Houston’s Best Dog-Friendly Places to Eat & Drink

Because everything is better with your best bud.

Houston is an amazing place to eat and drink if you’re a human being. It’s also an amazing place to eat and drink if you’re a dog, mostly thanks to an abundance of patios and the game-changing Paws on Patios movement, which fought to give local restaurants and bars the option to become dog-friendly without breaking any laws. From a burger joint rocking puppy shakes to ice houses with beer for you and water for Beethoven, here’s exactly where to partake in some pooch-friendly food and drink in Houston.

Monkey’s Tail
Photo by Shannon O’Hara

Monkey’s Tail

Northside Village

Hit the pup-friendly front patio at this Mexican-American bar and kitchen over in Lindale Park, and you can enjoy Chango Burgers and Oaxacan Old Fashioneds with el perro. More great news? The fun-loving spot rolls out daily specials like Weekend Brunch, Monday Steak Night, and Tuesday Dollar Dog Night, too.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating. 

Available for Delivery/Takeout

Your furry friends can hang all day and night at this kitschy outdoor spot, a monster truck-sized beer garden that rocks live music, flat screens, food trucks and cheesesteaks, and trash can punch. There’s also a boozy ferris wheel where you’ll pay $10, get a drink, and ride around for a few spins, but note that you’ll need someone to watch Waffles while you’re gone.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Photo courtesy of Saint Arnold Brewing Company

The OG Texas brewery is one of Houston’s greatest, and after getting a major facelift (which included the addition of an epic outdoor beer garden) a few years back, you are now free to enjoy all of its offerings with your best four-legged bud. Bring Furnando along while you geek out over barrel-aged brews, bites like Amber Ale Bratwurst and Fire Emoji Wings, and Insta-worthy views of the Downtown skyline.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

With a next-door taco truck, frosty beer, and fresh water buckets for the pups, this longtime Houston watering hole is a winner. In true ice house fashion, it serves strictly beer, wine, and cider (plus non-boozy stuff like water and soda), and its sprawling patio sports TVs, a basketball hoop, corn hole, and ping pong.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Cottonwood

Garden Oaks/Oak Forest

True story: There may be more dogs at this quintessential Texas bar than people. With a colossal patio bar that hosts everything from live music and crawfish boils to late-night fireside chats, the indoor/outdoor bar is the epitome of easy livin’. Sip from 42 beers on tap, work your way through its lineup of bourbon, and fill the tank with Crawfish Fries and Hangover Burgers.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Burgers and dogs unite at this cult favorite burger joint, which features a pups-welcome, wrap-around patio at its Montrose location and an even bigger one in the Heights. While you’re smashing a Kimchi Burger and local craft beer, Jabba the Mutt can hit up the dog water station and get in on some organic dog treats and puppy shakes.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

This Astrodome-inspired brewhouse has a fresh vibe and a big ol’ dog-friendly yard to boot. Sip on standbys like the Dome Faux’m Cream Ale and Haterade Gose, or try seasonal offerings like the pineapple wheat Bo$$ Beer. But back to that dog-friendly yard—it’s where you’ll find an array of local art and sculptures, food truck snacks, and a series of fun pop-up events from night markets to beer-fueled concerts.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Kirby Ice House

Upper Kirby

With a one-acre backyard that is totally canine-friendly (and limits the humans to ages 23-and-up), this sprawling ice house is a no-brainer on days when the weather’s nice. Snag one of the many patio seats and settle in to partake in its selection of 51 taps, house craft cocktails, and rotating food trucks.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.


 

This modern Texas ice house throws a Dog Halloween Costume Contest every year, but you don’t have to wait until October to show Madam Pomfrey off. Bring her to the patio to play with the other pups as you enjoy whiskey from proprietary barrels, cold beers and frozen drinks, and tacos filled with Berkshire pork, 44 Farms beef cheek, and even Brussels sprouts.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating. 

Available for Delivery/Takeout

The Pit Room

Montrose

Not only does this barbecue joint have great dishes like beef ribs, smoked chicken and brisket tacos, and chicharrones with house hot sauce, but it also boasts a next-door patio bar, dubbed The Patio at the Pit Room. This is where you can dig into the aforementioned, and your dog can happily beg for scraps.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

King's Bierhaus

Shady Acres

This 9,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor watering hole is a German Disneyland for both you and your pooch, with a trickling water feature and outdoor bridge that’ll make your pup feel like you’re going for a walk in the park. Score an outdoor table and enjoy the bar’s signature liters, schnapps, and wursts; along with entertainment includeing corn hole, live bands, and a whole bunch of picnic tables for you and the pup to sprawl out at when those steins and weenies really hit.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

While most Little Woody’s locations have a pretty solid outdoor space, Midtown’s jumbo-sized patio is hard to beat. Lord Sniffington will love having so many other dogs to make friends with, just as much as he loves the fact that you finally let him sit on a couch. Settle in for cheap beers, house cocktails, trivia and steak nights, in-season turtle racing, and rotating food trucks.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

There are lots of panting patrons at this oh-so popular 94-tap beer and wine garden and adjacent craft cocktail bar and whiskey den. That’s because in between the two, you’ll find a nice-sized patio, complete with picnic tables and swings, shaded sections, and the occasional food truck parked out front. There’s also inhouse food like burgers, grilled chicken salads, and meat and cheese plates all day and night.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Snag a paw-friendly outdoor table at this neighborhood kitchen & bar and you can dig into flawlessly executed shack-style burgers, with loaded tots and over-the-top shakes to boot. Or go for Texas-sized plates like the black pepper bacon gravy-smothered CFS and buttermilk battered fried chicken. All of it pairs wonderfully with frozen margs and craft brews.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Axelrad Beer Garden

A bar where you can drink beer, eat pizza, swing in a hammock, and bring Bertolt Barkt along for the ride might sound too good to be true, but it’s not. This super-chill beer garden offers all of that, plus bar games, picnic tables, food trucks, occasional live music, pop-up events from markets to movie nights, and watering stations for the pup.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

You’re welcome to sip Salty Cats with your furry pal at this cocktail bar & kitchen, you’ll just have to do so on the patio. The chill neighborhood haunt comes from a whole bunch of notable industry folk (including Anvil’s Bobby Heugel and Theodore Rex’s Justin Yu), which means your cocktails are going to be seriously good, and plates push the boundaries on everyday bar food, from schmaltz fried chicken to a crunchy sweet-and-sour lamb belly that your dog is totally going to want to get in on.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Brooke Viggiano is a Houston-based writer who suddenly has a ton of weekend plans. Follow her journeys on IG @brookiefafaor on Twitter @brookeviggiano.