Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Carbondale 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 Carbondale 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 Carbondale 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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Tres Hombres

1 / 25

#25. Tres Hombres

- Rating: 2.9/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 119 North Washington St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Mexican, Bars, Tex-Mex
- Read more on Yelp

Walker's Bluff

2 / 25

#24. Walker's Bluff

- Rating: 2.9/5 (104 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 326 Vermont Road Carterville, Illinois
- Categories: American, Wine Tasting Room, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Fujiyama Japanese Steakhouse

3 / 25

#23. Fujiyama Japanese Steakhouse

- Rating: 3.1/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 225 North Giant City Road Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Japanese, Steakhouses, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Italian Village

4 / 25

#22. Italian Village

- Rating: 3.1/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 405 South Washington St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Martel's Pizza

5 / 25

#21. Martel's Pizza

- Rating: 3.3/5 (31 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 706 Walnut St. Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

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Don Taco

6 / 25

#20. Don Taco

- Rating: 3.3/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 780 East Grand Ave. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Global Gourmet

7 / 25

#19. Global Gourmet

- Rating: 3.6/5 (84 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 102 East Jackson St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

Pita Alley

8 / 25

#18. Pita Alley

- Rating: 3.7/5 (71 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1711 West Main St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Mediterranean, Pizza, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Flame Grill & Bar

9 / 25

#17. Flame Grill & Bar

- Rating: 3.7/5 (129 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 501 East Walnut St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: New American, Steakhouses
- Read more on Yelp

Dale's Burger Shack

10 / 25

#16. Dale's Burger Shack

- Rating: 3.8/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1709 West Main St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

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Sunny Street Cafe

11 / 25

#15. Sunny Street Cafe

- Rating: 3.9/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 900 East Walnut St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

17th Street Barbecue

12 / 25

#14. 17th Street Barbecue

- Rating: 3.9/5 (256 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 32 North 17th St. Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Barbecue, American
- Read more on Yelp

Common Grounds Coffeehouse

13 / 25

#13. Common Grounds Coffeehouse

- Rating: 4.0/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 600 East Grand Ave. Ste 6 Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Don Sol

14 / 25

#12. Don Sol

- Rating: 4.0/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 715 North Giant City Road Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Underground Public House

15 / 25

#11. Underground Public House

- Rating: 4.1/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 717 South University Ave. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: American, Gastropubs
- Read more on Yelp

PK's

16 / 25

#10. PK's

- Rating: 4.1/5 (39 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 308 South Illinois Ave. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Dive Bars, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Midland Inn

17 / 25

#9. Midland Inn

- Rating: 4.1/5 (68 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7570 Old Hwy 13 Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp

Neighborhood Co-op Grocery

18 / 25

#8. Neighborhood Co-op Grocery

- Rating: 4.2/5 (33 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1815 West Main St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Bakeries, Grocery, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

Cummares

19 / 25

#7. Cummares

- Rating: 4.2/5 (70 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1023 Chestnut St. Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Salad, Beer Bar, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Hunan Restaurant

20 / 25

#6. Hunan Restaurant

- Rating: 4.2/5 (120 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 710 East Main St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Faye

21 / 25

#5. Faye

- Rating: 4.3/5 (33 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1616 Walnut St. Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

Blend Tea & Crepe Lounge

22 / 25

#4. Blend Tea & Crepe Lounge

- Rating: 4.3/5 (68 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 719 South University Ave. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Branch Cafe & Market

23 / 25

#3. Branch Cafe & Market

- Rating: 4.4/5 (206 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 100 East Jackson St. Carbondale, Illinois
- Categories: Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

El Jalisco

24 / 25

#2. El Jalisco

- Rating: 4.4/5 (59 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 501 North 14th St. Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Pat's BBQ & Catering

25 / 25

#1. Pat's BBQ & Catering

- Rating: 4.9/5 (22 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 111 Tower Rock Lane Murphysboro, Illinois
- Categories: Barbecue
- 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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