This is just one installment of 37 Things a Man’s Gotta Do This Summer, our annual compendium of everything worth seeing, doing, eating, drinking and generally making time for in your neck of the woods between now and September.
Why eat inside when you can do the same under the glory of the life-giving sun* (*weather permitting)? Below, our all-time faves for al fresco dining & drinking — with a couple neighborhood icons, a best-in-class bridge view, and more than one spot with bratwurst. (It’s the perfect outdoor food. Trust.)
4505 Burgers & BBQ
Heaven, if your heaven involves brisket (from the wood-fired barbecue pit), beer, and the fries we named the best in the city: They’re soaked in oil, garlic, and a chimichurri sauce. Just eat ’em fast, because they cool down fast.
Arguello
Possibly the best way to enjoy the Presidio: from Arguello’s heated (handy if the chill sets in) patio, with a plate full of chef Traci Des Jardins’ luxe Mexican cuisine: We like the chicken taquitos followed by the wagyu flat-iron steak.
Biergarten
The ultimate. Three p.m. openings at Biergarten is what early-out Fridays were made for: Summer afternoons in this Bavarian-style biergarten, with a pretzel, bratwurst, maybe some pork belly sliders, and let’s not forget the obatzda, a cheesy side that’s part cheese, part butter, part beer — and if you can improve on that, we’d like to invest.
Waterbar
For our money, there’s no better place to eat with a view of the bridge — we could happily ourselves for hours with the whole roasted Dungeness crab, but mind the newest addition to the menu: bacon-wrapped monkfish.
Zeitgeist
There is no better place for a drink on a late Sunday afternoon if the sun’s out and everybody’s in a good mood: Zeitgeist is a neighborhood icon that’s only improved by the availability (and eating) of sub-$10 sausages.
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