Patio dining and airy spaces in Milwaukee for when the weather is less than stellar

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Look, we've got about a minute and a half before it's winter again. The name of the game is maximizing our outdoor time.

Maybe it's drizzly, or chilly. Is that a reason not to sit on the patio? No, of course not. We made it through winter, we can make it through a less-than-summery summer day. It happens; this is Wisconsin.

Many restaurants and bars have portable heaters for their patios, so chilly isn't a worry, really. The rain, though.

Here are a few of the patios than can offer varying degrees of protection. No guarantees if it's raining sideways.

Motor Bar and Restaurant

An overhang provides a bit of shelter outside Motor Restaurant and Bar at the Harley-Davidson Museum, 401 W. Canal St.

Dining tables get a bit of protection under a sheltered overhang, where you'll have a view of the waterway and pedestrians and bicyclists on the Hank Aaron Trail at the museum's edge. For more protection, just duck inside the restaurant's open overhead doors. The restaurant makes a very good burger, by the way. 401 W. Canal St., at the Harley-Davidson Museum; motorrestaurant.com.

Cafe India Bar & Grille

We can argue whether a wrap is a sandwich, but there's no argument that the kathi roll is tasty — Indian flatbread filled with a choice of kebab meat, eggs and vegetables. Enjoy it on the enclosed (and, if need be, heated) patio. 2201 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View; cafeindiamke.us.

Ale Asylum Riverhouse

The bar-restaurant that carries beers from the Madison brewery and serves a pub menu has a covered deck that overlooks the Milwaukee River. 1110 N. Old World 3rd St.; riverhousemke.com.

Palmer's Steakhouse

An overhang shelters tables, and curtains come down when the raindrops do on the deck, perched near the Bark River. You can listen to the water flowing past while you dine on steaks and chops. 122 E. Capitol Drive, Hartland, palmerssteakhouse.com

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Not patios per se, but some restaurants can feel like a veranda once the overhead doors are rolled open. A few especially airy examples:

BelAir Cantina

With garage doors at the front and back of the building, this location of the local Mexi-Cali chain is aces at catching cross-breezes. 6817 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa; belaircantina.com.

DiModa Pizza

This pizza, pasta and sandwich spot that moved into the former home of Trocadero last year feels particularly open in the glassy portion of the building, even more so when the garage door rolls up. A counter for diners is at the pizza oven there. Note that the restaurant has a patio menu for dogs who dine with their people on the open-air patio. 1758 N. Water St., dimodapizza.com.

Colectivo Cafe

Diana Mason (left) and Rachel Wise enjoy the view and warm weather through the open window Tuesday while having lunch at Colectivo Coffee Roasters on East Saint Paul Avenue in the Historic Third Ward. Now that the weather is getting better, downtown workers are taking their lunch outside.

Two of the Milwaukee coffee roaster's cafes in particular can make you feel like you're sitting in the open air, but for the roof over head. 6745 W. Wells St., Wauwatosa, and 223 E. St. Paul Ave., in the Third Ward; colectivocoffee.com.