Sydney's Best Dog-Friendly Bars, Restaurants and Cafes for 2024
All of your friends — most importantly, those furry ones with four legs — are welcome at these friendly haunts.
An afternoon spent in a big Sydney beer garden with your mates is most definitely an afternoon well spent. There will be laughs, possibly a few jugs or bottles emptied, some good food and (hopefully) plenty of sunshine. But the most important thing is spending time with your buddies — all of your buddies. You wouldn't leave Dave at home would you? Or Sarah? Think how devastated they'd be if they found out you hadn't invited them.
Your best friend — aka human's best friend — would also get seriously hurt feelings if left at home, so the trick is to choose a venue where Rover is welcome, grab him a dish of water and sneak him a couple of bites of nachos under the table. Or even order him a meal of his own — you can do that at many of these spots (yep, some of them have dedicated canine menus).
Recommended reads:
The Ten Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Sydney
Dog-Friendly Destinations in the Blue Mountains
Image: Backyard at The Alex
In partnership with
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CafeSplash Coffee
2A Station Street, Petersham
The Soulmate team has reinvented the pool canteen with this nostalgic cafe right by Petersham Park and the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre.
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BarThe Magpie
156 Enmore Road, Enmore
The big game's always on live and loud at this tiny Enmore Road sports bar from the Earl's Juke Joint team.
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BarHarper Rooftop Bar
339 Pitt Street, Sydney
A colourful dog-friendly rooftop bar with impressive bar snacks to be found on top of the Kimpton Margot.
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PubThe Dry Dock
22 Cameron Street, Balmain
Balmain's The Dry Dock is back over 160 years after it opened — with a classic ground-floor pub, a romantic lounge bar and a cracking 100-seat dining room.
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RestaurantSmoking Gringos
1 Muru Way, Blacktown
The west's flavour-packed Mexican spot specialises in birria tacos — and it sold out in just a couple hours on its first Sunday.
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BarFreshwater Brewing Co
4 Powells Road, Brookvale
This welcoming 120-seat taproom and brewery is serving approachable beers and fresh seafood.
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CafeHavenstone
5 Fleet Street, North Parramatta
An all-day cafe serving familiar brunch classics in a heritage-listed sandstone building.
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BarWhite Cockatoo Hotel
30 Terminus Street, Petersham
Call this top-notch neighbourhood pub home for the night or even a couple of weeks.
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CafeWhite Rabbit Marrickville
30 Llewellyn Street, Marrickville
White Rabbit brings Sonoma sourdough and XO chilli scrambled eggs to the former West Juliett space.
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CafeBrighter Coffee
102 Northumberland Avenue, Stanmore
This welcoming Stanmore cafe's kimchi toastie has a claim for one of the best toasted sandwiches in Sydney.
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CafeLaughin' Boy Cafe Restaurant
4 Punt Road, Emu Plains
A historic all-day cafe on the banks of the Nepean River.
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BarCamelia Grove Hotel
146 Henderson Road, Alexandria
The Camelia Grove underwent a massive overhaul and the result is an unabashedly family friendly pub with a bloody good Italian kitchen.
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RestaurantChez Crix
106 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills
The Cricketers Arms was long overdue for a solid dining option and it has finally got it with Chez Crix.
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BarBuddy's Bar Newtown
391 King Street, Newtown
This self-serve beer bar puts the power in your hands in the former home of Lentil As Anything.
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BarBrewDog South Eveleigh
Bays 1 & 2, Locomotive Workshop, Eveleigh
BrewDog's flagship Sydney beer bar seats 720 beer aficionados inside and 190 outside, pouring 40 brews through its taps.
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CafeGlory Days Bondi
3 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach
This sibling cafe to the beloved North Sydney spot brings an all-day menu and European summer holiday energy to the Bondi Pavilion.
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BarEnmore Country Club
182 Enmore Road, Enmore
Natural wines, local beers and nostalgic cocktails are at the heart of this retro 70s-style bar in Cottonmouth Records' former digs.
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RestaurantRosa Cienfuegos Tamaleria & Mexican Deli
463 Marrickville Road, Dulwich Hill
A Dulwich Hill hole-in-the-wall serving some of Sydney's best tacos and tamales.
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CafeCirca Espresso
21 Wentworth Street, Parramatta
Middle Eastern-influenced brekkies and small-batch roasted coffee.
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RestaurantSushi Jones Japanese Bistro
2–10 Fountain Street, Alexandria
An affordable, unassuming Japanese eatery that will let you bring you four-legged friend with you.
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RestaurantAnnata
69 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest
A hatted Crows Nest gem stepping up the North Shore's fine dining game with a seriously impressive wine list.
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BarHarbord Hotel
29 Moore Road, Freshwater
Located just steps from the beach, this Sydney pub plays into its suburb's claim as the official birthplace of surfing in Australia.
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BarCricketers Arms Hotel
106 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills
Known more intimately as the Crix, this is the kind of local that will make you want to move into the area.
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BarThe Courthouse Hotel
202 Australia Street, Newtown
The unpretentious, grungy gem of Newtown with one of the finest outdoor courtyards in Sydney.
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BarThe Old Fitzroy Hotel
129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo
A classic old English feel, a toasty fireplace and charming regulars meet fancy French feeds and natty wines at this Woolloomooloo pub.
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BarThe Beresford Hotel
354 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
A Surry Hills pub with one of the best courtyards in town.
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CafeThe Grounds of Alexandria
Building 7A, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria
The Grounds is innovative, idealist and a little bit chic — in the best possible way.
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CafeFour Ate Five
485 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Yes, on the weekends you'll be hard pressed to bag a seat straightaway, but it's definitely worth waiting it out.
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BarWatsons Bay Boutique Hotel
1 Military Road, Watsons Bay
Stripy umbrellas, schoolyard benches and tres cute Breton-striped waitstaff add to the beachside charm.
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BarHenson Park Hotel
91 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
Marrickville's beloved home of rugby league and beer garden bevs.
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BarThe Duck Inn Pub & Kitchen
74 Rose Street, Chippendale
Across from the Seymour Centre and hidden just out of view from the hustle of Cleveland Street is a real quacker of a pub.
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BarThe Bearded Tit
183 Regent Street, Redfern
Turn left at the crocheted penises and enter Redfern's brazen art bar.
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BarThe Winery
285A Crown Street, Surry Hills
Drinking classy means having a 'champagne bell' alert the waitstaff when your glass gets empty.
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PubPublic House Petersham
292 Stanmore Road, Petersham
Come for the for the beer garden, stay for the pub grub, natty wine, DJ sets and trivia.
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BarBackyard at The Alex
35 Henderson Road, Alexandria
This iconic Sydney pub returns with an expansive beer garden.
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BarThe Grifter Brewing Co.
391-397 Enmore Road, Marrickville
Marrickville's home of watermelon pilsner.
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CafeHenry Lee's
Eveleigh Creative Precinct, Hart Street, Redfern
This cafe has a strong emphasis on community, sourcing produce and drinks from local businesses.
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CafeThree Blue Ducks Rosebery
1/85 Dunning Avenue, Roseberry
This big, bright outpost of a Sydney fave brings farm-to-table ethos and darn good coffee to Rosebery's up-and-coming food precinct.
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BarEast Village Hotel
234 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst
The three-tiered Darlinghurst pub gets a new life with an upstairs sports bar and rooftop terrace.
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BarNo. 5 Restaurant and Bar
5 McCauley Street, Alexandria
Once a gemstone processing facility, now a local restaurant with a cosy fire, craft beer and a pooch area.
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BarSneaky Possum
86 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale
Chippendale's multifaceted bar can satisfy your morning caffeine fix and your late-night margarita craving.
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BarBotany View Hotel
597 King Street, Newtown
An iconic south King Street pub that's home to one of Sydney's best beer gardens.
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BarRocks Brewing Co Tap House
160 Bourke Road, Alexandria
Brews inspired by the dubious characters of colonial past should be enjoyed in one of the best beer gardens in Sydney.
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CafeNaked Brew
110 Swanson Street, Erskineville
This Erskineville cafe serves coffee and brekkie — and doggy-chinos and doughnuts for your dog.
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BarThe Vic On The Park
2 Addison Road, Marrickville
This old Marrickville gem has been given the full Merivale treatment and it's totally working it.
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BarYulli's Brews
75A Burrows Road, Alexandria
A totally vegan (and dog-friendly) taproom and restaurant.
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BarManly Spirits Co. Distillery Tasting Bar
9-13 Winbourne Road, Brookvale
This northern beaches distillery makes gin from kelp and sea parsley — and you can try it at its bar three days a week.
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CafeThe Carpenter
76 Flood Street, Leichhardt
It's all in the details at this cafe hidden inside a warehouse in the backstreets of Leichhardt.
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CafeRollers Bakehouse
19 Rialto Lane, Manly
A pastel pink beachside bakehouse with some of Sydney's best croissants.
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BarRedfern Surf Club
60 Botany Road, Alexandria
An Australiana-themed bar with cocktails in cans and a taxidermy ibis.
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RestaurantSunset Diner
41 Old Barrenjoey Road, Avalon Beach
A millennial pink, Miami-inspired 'shake shack' on the northern beaches.
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BarThe Duke of Enmore
148 Enmore Road, Enmore
This Enmore Road mainstay has woodfire eats, natty wines, heavy metal and picklebacks aplenty.
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BarThe Glebe Hotel
63 Bay Street, Glebe
This historic pub has been given a new name and dog-friendly courtyard.
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RestaurantHonkas Bar + Eats
11 Roslyn Street, Potts Point
A Potts Point eatery with pan-Asian food and free snacks for dogs.
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BarAlbion Hotel
135 George Street, Parramatta
Parramatta's late-night, dog-friendly pub has one of the best beer gardens in Sydney.
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CafeOld Gold Cafe
1 Dangar Street, Chippendale
Try specialty coffee, single-origin Ecuadorian hot chocolates and sour cherry bagels inside an old confectionery warehouse.
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CafeSmall's Deli
166 Victoria Street, Potts Point
A Potts Point hole-in-the-wall slinging A-plus sandwiches.
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Bar7th Day Brewery
9 Powells Road, Brookvale
Visit Brookvale's local taphouse for award-winning brews, trivia, live tunes and cheap eats.
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CafeCafe Treeo
20 First Avenue, Sawtell
A beloved local cafe along Sawtell's fig tree-lined shopping strip.
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RestaurantGeneral Gordon Hotel
20 Swain Street, Sydenham
This inner west stalwart has reopened three years after being torn down by a fire and now features a dog-friendly courtyard and a bistro fitted with a woodfire oven.
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BarThe Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre
8-12 Sydney Street, Marrickville
Located inside Hawke's Brewery, this neighbourhood pub harks back to boozers of the 1980s and serves an Australian-Chinese bistro menu with deep fried Viennetta.
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CafeCoffee Supreme Brookvale
11 Mitchell Road, Brookvale
This fan-favourite New Zealand coffee roaster has just opened its first Sydney cafe and roastery.
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CafeGood Ways Deli Alexandria
81 Buckland Street, Alexandria
You'll find kangaroo mortadella sandwiches, Milo mocha and freshly baked loaves of bread at Good Ways Deli's Alexandria outpost.
You can find Abbott’s Bakery products at all major supermarkets — and discover more tasty Sandwich recipes at Abbotts.com/recipes.