Galley Outdoor Kitchen Ideas & Layouts

A galley outdoor kitchen is an outdoor kitchen layout of two parallel runs facing each other across a working aisle - often a cook line against the house wall and a freestanding prep or serving run opposite. It doubles counter space without making either run longer and cleanly separates hot work from prep. It needs about 8 to 8.5 ft of depth: two 27 in runs plus a 42 to 48 in aisle.

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Galley outdoor kitchen designs

Is it right for you

Who a galley layout suits

  • Rectangular patios and covered porches, especially between the house wall and a seating area.
  • Two cooks: one grills on the hot line, one preps and serves across the aisle.
  • Serious cooks who want a lot of counter in a short length.
  • Spaces where a single run would have to be impractically long to fit everything.

Planning

How much space a galley outdoor kitchen needs

Each run is usually 7 to 10 ft long and, in the SKOL360 system, about 27 in deep.

Between the runs, NKBA guidance calls for a 42 in aisle for one cook and 48 in for two. If the aisle is also the path people use to cross the patio, widen it to 54 to 60 in so someone can pass behind the cook. That puts the total depth at about 8 to 8.5 ft for a working galley and 9 to 9.5 ft for a pass-through one.

Typical runs
7-10 ft each
Aisle between runs
42 in (one cook) - 48 in (two)
Aisle if it is also a walkway
54-60 in
Total depth
about 8-9.5 ft
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Trade-offs

Galley outdoor kitchen pros and cons

Pros

  • The most counter in the shortest length - two runs instead of one long one.
  • Clean separation of hot work from prep, cold and wet zones.
  • Every station is a turn away, so the cook walks very little.
  • The second run can face the seating as a serving counter or bar.

Cons

  • Anyone crossing through the aisle walks straight through the cook zone.
  • Utilities may be needed on both runs (gas on one, water and power on the other).
  • Too narrow an aisle feels like a corridor and crowds two cooks; too wide and you are walking between stations.
  • Guests are on the outside of the work zone rather than gathered around it.

Get it right

Planning tips for a galley layout

  1. Put the hot line (grill, side burner) on one run and the cold and wet zones (refrigerator, sink) on the other, so prep and cooking face each other.
  2. Line up open counter opposite the grill rather than the sink, so the cook can turn and set food down.
  3. Keep the aisle at 42 in or more - 48 in for two cooks, 54 to 60 in if it doubles as the path across the patio.
  4. If the run opposite the grill is freestanding, face its back toward the seating and extend its countertop in the designer to turn it into a bar.

Compare

When another layout is a better fit

L-Shaped outdoor kitchens →

Your space is square rather than rectangular, or you do not want traffic crossing the work zone.

Linear outdoor kitchens →

One person does most of the cooking and you only need one run of counter.

U-Shaped outdoor kitchens →

You want to close one end of the galley into a third run for even more counter and seating.

Questions

Galley outdoor kitchens, answered

How wide should the aisle in a galley outdoor kitchen be?
At least 42 in for one cook and 48 in for two, measured between the counter fronts. If people use the aisle to cross the patio, make it 54 to 60 in so they can pass behind the cook.
What goes on each side of a galley outdoor kitchen?
Usually the hot line - grill and side burner - on one side, and the refrigerator, sink and main prep counter on the other. The cook preps facing the grill and turns around to cook.
Galley or L-shaped outdoor kitchen?
Choose a galley for a rectangular space, for two cooks, or when you want the most counter in the least length. Choose an L-shape for a square corner, or when you would rather keep foot traffic out of the work zone entirely.

Explore

More to explore

Island outdoor kitchens →

An outdoor kitchen island is a freestanding run you can place anywhere - center of a patio, edge of a pool, or off the back of the house.

Small outdoor kitchens →

A small outdoor kitchen proves you do not need a big yard to cook outside.

All outdoor kitchen ideas

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The modular system

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Design from scratch

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Clearances follow the NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines; footprints are worked out from SKOL360 module sizes. Last updated .

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