25 incredible outdoor dining spots

This list of incredible outdoor dining spots runs the gamut from authentic farm backdrops, to blue ocean vistas and hidden bush settings.

Swings & Roundabouts is a winery and restaurant that speaks to the immediate bush environment. There are peppermint trees, native garden landscapes, plenty of umbrellas to provide shade and rustic share-food for all to enjoy. Even your dog is welcome here.

The deck overlooking Cape Lodge’s freshwater lake is so pretty – and so quiet! Tucked up in the Cape Lodge grounds, the restaurant draws those seeking regional-best dining in a stunning natural setting.

Gardens and trees and hidden pathways make the outdoor area at Happs Winery a real wonderland for children and a retreat for adults. Do up your own picnic platter, grab a bottle of wine from cellar door and make the outdoors your own.

If you are after a rustic, sun drenched vineyard location for lunch, Rústico at Hay Shed Hill is a charming find. Rústico offers a relaxed atmosphere, great service, award-winning Mediterranean-style tapas and world-class wines, paired with a stunning backdrop of expansive fields and vines. The restaurant deck tables are sort after dining locations so don’t forget to book yours. Open every day for lunch, sit on the deck, soak up the atmosphere, overlook the vines and indulge in the quintessential long lunch.

You literally cannot get closer to the sand with a fresh coffee in your hand, and a breakfast plate of killer scrambled eggs and mushrooms on the table in front of you. The White Elephant Beach Café is prime coastal eating in the heart of Prevelly.

A hobby farm-come-restaurant, Meelup Farmhouse is one of the region’s most Instagrammable outdoor dining spots. The original stone and timber farmhouse has been transformed into something straight out of Country Living. Think high timber ceilings and original stone walls all painted white, with glass doors opening onto a vast timber deck, then a lawn, and then the bush. This place is for summertime grazing under gums and house-made picnics on the lawn, or cosy rugged-up lunches in winter, all within a short distance of the iconic blue water of Meelup Beach.

Sit within 20 metres of vines beneath the shade of a timber deck (or a couple of peppi trees) and know that you have claim to a slice of the good life. It’s a beautiful backdrop that only adds to the unmissable Cullen Wines lunch experience, where ingredients are taken from their own biodynamic garden.

The rolling lawn at Augusta Hotel is prime territory for roly-poly fun – this is stadium-sized lawn space with views to the Blackwood River and the Southern Ocean and beyond. An Augusta township idyll with great pub food.

Outdoor tables almost literally within a stone’s throw of Geographe Bay are a drawcard at Equinox, a restaurant offering an accomplished dining experience right on the Busselton foreshore.

The jutting point of the Cape Naturaliste peninsula is so spectacularly beautiful with a number of pristine beaches. Eagle Bay Brewing Co. is tucked up in the trees just behind the coast, with an expansive lawn that brings all of the space of the Margaret River Region to your lunch table. Expect upscale pub fare designed to share.

Overlooking bush to views of Bunker Bay, this Pullman Bunker Bay Resort restaurant is a bit of luxury right on the coast. Lunch at Other Side of The Moon on the tree-shaded terrace with friends or wait until the sun sets and dining on the deck takes a romantic turn. Plus, the terrace is an excellent whale-watching spot in spring.

Sunset views from the tiered seating of the Sea Garden Café’s outdoor deck are the ideal accompaniment to easy local eats. Breakfast, here, is also a post-swim summertime must.

A big dam surrounded by bush is a natural amphitheatre of raw Australian beauty at Wild Hop Brewing Co, a brewpub offering just the kind of casual dining experience you’d expect from a boutique Margaret River Region brewery.

You’d never know The Nookery Café at Woody Nook Wines sits on the site of an old timber mill. There are so many trees: some 60 acres of mature jarrah and marri forest. Local produce is a highlight, and you can take your pick from the various outdoor seating spots.

Tucked away at the entrance to the Margaret River township, the deck and grassed area framing the Margaret River Distilling Co. is prime Negroni-sipping territory. Order from their simple, local menu to accompany your gins.

Enjoy fresh quality produce overlooking beautiful rolling lawns and purple flowering canopies of wisteria at Wise Eagle Bay. Add in the stunning views of old-growth forest and the sparkling blue waters of Geographe Bay for the total WOW factor. This is alfresco dining at its best.

No doubt this is a working winery and farm. At Glenarty Road you will sit framed by vegetable gardens, vines and mature-growth gums that tell the story of the McDonald family’s five generations of farming on this site. Food is made of that which the family grow: think produce-driven, home-style fare.

Skinks, bobtails and the gallery’s resident kangaroos are the company you’ll keep at Goanna Bush Café, hosted in an incredible natural bushland setting. There’s also lunch at this fully licensed venue, and a gallery featuring local artists and artisans.

There are two spots at The River Hotel to get your outdoor dining fix. An inner courtyard is within view of the pool table, with live music, while picnic tables beneath trees out the front let you see and be seen.

Take your pick from a selection of different outdoor dining areas at Margaret River Brewhouse. Park up on the deck, where you will often be serenaded by local and travelling musicians. Or stretch out at a picnic table either at the front or back of the venue. Prefer to recline while enjoying their delicious food and beers? Picnic blankets are welcome on the grassy lawn.

For a relaxed outdoor dining experience in earshot of the ocean, you can’t beat Tonic By The Bay. Wander off the beach to the bar which serves local beer and wines or take a seat in the outdoor garden restaurant where they are serving up all the classics plus daily specials.

This is outdoor dining with a view, brew and a moo! Between the upper deck view, newly built kitchen, awesome head chef Haydn Vink, and believing in doing things a little differently – you simply can’t miss swinging past Beerfarm. Expect wood, fire and smoke to blend seamlessly with Mexican and Asian flavours. Yum.

Take a seat at Rivendell Winery Estate’s spacious deck surrounded by lush gardens with beautiful olive and wisteria trees. Enjoy sweeping views of the Yallingup hills while biting into delicious handcrafted pizzas and a great selection of drinks, including local beers, premium wines, and refreshing cocktails.

When summer hits, local favourite Ooze & Tang transforms into an outdoor dining hotspot. The front patio is dog-friendly and perfect for rosé at sunset, and the charming back courtyard, like a secret garden, is ideal for relaxed catch-ups or romantic nights under the candles, festoon lights and stars. Book ahead in peak season.

Opening on 12 December, the newly renovated outdoor area at Bailey Brewing Co. in Dunsborough offers a fresh, inviting space just in time for the Christmas school holidays. Designed with families in mind, it’s perfect for relaxed gatherings with plenty of room for kids to let off some steam while parents unwind.