For many of us, the only plus of theCOVID-19 pandemic has been spending more time with our four-legged family members. Yeah, working from the comfort of homewith your best friend curled up at your feet sure beats spending eight hours in an ice-cold cubicle. And while Florida’s pleasant climate haslong meantlots of local restaurants and bars offering outdoor seating and often allowingdogs, the new premium on open-air dining has providedeven more opportunities to enjoy a drink or meal with your canine companion.
In honor of National Dog Day this week (Aug. 26), we compiled a list of our favorite dog-friendly restaurants and bars. These are places ranging from fine-dining icons to beloved breweries, with locations inSarasota, Bradenton, Venice, and onSiesta Key and Anna Maria Island. Some offer doggy dining menus, while others are located near dog-friendly parks or are by a great place to take a dog walking, such as St. Armands Circle orBradenton Riverwalk.
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3 Keys Brewing
2505 E. Manatee Ave., Bradenton; 941-218-0396;3keysbrewing.com
Home to award-winning beers and one of the best burgers in Bradenton,3 Keys Brewing is also a top spot for dog lovers. Guests are invited to bring their four-legged friends to join them on the large front patio or in the beer garden, and there’s aBarks and Brews special each Sunday:Bring your dog and get 10% off your bill.Plus, management informed us they will gladly cook a chicken breast or prepare an unseasoned beef patty for your canine upon request.
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The Bridge Tender Inn& Dockside Bar
135 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach; 941-778-4849; bridgetenderinn.rocks
Located on the east end of Anna Maria Island’s bustling Bridge Street, this restaurant and bar serving casual fare such as sandwiches and seafood favorites welcomes dogs at its outdoor seating area overlooking Sarasota Bay. It even offers a dish for pooches: a “doggie burger” made from a yellow rice-stuffed hamburger patty chargrilled medium, with a portion of the menu item’s price donated to Sarasota-based senior dog sanctuary Vintage Paws.
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Cafein the Park
2010 Adams Lane, Sarasota; 941-361-3032; cafeinthepark.org
The pooch-friendly Payne Park, located on the east end of downtown Sarasota, is home to this charming cafethat welcomes dogs in its outdoor seating area. Along serving with a selection of sandwiches, salads and sweets for humans, Cafein the Park sells Dogsters Ice Cream Style Treats for Dogs to cool down your canine companion on a hot Florida day, with the venue also hosting live music on Friday nights.
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Cafe L’Europe
431 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota;941-388-4415;cafeleurope.net
Every dog deserves a day spent walkingon famousSt. Armands Circle withsome shopping at The Black Dog store and a meal from Cafe L’Europe’s Doggie Dining Menu. It includesFido’s Steak Tartare,Zoey’s Filet Mignon of Beef,Chloé’s Chicken, theBiscuit du Jour, and, for dessert, those Dogsters frozen treats. There’s outstanding Continental cuisine for humans, too, who can dine alongside their doggies by the sidewalk under the umbrellas.
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Columbia Restaurant andCha Cha Coconuts
411 and 417 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota; 941-388-3987, columbiarestaurant.com;941-388-3300;chacha-coconuts.com
A St. Armands Circle landmark dating back to 1959, with its Tampa location open since 1905,Columbia Restaurant is the best destination in the region for Cuban cuisine, which can be enjoyed along with your four-legged friend at one of themany sidewalk tables. Looking for something a bit more casual with live music? Visit sister restaurantCha Cha Coconuts next door. Leashed dogs and their well-behaved owners are welcome outside at both locations.
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Mandeville Beer Garden
428 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota; 941-954-8688; mbgsrq.com
One of Sarasota-Manatee’s finestcraft beer bars, which also serves a selection of delectable pub grub that includes one of Sarasota’s best burgers, Mandeville welcomes canine companions in its namesake outdoor beer garden. Feel like burning some calories afterward with a dog walk? Mandeville is located in Sarasota’s Rosemary District, which is generally less crowdedthan downtown’s Main Street and is home to numerous other restaurants and bars.
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Mattison’s
multiple locations;mattisons.com
All three of Chef Paul Mattison’s namesake restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties aredog-friendly on their outside patios, withdoggie dining guidelines posted at thehostess stands. Treat yourself to the top shelfNew American fare and consider ordering one of their outstanding Niman Ranch beefburger patties for your dog. Both the downtown Sarasota and Bradenton restaurants featurean entire open-air dining area, as well as a bar and plenty of fans, with the latter locatedright on the 1.5-mile-long Riverwalk that’s fitted with doggy water fountains.
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Motorworks Brewing
1014 Ninth St. W., Bradenton;941-567-6218; motorworksbrewing.com
Boasting award-winning brewsand a full liquor bar with a rotating roster of food trucks,Motorworks Brewing alsoincludes an expansive, dog-friendlybeer garden with artificially turfed grounds and a raised wooden deck.Amore-than-century-old oak tree providesshade, andthere’slive music with bands performing under a covered stage, as well aslawn games and a 20-foot projection screen for viewing movies and sports events. Plus, every third Sunday is theYappy Hour Pet Extravaganza. Held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., it includes vendors, drink specials andraffle items and silent auctions, with proceeds benefiting localanimal rescues.
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New Pass Grill and Bait Shop
1505 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota; 941-388-3050;newpassgrill.com
As we’ve noted before, every Sarasotan owes it to themselves to at least once experience the Old Florida joy of visiting City Island for a burger and a cold one while seated on the docks of New Pass Grill and Bait Shop. Enhance the outdoor, waterfront dining experience by bringing your pooch. Plus, you’re right by beautiful and pet-friendlyKen Thompson Park.
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O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill
5 Bayfront Drive, Sarasota; 941-953-7505; olearystikibar.com
A relaxing respite in the bustle of downtown Sarasota, this restaurant and bar serving casual fare located at Bayfront Park is a popular place to bring pooches, with dogs welcome in the beach seating area overlooking Sarasota Bay. Be sure to take a walk while atthe dog-friendly Bayfront Park, with pathsandanother restaurant, sister business Marina Jack, that allows dogs outdoors on its Blue Sunshine Patio.
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The Old Salty Dog
multiple locations; theoldsaltydog.com
This Sarasota staple dating back to 1985 is known for comfort foodlike its namesake dish, a quarter-pound hot dog dipped in batter and fried golden-brown,and as the restaurant’s dog logo hints, is dog-friendly. Canine companions are allowed in the outdoor seating at all three of the restaurant’s locations– City Island, Venice, and the original onSiesta Key’s Ocean Boulevard– with proteins like chicken or a hot dog able to be ordered for pooches as well.
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Pier 22
1200 First Ave. W., Bradenton; 941-748-8087;pier22.com
The historic waterfront jewel of downtown Bradenton, Pier 22 features patio seating right on the Manatee River that’s ideal for canine companionship. The restaurant also offers one of the best happy hour deals around, with an impressive menu of drinking and dining deals from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Looking for something new? Check out the recently unveiled fried chicken sandwich, and keep in mind Pier 22 now offers brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
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Wade Tatangelo, the Herald-Tribune’s entertainment editor, maybe reached by email atwade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com.Support local journalism by subscribing.
