Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Jacksonville, North Carolina 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 Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville 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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Hakata Japanese Steak & Seafood House

1 / 26

#26. Hakata Japanese Steak & Seafood House

- Rating: 3.7/5 (140 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2553 Onslow Drive Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Little China

2 / 26

#25. Little China

- Rating: 3.7/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 521 Yopp Road Ste 115 Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Port City Java

3 / 26

#24. Port City Java

- Rating: 3.8/5 (70 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 102 Marine Blvd. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Cafes, Coffee & Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

Eggs Up Grill

4 / 26

#23. Eggs Up Grill

- Rating: 3.9/5 (31 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2457 Gum Branch Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Lil' Jamaica Sports Bar and Grill

5 / 26

#22. Lil' Jamaica Sports Bar and Grill

- Rating: 3.9/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1501 Lejeune Blvd. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Sports Bars, Desserts, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Chicano Street Kitchen

6 / 26

#21. Chicano Street Kitchen

- Rating: 4.0/5 (45 reviews)
- Address: 720 Court St. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Diners, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

First Watch

7 / 26

#20. First Watch

- Rating: 4.0/5 (159 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1631 Western Blvd. Ste 200 Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Cafes, American
- Read more on Yelp

Ducks Grille & Bar

8 / 26

#19. Ducks Grille & Bar

- Rating: 4.0/5 (357 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1207 Gum Branch Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: American, Seafood, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Blend Cafe

9 / 26

#18. Blend Cafe

- Rating: 4.0/5 (83 reviews)
- Address: 109 Marine Blvd. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Acai Bowls, Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

10 / 26

#17. Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

- Rating: 4.2/5 (88 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1101 Gum Branch Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Chicken Shop, American
- Read more on Yelp

Peno Mediterranean Grill

11 / 26

#16. Peno Mediterranean Grill

- Rating: 4.2/5 (155 reviews)
- Address: 3494 Western Blvd. 100 Ste 10 Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Mediterranean
- Read more on Yelp

Yakitori House Restaurant

12 / 26

#15. Yakitori House Restaurant

- Rating: 4.2/5 (128 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 208 Brynn Marr Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Japanese
- Read more on Yelp

Cajun Seafood

13 / 26

#14. Cajun Seafood

- Rating: 4.3/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1133 Gum Branch Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Cajun/Creole, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

The Milk Road

14 / 26

#13. The Milk Road

- Rating: 4.3/5 (183 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4240 Gum Branch Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Waffles, Coffee Roasteries
- Read more on Yelp

Abruzzo's Pizza at Carolina Forest

15 / 26

#12. Abruzzo's Pizza at Carolina Forest

- Rating: 4.3/5 (99 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4200 Western Blvd. Ste 140 Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Plaza del Mariachi

16 / 26

#11. Plaza del Mariachi

- Rating: 4.4/5 (266 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 101 Parkwood Drive Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Mexican, Seafood, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Marrakesh

17 / 26

#10. Marrakesh

- Rating: 4.5/5 (651 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 463 Western Blvd. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Turkish, Mediterranean
- Read more on Yelp

Southern Harvest Soul Food

18 / 26

#9. Southern Harvest Soul Food

- Rating: 4.6/5 (101 reviews)
- Address: 2355 Western Blvd. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Soul Food
- Read more on Yelp

Abruzzo's Pizza

19 / 26

#8. Abruzzo's Pizza

- Rating: 4.6/5 (182 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 75-2 Balsam Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

Jeff's Burgers Dogs & Shakes

20 / 26

#7. Jeff's Burgers Dogs & Shakes

- Rating: 4.6/5 (149 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2550 Onslow Drive Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Burgers, American, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Casa Mia Pizzeria

21 / 26

#6. Casa Mia Pizzeria

- Rating: 4.6/5 (77 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2200 Gum Branch Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Pasta Shops
- Read more on Yelp

Lil Bean Cafe

22 / 26

#5. Lil Bean Cafe

- Rating: 4.6/5 (36 reviews)
- Address: 1000 New Bridge St. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Muddy's

23 / 26

#4. Muddy's

- Rating: 4.6/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2040 Wilmington Hwy Ste 2 Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Sandwiches, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Pollos Tete

24 / 26

#3. Pollos Tete

- Rating: 4.6/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 222 Brynn Marr Road Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Peruvian
- Read more on Yelp

Chicken Salad Chick

25 / 26

#2. Chicken Salad Chick

- Rating: 4.7/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 1006 Hampton Inn Way Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Sandwiches, Southern, Chicken Shop
- Read more on Yelp

Lime & Lemon Fusion Grill & Bar - Jacksonville

26 / 26

#1. Lime & Lemon Fusion Grill & Bar - Jacksonville

- Rating: 4.7/5 (78 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1016 Jacksonville Pkwy Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Categories: Indian, Asian Fusion, Seafood
- 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.