Best Patios for a Summer Evening
7 stops · about 4 hours · Updated October 6, 2026
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A summer evening outdoors in East Lansing, MI can center on sliders, Japanese comfort food, house-made spirits, or beer and pub fare. These seven stops all offer outdoor seating, with menus and service styles that give each a distinct place in the lineup.
Savvy Sliders pairs counter service with freshly made sliders and fried chicken fingers, and allows dogs outside. Udon Sushi Restaurant serves homestyle Japanese dishes, soups, and bubble teas, with listed hours running from 5 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday. Red Cedar Spirits brings in-house vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon, and brandy to cocktails made with fresh fruit, herbs, and homemade ingredients; outside food is permitted.
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For burgers, Crunchy's combines outdoor seating with beer, cocktails, and late-night food. The Peanut Barrel adds an outdoor patio and river views to its burgers and sandwiches. Fiesta Charra offers Mexican food, table service, vegetarian options, and a children's menu, plus reservations and free lot parking. HopCat rounds out the choices with an extensive beer list, creative pub fare, and vegan and vegetarian options. Together, these stops cover counter-service dinners, drinks, and seated meals outdoors in East Lansing, MI.
Patios
evening
Stop 1
Savvy Sliders
4.7(92)East Lansing
Savvy Sliders combines outdoor seating where dogs are allowed with freshly made sliders, fried chicken fingers, vegetarian options, and late-night food.
Stop 2
Udon Sushi Restaurant
4.6(378)East Lansing
Udon Sushi Restaurant offers outdoor seating, homestyle Japanese dishes, soups, and bubble teas, with evening hours extending to midnight Monday through Saturday.
Stop 3
Red Cedar Spirits
4.6(319)East Lansing
Red Cedar Spirits pairs outdoor seating with in-house spirits and cocktails featuring fresh fruit, herbs, and homemade ingredients, while permitting outside food.
Stop 4
Crunchy's
4.5(1714)East Lansing
Crunchy's offers outdoor seating and table service alongside burgers, beer, cocktails, and late-night bites, with long-running weekend karaoke among its attractions.
Beer outside
evening
Stop 5
The Peanut Barrel
4.4(1362)East Lansing
The Peanut Barrel combines an outdoor patio and river views with burgers, sandwiches, beer, cocktails, happy-hour offerings, and late-night food.
Stop 6
Fiesta Charra
4.4(1652)East Lansing
Fiesta Charra brings outdoor seating and table service to Mexican dining, with beer, cocktails, vegetarian options, a children's menu, and accepted reservations.
Stop 7
HopCat
4.4(3316)East Lansing
HopCat combines outdoor seating with an extensive beer list, creative pub fare, vegan and vegetarian options, happy-hour offerings, and late-night food.
