A patio with tables with a view of a church.

The folks from Fifty/50 Restaurant Group dropped a hefty sum of money on their new steakhouse, and as lush as the interiors of the Alston, there are a few months (or weeks) out of the year when patio dining can feel comfortable in Chicago. Leveraging its sweet Gold Coast location near the corner of Chicago Avenue and State Street, the Alston recently debuted a rare Downtown Chicago terrace patio.

The patio wraps along State Street with a full view of the 149-year-old Holy Name Cathedral as the restaurant sits on the third floor of One Chicago, the luxurious tower that cost about $850 million to build. There aren’t too many terrace patios in downtown, so the Alston had an opportunity. The result is a 100-guest heated space built to withstand Chicago’s falls and winters.

Though ownership sees the terrace as more of a place for a cocktail or glass of wine, they’re not about to squander Jenner Tomaska’s talents. Tomaska is behind Michelin-starred Esme and developed the Alston’s menu. He’s created a special menu exclusive to the patio that leans on seafood with platters of chilled oysters, razor clams, and prawns. There’s caviar service, salads, and escargot service with herbed butter and puff pastry. For those envious of the full menu indoors, they can enjoy a filet mignon Bordelaise or a lobster tourte.

Bubbles factor large with a nice Champagne selection. Patio pounders are fun, even in the Gold Coast, so expect a refined selection of cocktails made for outdoor imbibing, like the “Josephine’s 75” mixed with vodka and grapefruit cordial. What’s the song of the summer? The Alston is offering “Chanel No. 5” with cucumber and yuzu. There’s also a library of rare whiskies for those into brown water.

While the Terrace will be open seven days a week, it will be closed on Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22. Check out the photos below.

The Terrace at The Alston, 750 N. State Street, open 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.