Has anyone ever bought one of those dining tables with a fire pit in the middle?

[Undertheeaves]

We are changing around our garden a bit and replacing ancient garden furniture.

Has anyone ever had one of those dining sets with a fire pit in the middle of the table? I like the idea (for warmth and pretty flames) but I wonder if the reality is that this a faff and uses up valuable table space.

Alternatively has anyone had one of those outdoor tables that rises up from being a coffee table into a dining table? Maybe that's more practical.

It's all so expensive to buy I want to make sure we get the right thing...

Yes. But you can cover the fire (when not being used obviously) to use a full table. And then put them fire on when the plates cleared away and there is enough table room for drinks.

We have a coffee table one that rises, it’s not our main dining space in the garden though. We have a separate area with dining table and chairs, and then we have the coffee table and sofa set with fire pit. I wouldn’t want a fire pit in my dining area, it can be covered but it would be an uneven surface, you wouldn’t want it on when eating. The firepit is used in the evenings when chilling on the sofa, the sofa is too low down for dining. I feel a dining set would feel too formal for fire pit chilling, if that makes sense! So we never raise it.

Yes we have one with the fire pit in the middle. It came with a metal cover for the pit, so you can use it as a dining table, which we do a lot. Then when the table is clear you can move the cover and use the fire pit.
Edited to comment on PP - when covered the surface is not uneven, we had a BBQ yesterday and the table was full of plates, drinks etc with no issues at all.

Surely you'd all just reek of smoke the whole time

No, they’re gas fired.

The little ridge between the cover and the table would annoy me! Plus even though it raises we have low seating, not comfortable for dining in my view, we prefer to have a separate dining area (one that’s closer to the kitchen too, our fire pit area is tucked away in a more secluded area of the garden)

@olivecons we don't even notice the ridge. We love ours and use it all the time for dining and the fire pit. Ours isn't one that raises so the seating height is spot on for the table.

Ours is gas so completely smoke free, I think they all are. You put a gas bottle in the leg of the table and connect it up

We have one. The centre of the table can be lifted out and you can insert a metal BBQ in its place which you can either BBQ or light a fire in. We love it. If you are cooking you can have everyone sitting round the BBQ or if you just want a fire you can light wood in it. We love it. It's great fun when it gets dark and the fire is in the middle of the table.

Not if you keep the fire flaming. The fire only smokes when the wood isn't burning properly. It takes a bit of practise to get the mixture of big and small pieces of wood right to keep the fire flaming and the smoke going up and away.