Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Salinas by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Salinas area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Salinas were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

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Toro Place Cafe

1 / 30

#30. Toro Place Cafe

- Rating: 4.0/5 (231 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 665 Monterey Salinas Hwy Salinas, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American
- Read more on Yelp

The Village Restaurant

2 / 30

#29. The Village Restaurant

- Rating: 4.0/5 (255 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1490 Constitution Blvd. Ste A Salinas, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, French, American
- Read more on Yelp

Dudley's Oldtown

3 / 30

#28. Dudley's Oldtown

- Rating: 4.0/5 (135 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 258 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Burgers, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Michael's Grill & Taqueria

4 / 30

#27. Michael's Grill & Taqueria

- Rating: 4.0/5 (152 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 321 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Ginger Thai Kitchen

5 / 30

#26. Ginger Thai Kitchen

- Rating: 4.0/5 (295 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1104 South Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Mo's River Road Grill

6 / 30

#25. Mo's River Road Grill

- Rating: 4.1/5 (144 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 275 River Road Salinas, California
- Categories: Wine Bars, American, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

Rafael Mexican Grill

7 / 30

#24. Rafael Mexican Grill

- Rating: 4.1/5 (110 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1927 Natividad Road Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican, Bars, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Villa Azteca

8 / 30

#23. Villa Azteca

- Rating: 4.1/5 (687 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 157 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

The Club At Crazy Horse Ranch

9 / 30

#22. The Club At Crazy Horse Ranch

- Rating: 4.1/5 (54 reviews)
- Address: 475 San Juan Grade Road Salinas, California
- Categories: Golf, Venues & Event Spaces, Buffets
- Read more on Yelp

Country Kitchen

10 / 30

#21. Country Kitchen

- Rating: 4.1/5 (195 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 17500 Vierra Canyon Road Prunedale, California
- Categories: Salad, Breakfast & Brunch, American
- Read more on Yelp

The Beerded Bean

11 / 30

#20. The Beerded Bean

- Rating: 4.2/5 (192 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 210 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Cafes, Breweries
- Read more on Yelp

Salad Shoppe

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#19. Salad Shoppe

- Rating: 4.2/5 (186 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1138 South Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Soup, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

Moss Landing Cafe

13 / 30

#18. Moss Landing Cafe

- Rating: 4.2/5 (530 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 421 Moss Landing Road Moss Landing, California
- Categories: American, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

The Growers Pub

14 / 30

#17. The Growers Pub

- Rating: 4.3/5 (458 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 227 Monterey St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Steakhouses, American, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Pastability's

15 / 30

#16. Pastability's

- Rating: 4.3/5 (185 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11 West Acacia St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

First Awakenings

16 / 30

#15. First Awakenings

- Rating: 4.3/5 (974 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 171 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Patria

17 / 30

#14. Patria

- Rating: 4.3/5 (601 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 228 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Italian, Wine Bars, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

La Paloma

18 / 30

#13. La Paloma

- Rating: 4.3/5 (47 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 352 Griffin St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Food Stands
- Read more on Yelp

Avatar Indian Grill

19 / 30

#12. Avatar Indian Grill

- Rating: 4.3/5 (615 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1568 Constitution Blvd. Salinas, California
- Categories: Indian
- Read more on Yelp

Salinas City BBQ

20 / 30

#11. Salinas City BBQ

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1991 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 700 West Market St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Barbecue, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

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El Charrito

21 / 30

#10. El Charrito

- Rating: 4.4/5 (1589 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 122 West Market St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Evil Wings

22 / 30

#9. Evil Wings

- Rating: 4.4/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 1003 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Chicken Wings, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

El Zacatecano

23 / 30

#8. El Zacatecano

- Rating: 4.4/5 (434 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 655 East Alisal St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Haiku Hawaiian BBQ

24 / 30

#7. Haiku Hawaiian BBQ

- Rating: 4.5/5 (150 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1253 North Davis Road Salinas, California
- Categories: Hawaiian, Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp

T & A Cafe Home of Kleinfeldt Family BBQ

25 / 30

#6. T & A Cafe Home of Kleinfeldt Family BBQ

- Rating: 4.5/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1 Harris Road Salinas, California
- Categories: Barbecue, Sandwiches, American
- Read more on Yelp

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El Canaston

26 / 30

#5. El Canaston

- Rating: 4.6/5 (40 reviews)
- Address: 796 Northridge Drive Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Culturas Hidalgo & Oaxaca Restaurant

27 / 30

#4. Culturas Hidalgo & Oaxaca Restaurant

- Rating: 4.6/5 (423 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 473 East Market St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

El Colibri Restaurant and Deli

28 / 30

#3. El Colibri Restaurant and Deli

- Rating: 4.7/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 343 Main St. Salinas, California
- Categories: Burgers, Sandwiches, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Khao San Thai Kitchen

29 / 30

#2. Khao San Thai Kitchen

- Rating: 4.7/5 (143 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1255 North Davis Road Salinas, California
- Categories: Thai, Noodles, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

Prunedale Market

30 / 30

#1. Prunedale Market

- Rating: 4.8/5 (811 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 17515 Orchard Lane Prunedale, California
- Categories: Barbecue, Soup, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.

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