8 of-the-lakeshore patios, decks, gardens, and yards to savor summertime meals
New Buffalo and the surrounding community enjoy fantastic outdoor dining. Among many restaurants set to serve al fresco, we highlight eight uniquely vacation-worthy restaurants from waterfront to rooftop to garden to vineyard. Celebrate the season with elevated, chef-driven meals, tasty food truck fare, and plenty in between.
Terrace Room
Among the region’s loveliest outdoor dining spots, Terrace Room features a waterfront patio steps from the beach on New Buffalo Harbor. Mellow and just a little upscale, expect unrushed, graceful service and a farm-driven, rustic Italian menu that encourages lingering over courses. Just want a drink? Terrace Room has a reputation for generous, well-crafted cocktails. Order up and enjoy the view from an Adirondack on the harborfront lawn.
Bentwood Tavern
Our second waterfront restaurant places you at the west end of New Buffalo Harbor in the heart of the summer marina scene. You’ll never for a minute forget you’re on vacation here as boats glide in and out of slips and folks roll in sandy and suntanned from the beach. Appropriately, seafood dishes are plenty at Bentwood, with a lobster roll that never disappoints. Our number one choice for brunch, bask in the glow of a perfectly crafted day drink as you stroll the marina boardwalk after your meal.
The Stray Dog
New Buffalo’s iconic bar & grill also happens to have a killer rooftop reserved for the drinking-age crowd. With a breezy coastal look and Lake Michigan views, Stray Dog’s rooftop has an irresistible Midwest meets SoCal atmosphere ideal for beach day post-game. The menu is a consistent crowd-pleaser, with burgers, sandwiches, tacos, salads, and plenty of drink-friendly shareables.
Beer Church Brewing
You’re unlikely to miss Beer Church as you enter town, with two levels of colorful outdoor seating astride a stately white Civil War-era church. The food game focuses on wood-fired pizza Napoletana with flavor profiles as creative and confident as the atmosphere. Sports fans, this is your place! Multiple outdoor screens ensure you won’t miss a play. And like The Stray Dog, the upper deck is reserved for folks 21 and over.
Brewster’s
Brewster’s is a beloved local mainstay for Italian comfort. Almost like entering another place and time, the outdoor experience resembles an Old World European garden, lush with foliage and blooming annuals accented by stone, stucco, and the gentle splash of fountains. Designed on a grid of semi-private niches, the atmosphere is easy and unassuming. You’ll never know you’re in the center of town on Brewster’s remarkable patio.
Susan’s
Susan’s is another date-night favorite, a super-pleasing juxtaposition of vintage architecture, fresh midcentury design, and small-town charm. The patio is spacious and open, blessedly shady on hot summer evenings and beautifully landscaped to enhance rather than obscure its connection to tiny downtown Sawyer. Explore an always delicious tasting menu with an artful take on casual fine dining for the lakeshore.
Sideyard
Thanks to an upbeat team, consistently fresh and tasty food truck fare, and low-key scene, locals post up at Sideyard throughout peak-summer season. A tiny bar in the center of Sawyer’s one-block village, the namesake yard is where it’s at, offering covered and open patio and green space outfitted with Adirondacks, firepits, and all the yard games. A perfect spot for parents to chill—oftentimes to live music or dj sets—while kids happily blow off steam.
Tabor Hill Winery
Tabor Hill is classic wine country. Among the oldest wineries in the appellation and the single full-service restaurant on the wine trail, outdoor dining here offers majestic views of Tabor Hill’s 60-acre vineyard estate. And a bonus for adventurers! Hike Mt. Tabor Trail, a 3.5-mile trek through forest and vineyard to sister estate, Round Barn. Trail drinks welcome!
words Collette DiJohn Kemper
images Matt Haas, Jodi Bodtke, Justes Kemper
updated July 23, 2024
