Ah, spring! It’s 80 degrees in the sun — then the breezes kick in or the marine layer comes by and your alfresco meal suddenly turns frigid. Try one of L.A.’s winsome hidden patios, those outdoor dining areas that are open to the sky and light but tucked within protective walls. Some are fancy (Lucques’ gauzily tented courtyard), while some are homey (Library Alehouse’s fresh ‘n cozy rear patio). All are inviting at this time of year.

Lucques

Suzanne Goin’s now-classic restaurant is a pitch-perfect spot for a quiet celebration, so as we move into spring birthdays and graduations and Mother’s Days and so on, don’t forget to book a celebratory lunch on the patio. Patio? It’s another world, an inner courtyard that’s like some kind of minimalist casbah, where the light flatters every face and the staff soothes every soul.

8474 Melrose Ave., Melrose, 323.655.6277, lucques.com

Street

In a completely different mood, Street’s patio is about bright colors and the urban concrete garden. It’s a place where you can wear black in the afternoon without looking too serious. You can linger outdoors without feeling left out as night — and the happy hourers — come in, because the patio is at the heart of the  place. The menu concept is appealing, of course — global finger/street-food noshes— but beware sticker shock after a mad romp through the small plates menu. There are lots of fun cake and coffee options, too, as well as terrific and reasonably priced wines.

742 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323.203. 0500, eatatstreet.com

Library Alehouse

Even with a “Patio Dining” sign hanging outside the front entrance, Library Alehouse’s patio is a surprise for folks from outside the Ocean Park neighborhood. You peer in the front windows and see a friendly crowd gathering in the tiny front room and check out the menu and say to yourself “gastropub,” and that’s not a bad thing. But make the mini-trek past the kitchen and down the passageway and you’re in a light but cozy back patio that’s really the place you want to be if you’re gathering with friends for some conversation or noshing with kids (like the locals do in the late afternoon) or quietly nursing one of the 30 beers on tap while you read a book. The extensive menu offers beer-friendly choices for snacking, dining and even dessert. And you can reserve the whole patio for parties.

2911 Main St., Santa Monica, 310.314.4855, libraryalehouse.com

Tender Greens Hollywood

It’s bigger than its sister locations, and the new Sunset Tender Greens location makes it a swell place for moviegoers, so there’s an atmosphere that one online reviewer aptly (and approvingly) pegged as “modern cafeteria.” But that doesn’t mean you have to sit indoors, which is a good thing in the middle of an office day or after a weekend matinee. The 1,200-square-foot patio’s out back, and it has low walls on three sides with no roof or overhang,  so you get plenty of sky with your cityscape of surrounding buildings. If you’re a fan of this local chain’s straight-from-the-farm salads, just keep your sunscreen handy.

6290 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323.382.0380, tendergreensfood.com