone right away, though. The weekend's forecast, while it does call for temperatures reaching highs of 15 C on Saturday and 11 C on Sunday, is also gearing up to be a wet one.
Rain showers are currently supposed to settle in around noon on Saturday, with thunderstorms threatening the evening. On Sunday, however, things are looking relatively clear, albeit cooler.
Fareen Karim at Bellwoods Brewery
