For some restaurants, the setting is as much the point as the food. These seven in our directory are worth choosing for the room.
Portland City Grill, Portland, Oregon
Portland City Grill sits on the 30th floor at 111 SW 5th Avenue with a 360-degree view of the skyline and, on clear days, the Cascades. The kitchen cooks steaks and seafood with Northwest, island and Asian influences and offers sushi. Typical spending is about $31 to $50 per person.
Felix's Fish Camp, Spanish Fort, Alabama
Felix's Fish Camp overlooks Mobile Bay with a rustic fish-camp feel. It is best known for crab soup, and the One-One-One sampler lets you try gumbo, crab soup and turtle soup together.
San Tan Flat, Queen Creek, Arizona
San Tan Flat is styled like an old western mining camp, with a courtyard open to the sky, campfires, museum-quality western artifacts and a covered stage for live country music. It sells s'mores kits for the fire pits.
Olive & Ivy, Scottsdale, Arizona
Olive & Ivy pairs a sunlit patio with Mediterranean-inspired cooking and a marketplace, serving breakfast through dinner.
Casey Moore's Oyster House, Tempe, Arizona
Casey Moore's Oyster House occupies a 1910 house and is known for its patio and its ghost stories.
Cafe Bassam, San Diego, California
Cafe Bassam looks like a small Victorian museum, with ornate mirrors, vintage rifles and antique furniture. You do not pay until you walk out the door, which encourages people to sit and relax.
Lambert's Café, Ozark, Missouri
Lambert's Café is the restaurant where servers throw hot rolls across the dining room, and staff walk the room with pans of side dishes. It is the reason the Ozark restaurant turns up on road-trip lists.
Picking one
- Celebration: Portland City Grill.
- Families: Lambert's Café and San Tan Flat.
- A quiet afternoon: Cafe Bassam.
Practical notes
- Portland City Grill has been listed Sunday to Tuesday 4 PM to 9 PM, Wednesday 11:30 AM to 9 PM, Thursday and Friday 11:30 AM to 10 PM and Saturday 4 PM to 10 PM; phone (503) 450-0030. A virtual tour on its website shows the views and the menu before you book.
- Olive & Ivy is listed 7 AM to 10 PM Monday to Thursday and Sunday and 7 AM to 11 PM Friday and Saturday; phone (480) 751-2200. Private events can be arranged.
- San Tan Flat is listed 11 AM to 10 PM Monday to Thursday and Sunday and 11 AM to 11 PM Friday and Saturday; phone (480) 882-2995.
- Felix's Fish Camp: call (251) 626-6710 to confirm hours.
- Lambert's Café and Casey Moore's: call ahead for current hours (Lambert's 417-581-7655, Casey Moore's (480) 968-9935).
When to go
View-driven restaurants reward timing. Portland City Grill is best on a clear evening, Felix's near sunset on the bay, and San Tan Flat on a cool Arizona night when the campfires and stage are in use. Lambert's is a daytime restaurant for families, and Cafe Bassam suits a slow afternoon.
Hours, menus and prices change. Each restaurant page lists the phone number we have; call ahead before a long drive, especially on holidays.