Best Outdoor Dining Oasis Restaurants in Old Town

Cedar Palace is a family-run Lebanese and Syrian restaurant where recipes dating back decades anchor a cozy Lincoln Park dining room and patio. It’s the neighborhood’s go-to for homestyle hummus, shish tawook, and mezze plates that feel generous and carefully made.

Chicago’s original sushi bar, Kamehachi has anchored Old Town since 1967 with a sprawling menu of maki, nigiri, hot appetizers, and combo platters. It’s less about avant-garde omakase and more about reliable rolls, bento-style meals, and a neighborhood crowd that spans families, regulars, and pre-Second City dinners.

Topo Gigio is an Old Town standby where a sprawling menu of classic pastas and red-sauce plates is backed by a busy dining room and brick-walled patio. It’s the move for group dinners and lively dates that prioritize big portions and familiar flavors over hushed conversation.

Orso's Italian Restaurant has served Old Town for decades with a long menu of pastas, chicken dishes, and pizzas in a classic dining room and grapevine-covered patio. Regulars lean on familiar standards and relaxed, slightly nostalgic energy more than chef-driven reinvention.

Corcoran's Grill & Pub is an Old Town Irish-American bar across from The Second City with a big patio, late hours, and a pub menu where wings are a top seller. The appeal is less specialty-shop precision and more having solid saucy wings alongside burgers, beers, and comedy crowds.