Your dog isn't just a pet. He's your friend, your running buddy, and the keeper of your deepest secrets. So why wouldn't you go out on the town with him?
Miami's tropical climate ensures there are plenty of places with outdoor spaces perfect for you and Binky or Bosco to enjoy together. And though most restaurant patios welcome you and your pooch, some go far beyond the complimentary water bowl by catering to four-legged friends via special doggie dishes and freebies.
Here are the 12 best restaurants for you and your dog to have a wonderful outing together.
Take your favorite little bitch to this restaurant and stretch out on the inviting patio. Bacon Bitch is so dog-friendly it will customize any item on the menu for your pooch. Why not share the Queen sandwich with your favorite furry diva? It's filled with egg, Nueske's bacon, and sharp cheddar ($10). Or create a meal from the extra bitch menu, with offerings such as strip steak ($2), one egg ($3), turkey sausage ($3), cheese ($2), and bacon bits ($3).
1200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-530-4176 casasensei.com
The dog-friendly eatery offers pups waterfront dining overlooking the Himmarshee Canal and a choice of savory dog sushi. Choose a chicken-and-rice roll or a vegetarian option with veggies and rice. Casa Sensei also hosts special monthly happy hours for pups.
This paleta shop, located in the iconic black-and-white-striped Wynwood Building, offers frozen treats for both you and your dog. While you cool off with a customized paleta, treat Fluffy to "pup-sicle" flavors such as banana with peanut butter, pumpkin with yogurt, and watermelon pineapple. Prices start at $4.50 for an ice pop and go up to $8.30 for one with add-ons like drizzled chocolate, cocoa nibs, and rose petals. The shop also sells Twoolies, plush animals crafted by Mexican artisans.
Enjoy an evening on the patio with your pooch at Dragonfly. The restaurant has debuted a "Dogs of Doral" menu that offers a selection of drool-worthy items such as chicken and rice, made with carrots, whole-grain rice, and organic chicken breast and thigh; a fish scramble of chef's select whitefish, two scrambled eggs, and whole-grain rice; and bangers and mash — an all-beef hot dog without the bun and a smashed sweet potato. Doggy dishes cost $5 each, and a buck from each meal sold goes to Miami-Dade Animal Services.
Celebrate Fido alongside a frosty bucket of beer and live music on the patio at Gro Wynwood. Check out food trucks Roots & Seed Cantina and Green Love for a snack, and watch your doggo run free in the gated dog park, complete with an obstacle course. Post your experience on social media (@GROWynwood) for a chance for your doggo to be featured as #GROPupOfTheWeek.
Helmed by chef Michael Mina and celebrity cookbook author Ayesha Curry, International Smoke touts worldly cuisine with a dog menu to match. "Fido's Feast" offers a selection of slow-smoked beef bones ($9); Doggy Loco Moco, a plate of ground beef and steamed rice ($11); and a pastiche of dog biscuits ($12).
If you and your four-legged friend share a refined palate, head to South Beach's Lobster Bar Sea Grille for its dog-inspired menu, "Pooches on the Patio." Options include filet mignon served with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes topped with veal jus ($18); chicken chop-chop; and beef short rib with a medley of carrots, celery, and potatoes ($13). And don't forget the "pup-tails": Alcohol-free drinks include the Dirty Dog martini, concocted with filtered water and veal jus.
Swanky Coral Gables canines can indulge in a little retail therapy at Shops at Merrick Park and then lounge on Sawa's patio, where a special menu awaits. Start with one of three tapas offerings: gourmet baked mini biscuits ($1.99), two Purina Beggin' Strips ($1.99), or two grain-free jerky strips ($3.99). Then choose between a chicken breast kebab ($6.99) and a filet mignon kebab ($8.99). Finish with either Puppy Scoops ice cream ($2.99) or dried apples and doggie peanut butter ($2.49).
While you're downing your ShackBurger, your furry companion can indulge in the Pooch-ini ($3.99), a creamy dish of vanilla custard smothered in peanut butter sauce and garnished with dog biscuits. While you're at it, take home a Bag O'Bones ($7.99), a package of five biscuits lovingly baked by Bocce Bakery.
Spend the weekend at Shooters with a leash in one hand and a chilled mojito in the other. In addition to enjoying stunning dockside views, your pup can nosh on vet-approved savory chow such as the Bahia beef pup, made with USDA ground beef, whole-wheat macaroni, butternut squash, organic carrots, apples, kale, organic pumpkin seed oil, organic hemp oil, and a blend of essential vitamins and minerals. Prices range from $8 to $15.
Matt Kuscher's the Spillover offers sustainable seafood and a wide selection of ciders and meads. Plus, pooches have their own menu of $5 items, including chicken and rice, meatballs and veggies, and Cuban "chew-gars" (dog biscuits in the shape of cigars). Lokal, the Spillover's burger-and-beer brother, offers a similar doggie menu, along with Bowser beer, if you're hankering for something meatier. The restaurants host daily dog-friendly happy hours and special dog-friendly celebrations throughout the year.
Taquiza's North Beach and South Beach locations are both dog-friendly. They offer oversize patio seating for two- and four-legged guests. Upon arrival, pups are welcomed with a bowl of ice-cold water and a complimentary Pup & Pantry treat. The dog biscuits are made with all-natural ingredients and house-milled flour (oat, brown rice, and coconut) and will be available for sale in Taquiza's market beginning in September.
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