Grandview Café (Credit: Megan Leigh Barnard)

Claddagh Irish Pub (Credit: Megan Leigh Barnard)

The River Club at Confluence Park (Credit: Megan Leigh Barnard)

Grandview Café

1455 W Third Ave.
(614) 486-2233
www.grandviewcafe.com

We’ve been writing about patios for a long time now, yet somehow failed to mention Grandview Café before. The debate will rage on over who has the best patio in town, but its safe to say that the conversation isn’t complete unless you’ve given Grandview Café proper consideration. They’ve got a pretty sweet thing going.

It helps that they maximize their space. They have a covered deck stacked atop a ground floor patio. It’s almost unfair. Other places are squeezing all the seating they can into a tiny patch of sidewalk that the city can take away at any time, while the folks at GC are living large.

It’s a great locale for people watching, because the double-decker patio is adjacent to the bustling Grandview Avenue strip, but the lower level also features a monstrous flat screen tuned to the game of the moment for your viewing pleasure. The service flows promptly thanks to an order station conveniently installed outside.

During cold weather, the patio zips up and radiant heaters keep things cozy. Unless the rain goes horizontal, the space tends to stay quite dry.  Saying that the place gets busy during peak hours would be an understatement, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a seat at 9 p.m. on a Saturday.

Grandview Café is a great casual pub that features big plates of tasty food and tall glasses of cold brews – several of the tap handles are dedicated to respectable craft beers. GC is one of those legendary stops everybody’s heard of, but if you haven’t experienced it yourself, we recommend stopping by.

Claddagh Irish Pub

585 S Front St.
(614) 224-1560
www.claddaghirishpubs.com

The Brewery District has been through some transitions over the years, but now it seems to have matured into a respectable place to live, work and play. It has an easy neighborhood feel that blends in with German Village and downtown. Claddagh Irish Pub is a perfect fit, featuring an appropriate selection of brews and plenty of class without the sass.

It’s easy to be naturally skeptical of theme concepts; there are a lot of “Irish” pubs on the market and most do a decent job, but they don’t always deliver the full experience. The Claddagh on Front Street does. It’s in a newer building at Brewmaster’s Gate, so it doesn’t have an antiquated feel – but it does have some genuine old-world charm.

The L-shaped patio that wraps around the front is the backbone of that charm. The main body of the patio runs the length of the building and additional seats face Brewmaster’s Gate to the south.

The cooler weather this month provides the perfect time to settle into a chair on the Claddagh patio and enjoy a few brews alongside brick streets. “September is beautiful,” said General Manager Deidre Byrne. “All of our flowers will be in bloom and not wilting in the heat.”

The River Club at Confluence Park

679 W Spring St.
(614) 469-0000
www.riverclubrestaurant.com

You haven’t really seen the Columbus skyline until you’ve absorbed the view from the patio at The River Club at Confluence Park. Set on the banks of the Scioto River, the restaurant and its generous patio offer an incomparable view of the blooming downtown landscape.

Interested in an incredibly up-close view of Red, White and Boom 2012? Reserve a patio seat for the eatery’s overflowing dinner buffet and dessert bar. Sure, the view from inside the restaurant isn’t bad, but sitting on the patio for the fireworks spectacular is an experience like none other.

It’s no surprise that The River Club’s manager brags “no other place in the city has a patio view like we do.” At sundown, says Andrew Barcela, the views are especially stunning.

The River Club recently expanded its patio to accommodate not only outdoor dining, but also the numerous weddings, receptions, photography shoots and happy hour revelers seeking to relish the view.

Meanwhile, the onset of autumn does not prevent the hearty from enjoying the patio. Overhead heaters and round brick fire pits lend a palpable warmth to the space.