Check the table area, not just the café pin
A venue's map pin may mark its entrance rather than its outdoor seating. Look for the actual terrace: street side, courtyard, waterfront or roof. Two seating areas at the same café can have different views of the sky, so they can lose direct sun at different times.
Start with the time you will use it
Decide when you expect to arrive and how long you want to stay. A sunny patch at 11:00 is not evidence for a sunny lunch at 13:00. Move through the whole interval on a building-shadow map and compare the beginning, middle and end.
Outside the tropics, east-facing open space tends to offer morning opportunities and west-facing space afternoon opportunities. Equator-facing exposure can help around midday: south in the Northern Hemisphere, north in the Southern Hemisphere. Nearby buildings can override all these broad tendencies.
Compare two realistic options in the app
- Open Coffee in the Sun and find the venue or address.
- Locate the outdoor seating area as closely as you can.
- Check estimated building shadows for your arrival and departure time.
- Compare another nearby café so you have a fallback.
- Check the weather and whether the venue is open before setting off.
The app calculates building shadows from mapped building data and the sun's position. A bright area on that map means the building model does not shade it; it does not mean the sky is clear or the table is available.
What to check when you arrive
Trees, awnings and terrain are not included in the building-shadow model. Parasols and temporary covers can change the result at a particular table. Sit where you can see the relevant part of the sky and check whether the shadow edge is approaching your seat.
Longer daylight hours also do not guarantee more sun at a terrace hidden by surrounding walls. Compare the actual date, especially if you remember a place from another season.
Make it an easy repeatable habit
Use today's map for an everyday coffee, then compare other dates when planning ahead. The free app includes today's timeline and three time jumps per day; Pro adds unlimited time jumps and other planning features. See the current free and Pro features.
For a short break, follow the sunny lunch checklist. For a longer visit, learn how to check when sunlight reaches a terrace.
