NOW's survey of T.O.'s best patios is organized by neighbourhood. To be extra helpful, we've included other notable restaurants in each area.

= Critic's top-50 pick
 B   = Barrier-free: When NOW labels a patio "barrier-free," it has at least one entrance where there are no steps, its tables are reasonably spaced and its washrooms are located on the same floor although they're not necessarily equipped with assistance.

College Street

Barraida 1000 College, at Havelock, 416-539-8239. While its front space is a noisy Portuguese barbecue takeaway, its huge, grassy back yard decked out with rows of picnic tables makes a great spot for dining al fresco. Expect halved and chopped grilled-over-steam piri-piri hot-sauce-coated chickens served with roasted spud balls, gargantuan carnivore platters of egg-topped steaks sided with smashed potatoes and olives, as well as grilled sardines and barbecue salt cod. Lots of strollers, too.

Cafe Diplomatico 594 College, at Clinton, 416-534-4637. Long a magnet for sun-worshippers and moon-howlers, the Dip celebrates its 36th anniversary this summer. With its old-school Italian menu – straightforward tomato-sauced pizzas, steamed mussels, leafy insalata – and rock-bottom prices, this family-run business prevails while neighbouring spots don't last 36 minutes. Few are here strictly for the food. Most come to soak up the optics on the sunny-all-afternoon terrace that by nightfall morphs into a front-row view of College Street chic.

Cafe Margaux 796 College, at Roxton, 416-588-7490. Anyone who ever enjoyed a lazy August evening on the awning-covered terrace at Café Societa will make a beeline for its new and improved tenant. Ex-Pastis chef Rob Briden offers a confident and accessibly priced card of classic bistro dishes on the overhauled deck – beds of herbs now ring the curbside cantina – as well as his acclaimed $27 three-course steak frites prix fixe. A new lineup of somewhat lighter dishes – house-made ravioli stuffed with foie gras terrine, pan-seared bison sided with sautéed baby potatoes, roasted pear and wild blueberry reduction – will appeal to clubbers looking for a Parisian late-night al fresco nosh.

Olivia's 53 Clinton, at College, 416-533-3989. Located in the owner's home just steps north of busy Café Diplomatico, this charming trellised backyard spot is the perfect location for a clandestine tryst. Figure in competent Mediterranean-inspired vittles – old-school Sicilian spaghetti and meatballs, osso bucco topped with garlicky gremolata, broiled arctic char over steamed seasonal greens – and a knockout soon-come Sunday brunch make this gal one of the west side's favourite haunts.

Souz Dal 636 College, at Grace, 416-537-1883. Open only after dark, Souz Dal suggests a romantic rendezvous at the Casbah set in a walled-in rear patio straight out of West Side Story. Tented ochre-patterned walls sway as overhead fans churn the sheltering air. Middle Eastern-influenced finger foods – baba ghanouj, tzatziki and grilled pita – encourage the most hard-to-get to become instantly available. Bonus: featured martinis $3.95 and all mixed drinks $3 Sunday to Tuesday.

Sutra 612 College, at Clinton, 416-537-8755. Although the champagne-swilling, oyster-slurping fabulosi have moved on to the Drake, this minimally appointed cocktail lounge still retains its cachet due to its Souz Dal connection. Around back, the Tiki bar is straight out of the Hawaiian tropics, complete with white ankle-deep sand on the floor, thatched roof and flaming bamboo torches. Better yet, check out these $4.25 drink specials: champagne cocktail Sundays, mojito Mondays and Wicky Wacky Woo Wednesdays. Pitchers of sangria go for 10 bucks on Thursday, and on each of these nights all mixed drinks are $3. Opens at 8 pm nightly.

Also notable

Airport Lounge 492 College, at Palmerston, 416-921-3047. 70s-inspired psychedelic funkateria with a curbside holding cell and secluded backyard play pen.

Ciao Edie 489 College, at Markham, 416-927-7774. Tiny fenced-in terrace shared with Andy Pool Hall on the hippest of strips.

El Bodegon 537 College, at Euclid, 416-944-8297. From its usually crowded shady deck, this Peruvian cantina offers hybrid South American cuisine – delicate seafood stews, puckering seviches and hefty grilled beef-heart platters.

Free Times Cafe 320 College, at Major, 416-967-1078. A small fenced-in area out front allows a select few direct access to the house's $16.95 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. Live klezmer musicians, too.

Il Gatto Nero 720 College, at Crawford, 416-531-0543. Now in snazzier digs down the street, this cat combines a traditional Italo coffeehouse scene with a wrap-around terrace that takes in the action on one of College's busiest corners.

Sicilian Ice Cream Company 712 College, at Montrose, 416-531-7716. Celebrating its 44th summer serving Ital ices to the neighbourhood. Unlicensed.

Tempo 596 College, at Clinton, 416-531-2822. Chef Tom Thai's modernist sushi – lobster maki in white truffle oil, spicy oyster tempura and roasted eel scented with shiso leaf – has made this casual luxe spot a hot ticket since it opened. Being at the epicentre of downtown cool helps, too.

Trattoria Giancarlo 41 Clinton, at College, 416-533-9619. Standard-setting cantina – a favourite of visiting movie stars like Sophia Loren and Gina Lolabrigida.