Apatio[a] (Spanish for 'courtyard, forecourt, yard, little garden') is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved.[3] InAustralia, the term is expanded to include roofed structures such as averanda, which providesprotection fromsun andrain.[4]
Patios are most commonly paved withconcrete or stone slabs (also known as paving flags). They can also be created usingbricks,block paving,tiles,cobbles orgravel. Other kinds of patio materials these days include alumawood,aluminum,acrylic and glass. Other options includeconcrete,stamped concrete, andaggregate concrete.
Patio is also a general term used for outdoor seating at restaurants, especially inCanadian English. While common in Europe even before 1900, eating outdoors at restaurants in North America was exotic until the 1940s. TheHotel St. Moritz in New York in the 1950s advertised itself as having the first true continental cafe with outdoor seating. TheToronto Star welcomed that city's first patio in the 1960s. In the United States, having a warmer and sunnier climate than Northern Europe, outdoor dining grew rapidly in the 1960s and today is a popular dining experience in the warmer parts of the mainland.[5]
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