Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City 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.

Cheerleader Pub and Grill - Jeff City

1 / 27

#27. Cheerleader Pub and Grill - Jeff City

- Rating: 3.0/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 1590 Jefferson St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Wraps, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Big Whiskey's American Bar & Restaurant - Jefferson City

2 / 27

#26. Big Whiskey's American Bar & Restaurant - Jefferson City

- Rating: 3.1/5 (115 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 627 West Mccarty St. Ste 1a Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: American
- Read more on Yelp

Colton's Steakhouse & Grill

3 / 27

#25. Colton's Steakhouse & Grill

- Rating: 3.3/5 (61 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2415 Missouri Blvd. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Steakhouses, American, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Madison's Cafe

4 / 27

#24. Madison's Cafe

- Rating: 3.5/5 (155 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 216 Madison St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Italian, American, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Prison Brews

5 / 27

#23. Prison Brews

- Rating: 3.7/5 (315 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 305 Ash St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: American, Pubs, Brewpubs
- Read more on Yelp

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Domenico's Italian Restaurant & Catering

6 / 27

#22. Domenico's Italian Restaurant & Catering

- Rating: 3.7/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3702 West Truman Blvd. Ste 225 Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Italian, Seafood, Steakhouses
- Read more on Yelp

Izzy's Burgers and Shakes

7 / 27

#21. Izzy's Burgers and Shakes

- Rating: 3.8/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 128 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

O'Donoghue's Steaks and Seafood

8 / 27

#20. O'Donoghue's Steaks and Seafood

- Rating: 3.9/5 (66 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 900 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Seafood, Steakhouses, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

Sawaddee Thai Cuisine

9 / 27

#19. Sawaddee Thai Cuisine

- Rating: 3.9/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 103 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Thai, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

Theo's Midtown

10 / 27

#18. Theo's Midtown

- Rating: 4.0/5 (60 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 620 West McCarty St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Pizza, Greek, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

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Mel's Country Cafe

11 / 27

#17. Mel's Country Cafe

- Rating: 4.0/5 (68 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2411 Industrial Drive Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Oscar's Classic Diner

12 / 27

#16. Oscar's Classic Diner

- Rating: 4.0/5 (100 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2118 Schotthill Woods Drive Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Diners
- Read more on Yelp

Arris' Pizza

13 / 27

#15. Arris' Pizza

- Rating: 4.0/5 (121 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 117 West High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Pizza, Salad, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Das Steinhaus

14 / 27

#14. Das Steinhaus

- Rating: 4.1/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1436 Southridge Drive Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: German, Beer Bar, Karaoke
- Read more on Yelp

West Main Pizza

15 / 27

#13. West Main Pizza

- Rating: 4.1/5 (72 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1931 West Main St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

Sweet Smoke BBQ

16 / 27

#12. Sweet Smoke BBQ

- Rating: 4.2/5 (47 reviews)
- Address: 3530 Country Club Drive Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp

Dukes On The Blvd

17 / 27

#11. Dukes On The Blvd

- Rating: 4.3/5 (62 reviews)
- Address: 2125 Missouri Blvd. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: New American, Burgers, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

The Grand Cafe

18 / 27

#10. The Grand Cafe

- Rating: 4.3/5 (170 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 107 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

Towne Grill

19 / 27

#9. Towne Grill

- Rating: 4.3/5 (80 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 315 Jefferson St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

Yanis Coffee Zone

20 / 27

#8. Yanis Coffee Zone

- Rating: 4.4/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 130 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Middle Eastern
- Read more on Yelp

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Pita Pit

21 / 27

#7. Pita Pit

- Rating: 4.4/5 (23 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2727 West Edgewood Ste 102 Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Fast food, Sandwiches, Mediterranean
- Read more on Yelp

Paddy Malone's Irish Pub

22 / 27

#6. Paddy Malone's Irish Pub

- Rating: 4.4/5 (145 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 700 West Main St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Pubs, Irish
- Read more on Yelp

High Rise Bakery

23 / 27

#5. High Rise Bakery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (88 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 118 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp

Pizza Underground

24 / 27

#4. Pizza Underground

- Rating: 4.5/5 (47 reviews)
- Address: 202 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Salad, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Sweet Smoke BBQ - Downtown

25 / 27

#3. Sweet Smoke BBQ - Downtown

- Rating: 4.6/5 (176 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 127 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp

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The Curry N Grill

26 / 27

#2. The Curry N Grill

- Rating: 4.6/5 (73 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 512 Ellis Blvd. Unit U Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Indian, Barbecue, Vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp

JQ's On High

27 / 27

#1. JQ's On High

- Rating: 4.8/5 (92 reviews)
- Address: 911 East High St. Jefferson City, Missouri
- Categories: Barbecue, American, Burgers
- 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.