We are friends with a couple in FL with a similar set-up. Both are in the restaurant biz; one is the head chef at a resort. They set up a raised deck/patio on the kitchen side with a small table and seating and their outdoor kitchen. The main yard near the living room was still used, but they opted for convenience.

Do prevailing winds enter into the equation at all? Will smoke blow into the eating area or into the kitchen more with one placement than with the other? We're out in the country and that was an issue for us.

Good questions --

- For dining, we generally eat indoors, though some folks sit at the patio table on the west side (large groups that generally split up). But if the outdoor kitchen were on the east side and there were a table there, they might sit there...

- We're also organized grillers with not a lot of back & forth.

- The kitchen door is, of course, right there... To get to the west side patio, you can go through the kitchen door and around the house, so two 30-foot stretches plus another 10-feet or so, or go through the house, two straightish 20-foot stretches.

- Another option is to have a 'utility grill' on the east side, but a full outdor kitchen on the west, but that is just so wasteful...

You have a generous space beside your kitchen, but guest flow might work better if the cooking area is in a more open area. People tend to congregate around food making it more difficult for people who have been served to swim upcrowd to the seating area.

I am so jealous (in a good way) of your new outdoor kitchen possibilities. :o) That is the life. Sitting back, enjoying the outdoors... while hubby cooks!

Any other votes?

Sweeby
Lucky you! A good conundrum -

I'm trying to visualize - pics would help
What do you mean by "kitchen" what would it be equipped with? water, refrig, grill? -
If you are just grilling and bringing the food indoors, perhaps the area closest to the kitchen -
But, if you are fully equipped and want the outdoor kitchen to be the congregating place, then the other side.

Gee now I feel like I didn't help at all - but I tried:)

You say it's hot and humid so guests don't normally hang out outside? So in other words you're pretty much just outside to grill. Is serving done inside as well?

If that's the case I'd do it on the east side by the kitchen.

jejvtr asked the questions I would.. and I agree, if the outdoor kitchen will be fully equipped with running water and fridge, then I would create a grand kitchen on the west side. If you are talking basically just a grill and prep area, I would set up outside the kitchen.

I keep two grills-- one gas (for convenience rather than flavor) and one charcoal (for taste and larger events). If you do the same, I wouldnt think setting up both areas wouldnt be all that wasteful-- keep one simple and intimate and deck the other out.

Sweeby: I was reading your post and almost thought you were talking about MY house! Four years ago, we decided to put in a pool, which quickly became not just a pool, but a massive pool w/lots of features, an outdoor cabana with kitchen, fireplace, tv, sound system, etc, and a total transformation of the landscape. Our house is a rambling one story so many of my rooms are enclosed by other rooms.

The kitchen happens to be one of them. The breakfast room with a large opening to the kitchen is on the left side of it. It has a door in there that enters the backyard and a walkway close to the cabana. The back side of the kitchen is our dining room that connects to our den (thru a large opening) The den and dining have a huge bank of windows going across where you see the entire backyard and side yard. Once you get into the den, there is another door that leads to the pool area. Either we go from the kitchen thru the b'fast room and it's door to the outside, or thru the dining room and step down into the den and out its backdoor to get to our cabana.

I love it because it makes people flow thru the house and I entertain a lot like you, many times per year. Walking thru our den, dining or b'fast room is not a problem since I have slate floors w/oriental rugs. We had entertained the idea of building the pool on a different side of the house that was also accesible from the den. The concept that sold us on this location was thru our architect....he said why build all this and not see it from as many rooms as possible? Our master bedroom is like another wing of this house that connects thru a hallway from the den. Its windows/doors are also open to the pool area. We have never regretted the location, never have issues with walking thru rooms, and I, like other posters here, can keep a lot of equipment, etc. in the cabana. It's like having another den/kitchen outside.

Hope this helps.