Your dog deserves the best. That’s why you pamper him with knock-off Ugg snow booties and a memory-foam Casper bed. So naturally, you shouldn’t have to leave him at home when you go out to eat. With the weather finally warming up, there are plenty of great patios and sidewalk cafés where your pup is totally welcome. Here, the best spots to dine with your best bud.
11 Great Places to Eat Outside with Your Dog in NYC
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Published May 15, 2019
Hannah Loewentheil
Veselka
Veselka is one of those restaurants that we can rely on for just about any situation. Impromptu Sunday brunch with friends? Check. Pierogis and potato latkes at 3 a.m.? Check. Solo dinner with your dog? Yep—there’s wraparound sidewalk seating for when you want your dog to join in on the fun. This spot turns tables fairly quickly, so you usually won’t have to wait longer than about 20 minutes to snag one of those coveted outdoor seats. P.S.: Make sure to inquire about the homemade dog bones at the pick-up counter.
144 Second Ave.; veselka.com
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Saveur
Boat Basin Café
A trip to this Upper West Side institution feels like an escape from the city. Overlooking the Hudson River and marina, it’s a great spot for a relaxed group get-together. The food is your standard pub fare (think loaded nachos, salads, burgers), but it’s worth a trip for the cocktails, live music and great views…especially around sunset. Plus, there’s plenty of room for your dog to run around and breathe in the fresh ocean river air.
W. 79th St. at Hudson River; boatbasincafe.com
Lily Brown/Courtesy of Brooklyn Cider House
Brooklyn Cider House
This Bushwick cidery, bar and restaurant is one of our favorite places for a unique dining experience, and the fact that you can bring your dog makes it even better. At this Basque-style cider house, you can order food à la carte or pop by for drinks, but we happen to love the tasting menu: three family-style courses and two pours of the homemade dry ciders. You can enjoy a whole meal on the back patio, which is full of picnic benches, umbrellas, string lights and—more often than not—canine companions.
1100 Flushing Ave., Brooklyn; brooklynciderhouse.com
Evelina
Are you the type of person who prefers date night with the dog around? If so, this adorable Fort Greene eatery is for you. There’s a spacious sidewalk seating area with space for your pup to lounge on the ground while you and your (human) date share Mediterranean plates like crispy tempura soft-shell crab and airy whipped ricotta with focaccia. Brunch is also delightful here, especially when the avocado toast with Dungeness crab and runny poached egg is on the menu.
211 Dekalb Ave., Brooklyn; evelinabk.com
Courtesy of Cafe Clover
Café Clover
The best kind of weekend brunch involves your doggo, and for that, there’s Café Clover. Set on a quiet corner in the West Village, the sidewalk seating is prime people-watching real estate. With its long list of dishes that are just begging to be Instagrammed, this farm-to-table eatery feels like it belongs in Los Angeles. And while we never expected to order lavender waffles with honey ricotta or poached eggs with spaghetti squash latkes and smoked salmon, we’re very glad these things exist.
10 Downing St.; cafeclovernyc.com
Extra Fancy
For a taste of New England by way of Brooklyn, grab your pup and head to this casual Williamsburg seafood spot. The backyard is particularly enjoyable on summer days when you can eat Baja-style fish tacos, clam chowder and happy-hour oysters alfresco. Thanks to the large list of beer-and-shot combos, ciders and cocktails, it’s easy to spend an entire afternoon here without realizing where the time has gone.
302 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn; extrafancybklyn.com
Pig Beach
If you’re searching for somewhere to while away an entire Saturday with your pup, look no further than this Gowanus eatery. On any weekend afternoon, you’re guaranteed to see a minimum of three dog birthday parties going on (yes, you read that right). There’s a huge outdoor patio, frosé and a full barbecue menu featuring items like brisket and mac and cheese.
480 Union St., Brooklyn; pigbeachnyc.com
Courtesy of Esperanto
Esperanto
With its great vibes and solid Latin fusion food, Esperanto is an ideal place to sit outside on a breezy summer night with a refreshing caipirinha, a plate of ceviche and your beloved Frenchie, of course. There’s plenty of sidewalk seating, and thanks to its low-traffic location on Avenue C, you can enjoy your meal in relative peace and quiet (for New York, anyway). We should probably mention the restaurant also offers a bottomless brunch on weekends and live music on Friday nights.
145 Ave. C; esperantonyc.com
Lavender Lake
From the looks of it, this bar with a sprawling back patio seems like a great spot to spend a few hours with the help of a house cocktail or two. But below the surface, this sunny Gowanus spot also serves great food. There’s nothing fancy about this place, but when you’re craving comfort food, the fried calamari, duck carnitas nachos and fried chicken sandwich with slaw and aioli always hit the spot.
383 Carroll St., Brooklyn; lavenderlake.com
Crave Fishbar
Nothing gets us out of the office faster than a good happy hour. Crave Fishbar offers $1 oysters every day of the week (weekends included), and thanks to the cute outdoor seating area, your pup can tag along. Stop by for a platter of East and West Coast oysters with a glass of rosé, or stick around for a whole meal. The squid ink spaghetti with shrimp and the crispy grilled octopus with mustard vinaigrette are always staples on our table.
428 Amsterdam Ave.; 646-895-9585
Rosemary's
Every now and then, you need a spot to enjoy a bowl of spaghetti with your dog, and while reenacting that Lady and the Tramp scene would probably be weird, you can still grab a dog-friendly sidewalk table at this Italian eatery where many of the herbs and produce on the menu are grown on the restaurant’s own urban rooftop farm. You may be sitting on the corner of Greenwich Avenue, but with a bowl of yolky carbonara and an Aperol spritz, you can pretend you’re eating alfresco in some Roman piazza.
18 Greenwich Ave.; rosemarysnyc.com
