5 best outdoor dining spots in Coventry

Experience alfresco dining

As summer approaches, the search is on to find the best outdoor dining close to your student accommodation in Coventry. Luckily for you, we’ve hand-picked our top five spots for outside dining in the city.

The venues we’ve chosen have exciting menus as well as beautiful outdoor spaces: perfect for grabbing a bite to eat, brunching with friends or a slightly boozy afternoon.

Jinseon Korean BBQ Restaurant & Bar

You can’t beat a good old BBQ, especially when the sun is shining. Cut out cleaning the dishes and fighting over who’s in charge of cooking by heading out for your BBQ meal instead. Jinseon Korean BBQ Restaurant & Bar is open for al-fresco dining in Coventry and comes highly recommended by our team. The restaurant is defined as “a totally new restaurant dining experience” with “endless choices of locally sourced meat, seafood & vegetables. Cooked on a live charcoal fire on your own table.” Sounds good to us! No bookings are being taken at the moment, you can grab your table on a first come, first served basis. The best place to stay updated is on Facebook.

The Yard Coventry

The Yard is the city’s largest LBQT+ venue located in the middle of the city centre. It offers weekly quiz nights, open mics, karaoke, cabaret & games nights. When it comes to outside dining, The Yard boasts one of the biggest sun trap gardens in the city. Recent guests of The Yard have stated that “there is plenty of space to socially distance and guidelines are followed well.” Expect to find a bunch of vegan and vegetarian options on the food menu, as well as pizzas and burgers. You can book a table online.

Slug & Lettuce

You can’t beat a classic venue that everybody knows, which is why we’d say that the Slug & Lettuce is one of the best outdoor dining spots in Coventry, hands down. From nibbles with your cocktails, to full ‘substantial meals’ you can find a wide variety of options at the Slug & Lettuce, one of the reasons that we love them so much. The outdoor dining menu can be found online, which even includes sharing platters (ideal for drinks and lunch with friends). The Slug & Lettuce recently received a £50,000 investment, helping to create a beautiful setting for food and drinks. The outdoor seating area overlooks the cathedral ruins, a perfect backdrop for plenty of ‘reunion’ Instagram snaps with your friends. Book a table online or keep updated on their Facebook page.

Las Iguanas

Another popular choice all over the country, we recommend a trip to Las Iguanas for one of your first food and drink outings post-lockdown. Located on Cathedral Land, this Coventry gem offers a wide selection of food and drinks. Based in the heart of the city, it’s an ideal venue for hopping from place to place and exploring the city (though make sure you’re keeping within Government guidelines). You can find a variety of Mexican food on the menu including tapas dishes, enchiladas, and burritos. There are plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options too. Not to mention, it’s happy hour all day, every day. Cocktails anyone? You can find the full menu online, where you can also book a table.

Leave It To Esmie

Fancy Caribbean? We’ve got you covered. Leave It To Esmie, or Esmie’s for short, is truly a Coventry gem and is one of the best outdoor dining spots in the area. It claims to “capture the vibrancy of West Indian cuisine” and will “take your tastebuds on an unforgettable journey.” As well as being able to order for collection, you can now enjoy an al-fresco meal and drinks with the menu containing several Caribbean delights such as jerk chicken bowls, mutton burger street food, BBQ wings and saltfish fritters. There are as many vegan and vegetarian options as there are not, so perfect for any diner. Keep up with Esmie’s on Facebook. You can book a table online now.