Terrace Season Is Back. These Four Spots Just Switched It On.

The first decent evening of the year is the city's unofficial starting gun. Between late September and this week, a run of well-loved outdoor spaces switched back on, from a 62nd-floor terrace above Downtown to a hidden garden behind a mall.

Four of them are live on yapped. Here is where the alfresco seats are worth fighting for.

LION in the Sun

Downtown Dubai · The One With the Skyline

LION returned for the season on 25 September, back on the 62nd floor of Mandarin Oriental Downtown. The open-air terrace does what it says on the tin: Burj Khalifa and Downtown skyline views, an open-fire Mediterranean kitchen and a cocktail list that understands the assignment.

Order the open-fire plates, take the terrace seats and accept that you will be photographing the view before the food arrives.

Know before you go: Open daily 6pm to midnight. $$$. Book ahead; the terrace tables go first.

Tattu Dubai

Dubai Marina · The One High Above Everything

Back after a temporary closure, Tattu reopened on Level 74 of Ciel Dubai Marina with its huge cherry blossom installation intact. The headline for terrace season is the Sky Lounge and 360-degree outdoor terrace on Level 81, high enough that the marina looks like a model village.

Go for dinner, then let the evening drift upstairs. The skyline does most of the talking.

Know before you go: Restaurant and bar open Mon-Thu noon to midnight, Fri-Sun noon to 1am. Sky Lounge from 5pm daily. $$$$.

Scalini

Jumeirah 2 · The One With the Lemon Trees

Scalini came back from its makeover with a fresh Mediterranean look, keeping the signature blue and yellow and adding the alfresco terrace dotted with lemon trees at Restaurant Village beside Four Seasons Jumeirah. Old-school Italian glamour, generous plates and tableside theatre, now with the outdoors back in play.

This is a long-lunch terrace first and a dinner terrace second. Plan accordingly.

Know before you go: Open Sun-Thu noon to 11pm, Fri-Sat noon to midnight. $$$$.

HuQQabaz Garden

Mall of the Emirates · The Hidden One

The lush garden terrace behind Mall of the Emirates is back for winter, and it remains one of the stranger, better ideas in Dubai dining: Turkish breakfast under real greenery, premium shisha, theatrical drinks, open 24 hours. The Turkish breakfast runs 8am to 3pm, which is the correct way to spend a Friday that got out of hand.

Take people who have never been and enjoy the reveal.

Know before you go: Open 24/7. $$$. Family seating and a children's play area are separated from the shisha side.

Already Booked Your October?

If you just want a table outside tonight, Amazónico in DIFC and Bar Du Port at Dubai Harbour never closed theirs. The first terrace of the season is a rite of passage; the second is a habit.