Café Buena Vida
535 Victoria Road
Soak up the buzz of Vicky Road while looking into the big entrance to Queens Park, as DJs from Radio Buena Vida broadcast live from the café’s front window. Come for coffee, natural wines and Spanish/Catalonian small plates like sobrasada-loaded tostadas and smoky patatas bravas.

Chinaskis
239 North Street
While it’s all ultra-low lighting and ambience inside, Chinaskis’ rear exterior is a split-level garden party. The impressive food strikes a balance between global small plates and pub classics, where Mexican street corn and Japanese fried chicken jostle with smash burgers and hand-stretched pizzas.

The Ladywell 
139 Barrack Street
According to legend, a tunnel connects this perfectly old-fashioned boozer with the Tennent’s brewery across the road for ultimate pint freshness. With a touch more certainty, it also has a back yard that’s an utter sun trap, seats about 80, has a giant TV screen and is very chilled out.

Mono
12 Kings Court
The courtyard at Mono gets the light well into early evening. Spritzes and pints of Williams Bros are the drinks of choice for bohemians and musos wandering in, out, and about. If you get peckish, a playful plant-based menu does stomach-lining numbers like a pizza crunch supper or shawarma fries.

Ubiquitous Chip
12 Ashton Lane
In addition to its storied past, verdant interior and peat fire upstairs, The Chip also has The Rooftop Terrace, an outside bar with comfy benches and ample shelter against a particularly ferocious sun (doubtful) or breeze (highly likely). Nibbly stuff from the brasserie menu works well; say, baked camembert with balsamic onions, or a pork and fennel scotch egg.