Sept. 16, 2021

This has been a busy summer for restaurant and bar openings, so we’re offering you a second set of new patios that will beckon to many before cold weather arrives.

It’s that time of year when we need to soak in the warmth while we can and savor time spent at a happy hour with co-workers, a date-night dinner with a spouse or a girls’ night out for a glass of wine.

Here’s a look at five patios from new and old sites downtown and south of I-229.

Glacial Lakes Distillery and Brewhouse

The large patio in front of the new Glacial Lakes Distillery and Brewhouse offers a great spot for people-watching and checking out the evening traffic on the one-way streets that pass by the new cocktail lounge at the corner of 10th and Main. A pergola covers part of the seating area, which seats 58 and is filled with late-afternoon and early-evening sunshine. Pets are welcome.

Co-owner Quentin Robertson suggests that customers stop inside to let the servers know they’ll be sitting outside. The bar features liquor made by Glacial Lakes in Watertown. A new cocktail menu will be introduced Friday. Try the Mudslide, which is made with coffee from The Breaks Coffee Roasting Co., or a new drink that incorporates apple cider from Hoversten Orchard north of Brandon.

Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday with a special menu of sangria, bloody marys and mimosas.

Let It Fly

Let It Fly, the new sports bar at 57th and Western that includes South Dakota native and former NBA player Mike Miller in the ownership group, inherited the patio that wraps around the building that most recently was the home to Turks & Caicos Cabana Grill. The patio retains much of the same feel, except for the line of TVs outside from one end of the north side of the building to the other. There are 15 TVs in total on all three sides of the patio – and more are coming.

The shuffleboard court on the east side is gone, replaced by other patio games such as corn hole and ladder ball. On the west side of the building, there’s a collection of soft seating for enjoying conversation and an apple cider mule that’s new to the drink menu for fall. The partially covered patio, which seats about 120 people, has its own bar and offers full table service.

Hours are 9 a.m. to midnight Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Harvester Kitchen by Bryan

If you’re looking for a romantic dinner outside or a special place to gather with friends or family, the new Harvester Kitchen by Bryan offers a historic setting downtown. The brick patio is on the former loading dock of the Harvester Building on Sixth Street just east of Phillips Avenue. It seats 20 and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

There’s also a cushioned seating area with a coffee table that’s perfect for enjoying a glass of wine. The restaurant does not have a liquor license, but in addition to wine, it offers beer and a selection of beer- and wine-based cocktails. An adjacent private patio for residents of the building provides a charming, English garden-looking backdrop. Pets are not allowed.

Hours are 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. As long as you’re seated by 9:30 p.m., you can still order.

Roundhouse Brew Pub

A new neighborhood bar and grill, the Roundhouse Brew Pub on 69th Street east of Cliff Avenue, offers a patio outside the front door. Be sure to bring your sunglasses unless it’s a cloudy day. It offers full service, with seating at a dozen tables, and more amenities are coming next spring, including a fire pit.

There are 16 beers on tap, including nine from Roundhouse Brewery in Nisswa, Minnesota. The starter menu features hand-battered onion rings, pretzel bites, nachos and more. For burgers, there’s  a lineup of trendy smashed burgers with train-inspired names.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Highball

Cocktails and conversations are the centerpieces of Highball’s full-service patio at the new Railyard Flats, which also includes lofts and offices. The patio is set under a pergola made of old rails from the 1800s. It’s filled with a drink rail, tables, chairs, lounge seating and a fire pit.

Customers can watch the people and traffic along Eighth Street in the popular food and drink area of the East Bank. Pets are allowed.

Highball is the latest offering from ownership group that also has Carpenter Bar and The Treasury at Hotel Phillips.

Hours are 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

5 new patios to explore