It is so much fun to bring your best four-legged friend to a pet friendly outdoor restaurant! Clearly the DC City Council understands how much we love our pets! In 2017 D.C. City Council members approved a bill allowing establishments to custom tailor policies about welcoming your furry friends. Montgomery County and Northern Virginia jurisdictions are equally welcoming to pets on outdoor patios.
Here are some restaurants and bars with patios that openly welcome dogs. Most of these venues also host regular “yappy hours” and offer snacks or full menus specifically geared toward four-legged friends. I need to train my standard poodle, Poirot, to use a ramp to get into the car. At fourteen, he no longer feels comfortable jumping out of a car onto a sidewalk! Once we master that ramp, we will be checking out new dining venues together! Not every restaurant with outdoor space is dog-friendly, but this list is a good start.
1. Silver (Two locations)
7150 Woodmont Ave
Bethesda, MD
Both Silver locations have “Pups on the Patio” happy hours on Thursdays (4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) with menu specials, dog treats, and pet-friendly giveaways. Ten percent of all sales during that time go to a designated rescue each week.
2. Midlands
3333 Georgia Ave NW
Washington, DC 20010
This large outdoor beer hall is a one of several popular pet friendly outdoor restaurants in the Parkview neighborhood, featuring rows of picnic tables atop an asphalt “garden” where dogs routinely mix and mingle.
3. Wet Dog Tavern
2100 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001(202) 234-3334Visit Website
This tavern is a new addition to the collection of pet friendly outdoor restaurants. The neighborhood gathering spot was inspired by the owner’s water-loving golden retriever.
4. Dacha Beer Garden
1600 7th St NW
Washington, D.C.(202) 524-8790
This is a popular outdoor beer garden, even for dogs, which is why it can get crowded. They serve a carefully curated selection of world-class German, Belgian, and American craft beers along with wines, meads, ciders and other refreshments. The food menu gets its inspiration from traditional Bavarian beer gardens. You can visit the world and take your pup with you!
5. Wunder Garten
1101 First St NE
Washington, DC 20002
This part of NoMa can feel like a concrete jungle, so this green beer garden with games and lounge seating has been a welcome addition. Dogs used to be allowed only on Tuesdays, but now they can visit whenever.
6. Continental Beer Garden
1301-1347 19th St N
Arlington, VA 22209
Take your pet across a river and visit Rosslyn’s popular beer garden with cold drafts, meaty sausages, and grilled skewers for humans, and a welcoming environment for well-behaved pets.
7. Art and Soul
415 New Jersey Ave NW
Washington, D.C.(202) 393-7777Visit Website
This great restaurant is so hospitable to dogs, it even has its own “Pooch Patio Menu” offering peanut-banana “pupsicles,” grilled sirloin, and a non-alcoholic brew.
8. Commissary
1443 P St NW
Washington, DC 20005 (202) 299-0018
The patio at this restaurant in Logan Circle welcomes dogs year-round, but also hosts an annual adoption event with City Dogs. When my daughter lived in Logan Circle, I loved taking her to dinner here!
