Outdoor dining spots

It’s a beautiful summer day, and a light breeze makes the air comfortable. After spending the morning working in a laboratory, crunching numbers in a cubicle, or bustling about one of Yale’s buildings wielding a wrench or power tool, it’s break time. Grab an iced coffee and sunglasses, and head outside to one of these five lovely campus spots.

Corner of Sachem and Prospect Streets

Complete with several picnic tables and a large Accolade Elm tree that provides some shade, this is the perfect spot to meet a colleague for lunch or chitchat. Set in the shadow of Pauli Murray College and directly across from Ingalls Rink, this roomy green space is an easy stroll from Hillhouse Avenue, Science Hill, Yale Health, the Peabody Museum, and Benjamin Franklin College. Forgot to pack a lunch? Food carts are located just steps away from Ingalls Rink. Calmed by the sound of wind rustling through the leaves of the area’s trees, visitors will feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready for the second half of the workday.

Open daily.
Getting there: Corner of Prospect and Sachem Streets

South Terrace – Science Hill

Just outside the pavilion that connects the Yale Science Building and Kline Tower sits an ample terrace. An ideal spot to enjoy the view, it has plenty of tables and chairs and overlooks Sachem’s Wood, a beautifully landscaped park at the terminus of Hillhouse Avenue. Steep Café is just inside the glass walls and offers coffee, organic teas, smoothies, sandwiches, pastries, and more. Stroll through the verdant park and up some stairs to access this sunny patio. There won’t be much shade at midday, so bring a hat or sunglasses.

Open daily.
Getting there: Yale Science Building, 260 Whitney Avenue

Shen Courtyard

At the center of Edward P. Evans Hall is Shen Courtyard. This quiet outdoor green space, dotted with tables and chairs, is perfect for lunch, a fresh air break, or a team meeting. Surrounded by a glass façade, visitors can see building activities without experiencing the noise of them. The courtyard is adjacent to Charley’s Place, which serves lunch daily, and McNay Café, which features coffee and teas, pastries, fresh fruit, and a variety of sandwiches and snacks.

Open daily via badge access 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Getting there: School of Management; 165 Whitney Avenue

Beinecke Plaza

The bright blue and coral tables and chairs sprinkled about Beinecke Plaza just beneath the library building and in the courtyard are a great space for socializing, relaxing, and people-watching. The seating area is set up under the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library’s south side and in the plaza around the sculpture garden walls. Visitors taking a break can enjoy shady spots near the library building, or those sitting at the sunnier tables can look down and ponder the Isamu Noguchi sculptures representing the earth (pyramid), sun (circle), and chance (cube).

Open seasonally from April to October.
Getting there: 121 Wall Street

Amistad Park – 255 Cedar Street

Amistad Park is a tidy green oasis within a very urban landscape. Its center circular lawn is rimmed with surprisingly comfortable iron benches and mature trees. The park has four access points and is a quiet, peaceful place, despite bordering Washington Avenue and Cedar and Amistad Streets. It is a short walk from the Analyn Center, Sterling Hall of Medicine, and 100 Church Street South. Grab a snack or packed lunch and head over; it’s worth the trip.

Open daily.
Getting there: 255 Cedar Street