Short answer
A pergola is mostly good for the cabinets and complicated for the grill. It keeps rain off, which is the single best thing you can do for stainless, but it sits in the space the grill lid needs and it holds smoke.
The lid clearance problem, again
A grill lid opens up and back through an arc, typically 550 mm above the counter. A pergola beam sits in exactly that space.
Two solutions: put the grill at the end of the run where the pergola stops, or use a grill with a roll-back side-opening lid. Lowering the counter is not a solution — it breaks the module grid.
Smoke and heat under a roof
A solid pergola roof over a grill traps smoke and heat. It also gets hot, and a louvred or slatted roof tends to discolour above the grill position.
This is why the grill usually goes at the open end of the run even when the rest is covered. It is not a compromise; it is the reason the run is arranged that way.
What the pergola does for the cabinets
It keeps rain off, which is the most effective thing you can do for stainless corrosion resistance — more effective than moving from 304 to 316.
It also shades the fridge bay, which is the difference between a fridge that behaves like a fridge and one that runs continuously.
What to decide before the pergola goes up
Where the grill is, and how high the lid arcs. Take the two numbers to whoever is building the pergola. Getting this order wrong is expensive because the pergola is structural and the grill is not.
Also decide the roof material. Solid roof over the cabinets is fine; solid roof directly over the grill is where the problems start.
Measure these before the pergola goes up
Height above the counter, not above the floor
The grill lid needs clearance from the counter surface. A pergola at 2.4 m from the ground is a different number once the counter is 900 mm high.
The roll radius behind the hinge
A lid that lifts and rolls back travels further than its own height. The beam over the grill is usually where that gets forgotten.
Which side is open
Smoke needs one open side. A pergola with two walls and a roof is a smoke trap whatever the grill.
Where the drip line falls
Water off the pergola edge lands on one line. Put it in front of the run, not on the sink module.
The beam height over the walkway
1,000 mm of clear floor behind the grill is the working number; the beam has to clear head height over that strip.
Questions we get about this
Can a grill go under a pergola?
Only if the lid clears the beams. Otherwise put the grill at the open end. A roll-back lid also solves it.
Does a pergola protect the cabinets?
Yes, substantially. Keeping rain off is the single most effective measure for stainless corrosion resistance.
What about a solid roof?
Over the cabinets, good. Directly over the grill, it traps smoke and heat. Most layouts put the grill at the open end.
Before you order anything
Send the grill model and the run length. You get the aperture, the module list and one itemised price back in writing — freight shown separately, valid 15 days.