One of the many awesome things about summer is that you don’t have to choose between fine cuisine and maintaining your homeostasis. You can have your view and eat too — and we suggest you do so soon; the warm fresh air will turn crisp faster than we care to think about.

Here are our picks for eight of the best spots for outdoor dining around Greater Boston.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in Seaport
The deck at Del Frisco's showcases a view of the water.
Courtesy of Del Frisco's

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, Seaport District

If you haven’t been to my favorite steakhouse in the city, you should fix that. While the trendy vibe is a little flashy, the taste can back it up. The onion rings come thick as donuts in a towering pile, the lobster tails look like they belong to sea monsters and the bone-in wagyu is big enough to split, but rich enough that you won’t want to. And if all that isn’t enough to tempt you, then the waterfront patio with spectacular views of the Seaport harbor should do the trick.

250 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-951-1368, delfriscos.com/steakhouse/boston

Also featured in Five Of Our Favorite Boston Seaport Restaurants.

 Eastern Standard Kitchen in Kenmore Square
The patio area at Eastern Standard Kitchen in Boston's Kenmore Square.
Nicole Fleming

Eastern Standard Kitchen, Kenmore Square

The Kenmore Square restaurant, called a “perfect restaurant” by the former Boston Globe food critic, boasts patio seating — a fluid outdoor extension of the dining room, really — near enough to Fenway that you can feel the excitement, but not so much that you feel trapped in the chaos. Pro-tip: Their non-alcoholic cocktails deserve just as much love as their boozy ones.

528 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-532-9100, easternstandardboston.com

Also featured in It's A Flip! It's A Fizz! It's The Egg Cocktail!.

The Beehive in South End
The patio area of the Beehive on Tremont Street in Boston's South End.
Courtesy of the Beehive

The Beehive, South End

The Tremont Street patio of this brazenly bohemian staple is well-suited for people-watching, with music and art as popular as its food. (A restaurant that wins Boston Magazine’s “Best Pick-Up Bar” and “Best Kid-Friendly Brunch” awards in the same year is bound to be interesting.) Special attention is given to the weekend jazz brunches, which I wrote about last December.

541 Tremont St., Boston, 617-423-0069, beehiveboston.com

Area Four in Kendall Square
The exterior patio of Area Four in Kendall Square in Cambridge.
Courtesy of Area Four

Area Four, Kendall Square

Comfort food doesn’t get much more classic than pizza and coffee, and Area Four has received enough praise on both accounts to fill every food blog in town. The vibe is very MIT, which is to say sleek and creative and at the top of its game. If the pizza fills you up and the coffee doesn’t wake you up, lay on the green adjacent to the patio and be appreciative of the wonderful culinary scene that has sprouted up around the nuclear generator of weirdness that is MIT.

500 Technology Sq., Cambridge, 617-758-4444, areafour.com

Branch Line in Watertown
The patio at Branch Line in Watertown.
Melissa Ostrow

Branch Line, Watertown

The only thing better than chicken from the Branch Line rotisserie experts is that same meal in a picnic-type experience, complete with a Bocce court and perennial garden. The Watertown Arsenal is only getting prettier… and yummier. So very yummy.

321 Arsenal St., Watertown, 617-420-1900, branchlinearsenal.com

Also featured in Here Are Five Chicken Soups To Help Fight Off Colds.

Pier 6 in Charlestown
The patio of Pier 6 in Charlestown.
Brian Samuels

Pier 6, Charlestown

The recently renovated seafood restaurant in Charlestown has a breathtaking panoramic view of the waterfront and the Boston skyline. Cool down with some Island Creek oysters and summery drinks while an ocean breeze drifts by one of the two outdoor dining options: a rooftop deck and a downstairs deck/patio.

1 Eighth St., Charlestown, 617-337-0054, pier6boston.com

Russell House in Harvard Square
The outdoor dining at Russell House Tavern in Cambridge's iconic Harvard Square.
Nicole Fleming

Russell House Tavern, Harvard Square

The Harvard Square area is full of culinary talent but Russell House may top my list. Tucked just enough off the street to have your own sense of space, the red brick outdoor terrace is great for a date night. And so is the menu, which ranges from top-notch executions of burgers, steak frites and slow-cooked chicken to escargots and frog legs for the more adventurous.

14 JFK St., Cambridge, 617-500-3055, russellhousecambridge.com

Alma Nove in Hingham
The patio of Alma Nove overlooks the Hingham Harbor.
Nicole Fleming

Alma Nove, Hingham

This South Shore gem is not a celebrity-owned restaurant. It is an excellent restaurant that happens to be owned by a celebrity — one of the Wahlberg brothers, in case you’re wondering, but it really doesn’t matter. There is nothing about this place that’s skating by on hype. The restaurant is framed by walls of glass and accompanied by a sprawling patio with romantic fire pits, all overlooking the picturesque Hingham Harbor.

22 Shipyard Drive, Hingham, 781-749-3353, almanovehingham.com