Local Places to Dine Outdoors

This is the time of the year when dining moves from the dining room table to the picnic table. If you would rather someone serve you your al fresco meal, here are a few local spots to check out.

Kings Park

offers both gorgeous views of the Smithtown Bay from tables both indoors and out, depending on the weather and where you prefer to dine. This is the place for seafood lovers, where one can order a crab cake dinner, broiled mahi-mahi, or even chicken and scallops marsala. Reservations are suggested, so call before you drop by. The Inn is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

If you prefer to celebrate Memorial Day with good old fashioned barbecue, stop by to eat outside and enjoy much more than just burgers and wings. Try Cowboy Mike’s Famous Chicken Wings with the restaurant’s original Dixie's Smokehouse Texas BBQ sauce, or order a rack of ribs. Dixie’s also has po’boy sandwiches, such as catfish, barbecued brisket, barbecued pulled pork, fried shrimp, and much more all made with their original Creole mayo.  Dixie’s is open Saturday from noon to 10:30 p.m., Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., and Monday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Smithtown

Kitchen A Bistro

Take a ride to St. James if you would like to enjoy the sun and delicious food outside one of the top-rated restaurants on Long Island by Zagat – .

Nick's Pizza and Clam Bar is one of the few roadside seafood shacks remaining on the North Shore of Long Island. Located on Route 25A, just east of the center of Smithtown, it's a great place for informal outdoor dining and fresh seafood. Its specialties are lobster, clams, oysters and steamers, but they also offer burgers and pizza for the non-seafood eaters.

O's Food and Wine Bar is a European-styled restaurant, cocktail bar and tapas bar. The menu is fusion of European and American fare.

A mixture of traditional Mexican food and Southwestern dishes, Del Fuego just opened an outdoor dining area out back.

Hauppauge

An established New American restaurant with 18 years under its belt serving in Hauppauge's industrial park, The Grill Room is a top choice for many any time of the year. Sip cool cocktails in this top dining spot for a treat this weekend.

Barrington's located in the Hauppauge Industrial Park's Adam Avenue food court, bills  itself as a family-friendly New American eatery. Barrington's offers two menus for patron's to chose from, one at a casual price point and one to suit more upscale tastes.