Highland Patios by Opening Hour: 6 Places

Photo: Root Down

Highland patios by opening hour start at Metropolis Coffee, where the counter opens at 7 a.m. and the patio is ready for the first cup. The six places below run in order of the hour they open, from that coffee shop to Root Down Patio's 5 p.m. dinner start on W 33rd Ave, so the time on your phone picks the patio.

Metropolis Coffee is the easy first stop: an unhurried coffee shop brewing coffee and espresso drinks, with a short menu of pastry treats. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1661 Central St, and the outdoor seating works for breakfast, wine or dessert. It is the only place on this page that serves dessert and is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible entrance and accessible seating. The shop's own site describes a welcoming, approachable and reliable coffee experience.

Avanti Food & Beverage stacks a variety of vendors, pizza and sushi among them, inside a bi-level shipping container at 3200 N Pecos St, with a rooftop bar on top. It opens at 7 a.m. every day. It closes at 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 p.m. on Sunday. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the place takes reservations. Coffee, breakfast and beer are all on offer, and the Avanti site names twenty draft beers, classic cocktails and affordably priced wines. Its outdoor seating and rooftop bar make it the stop for a late evening as well as an early start.

Vital Root Patio gives you a choice of two patios at an all-day counter spot, with globally influenced, health-conscious food. Edible Beats places it in a reformed candy factory on historic Tennyson Street, full of plants and natural light, and describes vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free fare. The address is 3915 Tennyson St. Weekdays it runs 10:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., so Saturday and Sunday allow an earlier start. Brunch, breakfast, coffee and beer are served, and free street parking is nearby. Its Google rating of 4.6 of 5 is the highest on the page, a tie with Root Down Patio.

Proto's Pizza Pizzeria Patio is the pick for bubbly thin-crust pies with imaginative topping combinations, served in a bright, industrial room at 2401 15th St. It also pours beer, wine and coffee, and it is the only place on the list that serves cocktails. It opens at 11 a.m. daily. Monday to Thursday and Sunday it closes at 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. More on the pies is on the Proto's site. A weekday lunch fits the 11 a.m. start, while Friday and Saturday leave an hour more for the evening.

El Five Rooftop Terrace is a funky, buzzy top-floor penthouse serving Spanish and Eastern Mediterranean small plates and drinks. Edible Beats describes a large, open-air patio with rooftop views, five floors above LoHi. The address is 2930 Umatilla St Unit #500. It opens at 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and closes at 10 p.m. The restaurant takes reservations, and beer, wine and coffee are on offer. Book ahead for a rooftop table, since reservations are open.

Root Down Patio is a high-energy room with funky art decor at 1600 W 33rd Ave, serving creative American small plates and drinks. Dinner runs daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the patio is seasonal. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the restaurant takes reservations. Edible Beats describes a fresh-from-the-earth menu with seasonal flavors and sustainable sourcing, and mentions bottomless brunch, dinner and happy hour. Weekend brunch is the way in for a daytime visit.

Free street parking is available at Vital Root Patio, Proto's Pizza Pizzeria Patio, El Five Rooftop Terrace and Root Down Patio. Paid street parking is also available at Proto's Pizza Pizzeria Patio, El Five Rooftop Terrace and Root Down Patio. El Five Rooftop Terrace also has valet parking and paid garage parking, which suits a dinner arrival on Umatilla St.

Plan the day in order: coffee at Metropolis, brunch at Avanti or Root Down on the weekend, pizza at Proto's, and dinner at El Five or Root Down.

Updated October 16, 2026: removed the Avanti closing comparisons and the El Five price ranking, and kept every other hour, feature and parking fact as stated.