Fresh-air dining: 8 new Bay Area alfresco restaurants

“Fogust”? What’s that?

As folks in the West Bay – aka San Francisco – can attest, this month can be supremely chilly and fog-shrouded. It’s as if the weather there has a mood, and it is “morose.”

In the East and South bays, there is no such problem. The sun is shining, the birds are twittering and the weather is balmy. It’s a great time to go out and feast in the open air.

This past year has seen a number of new restaurants offering alfresco seating. Whether you’re in the mood for buzzy Japanese sandwiches, artful Mexican, a Mediterranean beer garden or a José Andrés-led kitchen, there’s something out there to please everyone.

Here are eight restaurants that we enjoyed this year, and that are worth asking for an outdoor seat.

Hanita Sushi Kitchen, Hayward

Hayward’s first rooftop restaurant experience has popped up in a buzzy spot where diners can nibble on sandos and sip matcha lattes while watching the sun set between towering palm trees, then gaze at the emerging lights downtown.

Earlier this year, the patio at Hanita, a second-floor restaurant on B Street, was transformed into a bistro with a casual menu. Inside, the focus remains on customers ordering all-you-can-eat sushi or omakase boxes.

Social media is full of raves for the new concept. “The outside balcony area is sooo cute,” Yelper Trish T. writes, adding that “their strawberry matcha is the best in the Bay.”

For some customers, it’s all about the pocket sandos, which are made to order. Selections include creme brulee, classic cream, chocolate, matcha, strawberry, mango, blueberry — and double banana (bananas plus banana cream), which Elite Yelper Mari R. called “an absolute banger. I can’t stop thinking about this one.”

Hinata’s location also plays into its popularity. It’s located next door to the Cinemark Century film complex, making day or night movie-and-matcha meet-ups easy to coordinate.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily, 1071 B St., second floor, Hayward; instagram.com/hinatasushikitchen.

Zaytinya, Palo Alto

On a breezy summer evening, lovers of Eastern Mediterranean mezze sit under patio umbrellas at Zaytinya, a restaurant from José Andrés, the humanitarian chef who founded the World Central Kitchen, and graze on kebabs, flatbreads, salads and spreads.

There’s cushioned seating, and it’s quieter out here than inside. But … that stunning interior! In the bar, you have a massive wall design of hand-blown glass discs to gaze at; in the larger dining room, the woven textile lighting shades overhead will capture your attention.

The solution? Maybe start in the bar and then move outside. Whether you choose indoor or outdoor dining, you’ll enjoy the complimentary, never-empty bowl of airy, freshly baked pita bread to dip into Greek olive oil and tart-sweet pomegranate vinegar. And the attentive service.

The flavors of Turkey, Greece and Lebanon inform the menu here — Andrés’ first NorCal restaurant — and at the six other Zaytinya locations from D.C. to L.A. Popular shareable dishes include Shish Taouk ($17), a grilled chicken skewer with sumac, onions, garlic toum and grilled tomatoes; Octopus Santorini ($24), with marinated onions and a yellow split pea purée; and Grilled Lamb Chops ($35), with smoked labneh and harissa chile crisp. Kebab platters and a chef’s tasting menu are also available.

Zaytinya’s intriguing cocktail list is designed to lure you from your standard order. The Za’atar Margarita ($18) adds a whiff of the traditional spice blend to the popular cocktail. For the Pomona ($17), ouzo is mixed with lemon, mint and pomegranate. And the Magic Carpet ($20) combines Tanqueray No. 10 Gin, St. George Pear, St. Germain, lemon juice and clarified Greek yogurt.

Details: Lunch is served Wednesday-Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner daily starts at 4 p.m. 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; zaytinya.com.

Stereo 41, Walnut Creek

A bastion of late-night coolness – almost too cool – has taken root in downtown Walnut Creek.

Stereo 41 opened last winter in a former PG&E building that’s now vibe upon vibe, room after room. There’s a mirrored hallway that shines like a disco ball, artwork painted by a co-owner, a DJ booth prominent in the dining space and, open to the air, sidewalk seating and a semi-enclosed patio. This stylish space is perfect for warm-weather dining, with comfy booths, jungle ferns and breeze blocks sifting in the fresh air.

The kitchen is overseen by Jonathan De La Torre, a veteran of fine-dining establishments like Quince and Nopa, who dabbles in flavors from Japan and the Middle East but most of all modern California. Hamachi tostadas are a popular appetizer, decadent and fiery with chili sauce and umami mayo, and there’s lamb-stuffed Moroccan pastry and ocean trout with wasabi labneh. However, don’t get used to the current menu, as the restaurant will undergo a renovation in mid-August that will see it transformed into a bastion of Southern cooking.

The current menu is hard to define, and this new focus will simplify things and also add an all-weekend Southern brunch into the mix, says Victor Ghaben, who co-owns Stereo 41 along with Berk Gibbs (together they also founded the Oakland-born World Famous Hotboys).

“There will be a lot of comfort food, a little bit of Creole, some Low Country, some Appalachian — basically all of the staples of Southern cuisine done in a more fine-casual setting,” Ghaben says. “We’ll have a truly Southern brunch with French and African influences, with shrimp and grits, a bouillabaisse, chicken-fried steak with red-eye gravy, fried chicken with hot honey and complementary cornbread for every table, made in grandma’s 110-year-old cast-iron pan.”

The party vibe will remain, with a hi-fi “sound schedule” of DJs playing house hits and global bangers late into the night. And the renovation is creating another bar space, so patrons can be sure to get quick orders on their wine and cocktails, which right now include a martini made with Koshu wine and pear and a “Disco Nap” of clarified milk punch with seasonal add-ins.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays, 1535 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek; stereo41.com.

Poppy & Claro, San Jose

It’s the first alfresco season for Poppy & Claro, the downtown destination that anchors the high-rise 50 West building and offers outdoor seating at the edge of the Circle of Palms.

Located near Plaza Park and just steps away from the San Jose Museum of Art, this restaurant combines a seasonal Michelin-cred menu with that prime location for South Bay arts and entertainment lovers and downtown residents and employees.

Executive chef Christopher Littman, who cut his teeth at the three-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York City, creates menus that take advantage of California’s agricultural bounty.

Seasonal dishes joining the menu include a Frog Hollow peach pizza with prosciutto, stracciatella, arugula and a balsamic glaze, and a Tomato Bisque made with peak-season tomatoes and finished with truffled croutons. The Seared Mary’s Chicken entree now features Brentwood corn and king oyster mushrooms, with a roasted corn chicken jus.

The signature dessert is the Claro Black Walnut Cheesecake with a nutty crust, made in-house and draped with huckleberry sauce.

And during these dog days of summer, the patio will welcome pooches, too. Starting Aug. 7, Poppy & Claro is launching Dog Day Dinners every Friday, with free, house-made treats for dogs who accompany patio dinner patrons between 5 and 8 p.m.

Details: Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays for breakfast and the all-day menu, with happy hour from 3 to 5:30 p.m., 50 W. San Fernando St., San Jose. The restaurant is situated on the VTA’s First Street light-rail line. If you’re driving and can’t find street parking, there’s an underground garage at 50 West. poppyandclaro.com.

Albi’s, Danville

This bustling and all-outdoors spot channels beach vibes by way of the Mediterranean Sea. Patrons sit at picnic tables under big umbrellas – necessary for that Danville sun – with glasses of cold wine and beer, including Lebanese pilsner, while upbeat music plays and a smoky grill sizzles with shish tawook and seven-spice lamb skewers.

Monique Moufarrej is the chef and operator at this self-styled Middle Eastern beer garden, which opened this spring and is tucked away behind an Italian restaurant owned by her parents. The food menu is a love letter to her childhood in a Lebanese home, with twists she developed at Napa County’s Culinary Institute of America, and later at the now-Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurants Angler and Rich Table.

Mezze include hummus with green harissa, crispy potatoes with pickle aioli and tomato jam and a fattoush salad with sumac vinaigrette. There are yogurt-marinated chic`ken kebabs and ground lamb-stuffed pitas called arayes and, for dessert, sticky date cake with orange whipped cream. The house toum, a potent garlic spread, has proven so popular it’s now available to take home.

“Food is hugely important in Lebanese culture and to me, personally,” Moufarrej says. “I wanted to honor that while adding my own unique touch to traditional dishes.”

Many days, you’ll find the chef doing double-duty behind the outdoor bar, with 16 taps of wine and beer that are carefully curated and always rotating. There’s a focus on local breweries like Cellarmaker and Ghost Town, and then low-intervention wines from California that are responsibly made and well-paired for spice-forward cooking.

Moufarrej says she envisions the space as a “casual place for families to hang out, for locals to meet up with old friends and make new ones.” Patrons will no doubt find ways to justify a return visit, whether it’s for happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. or the monthly trivia nights.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, 455 Hartz Ave. (behind Incontro on Railroad Ave.), Danville; albisdanville.com.

Dara Thai, Belmont

Belmont has a new Thai eatery with comfortable, family-friendly outdoor seating.

The restaurant, situated along El Camino Real in Belmont, offers a fully covered outdoor patio with large planters separating the diners from the busy street. A vibrant pink neon sign inside the patio bears its name: Dara Thai.

Opened earlier this year by first-time restaurant owner Tanya Sammarsup, the restaurant serves signature dishes like a Braised Beef Panang Curry ($22), featuring slow-cooked braised beef with a Panang curry sauce, Thai herbs and shredded kaffir lime leaves, and Duck in the Bay ($28), a boneless roasted duck served on a skillet sizzling with sauteed onions, mushrooms, baby corn, carrots and broccoli with a house-made brown gravy. You’ll also find a selection of curries, wok dishes, soups and seafood specialties.

For dessert, there’s mango sticky rice in a creamy coconut sauce ($12) or fried bananas with ice cream ($12). Thai tea and coffee, as well as pink blossom milk and lychee iced tea, are among the beverage options ($5-$6).

Visitors who opt for the outdoor seating should be aware that Belmont gets surprisingly breezy given its proximity to the Bay and so you should layer accordingly — or make it a point to seek it out on a hot day.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-8:30 p.m. daily, 1480 El Camino Real, Belmont; toasttab.com/local/order/dara-thai.

Cafe Bolita, Berkeley

Cafe Bolita is a deceptively simple operation, with only four days of weekly service and typically fewer than 10 savory dishes. Its power comes from the base material underpinning the menu – masa, lovingly made by owner and chef Emmanuel Galvan.

“Our masa is all milled fresh in-house, so we never use any masa harina or flours,” Galvan says. “We source through our partner Tamoa to ensure that all of our maiz is traceable and the farmers are compensated fairly, allowing them to make a living from farming heirloom crops.”

For a while, Galvan ground his masa in Berkeley next to Standard Fare, and when that restaurant shuttered this winter, he moved in to start his own cafe. Now diners can savor the nuances of masa from all over Mexico – Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, Yucatan, Campeche – either indoors or in the pleasant, outdoor parklet.

It might sound corny, but Cafe Bolita might leave you raving over corn. Dishes are typically an outstanding preparation of masa, whether it be soft tamale or springy tortilla, paired with organic veggies and nifty sauces. (Meyer lemon salsa? Why not? It’s Berkeley.)

A carrot tamal is earthy and satisfying with braised greens, Rancho Gordo frijoles de olla and a Star Route greens salad. A tostada de requeson uses snap and English peas, asparagus and fresh ricotta, and the pollo en mole verde – one of the few meat dishes – douses a braised chicken thigh in hoja santa mole verde, with tortillas for sopping.

It would be nice to see the restaurant opening for dinner service; for now, it’s a boon for the breakfast and brunch crowd. To go with one’s carrot tamal or house yogurt with fermented honey, there are vibrant aguas frescas and Grand Coffee-based cafe de olla.

Details: Open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays, 2701 Eighth St., Suite 118, Berkeley; cafebolita.com.

Yutori, Palo Alto

Palo Alto now has a little slice of Japan’s konbini culture – a la the country’s legendary 7-Elevens — offering convenience except with fresh, healthy grab-and-go items instead of fast food.

But Yutori is more than that. Inside its doors, you’ll find a cafe, deli, grab-and-go bento service, imported gifts-and-goods shop and, soon, a full-service restaurant, all bursting with clean lines and natural light.

“Our regulars are big supporters, many coming multiple times a week. The breadth of offerings means there’s something different to try on every visit: grab-and-go bentos, sandos, onigiri, and sushi; fresh-made breakfast and deli sandwiches; a variety of pastries and signature café drinks; and a market filled with curated Japanese retail products, snacks, pantry items, and beverages,” owners Linh Tran and Jerome Ito said in an email.

Gorgeously packaged bento boxes with vibrant, fresh sushi bites and tightly wrapped onigiri triangles line the refrigerated section of the shop, while a worker calls out orders at a deli counter offering meals like hearty teriyaki chicken B.L.T.s on toasted milk bread.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the shop, baristas pour creative coffee and espresso drinks like the kura latte, featuring espresso, Kuromitsu – a Japanese black sugar syrup — and a bourbon reduction, or the iced Yutori tonic, made with espresso, calamansi, honey and tonic water. Fresh fusion pastries are also available, like the neri goma cookie, made with stone-ground Japanese black paste with TCHO chocolate chips and golden sesame.

A key feature of the destination is its spacious outdoor dining patio, carefully landscaped with stones, wooden benches, shade umbrellas over spacious tables, orange seats and greenery.

“‘Yutori’ is a Japanese word for a sense of spaciousness or ease, room to breathe, which is exactly what we want the garden and patio to give our guests,” Tran and Ito said.

The team is aiming to open the restaurant and bar portion of the concept in September. It’ll offer family-style entrees, shareable small plates, a Japanese-inspired cocktail menu and a sake and wine list.

Tran and Ito also own Go Fish Poke Bar, with locations in Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Jose, and Taro San Japanese Noodle Bar, in Palo Alto’s Stanford Shopping Center.

Details: Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 3375 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; yutori-pa.com.