Super 7: Best Dog-Friendly Restaurants in South Florida
Seven restaurants with dog menus, waterfront patios, or both — plus my favorite Fort Lauderdale dog park and beer garden
Editor’s note: Dogs typically are limited to designated outdoor dining areas, so confirm patio availability before you go. Also, the Miami heat can be rough on dogs, so make sure keep the water flowing and know your dog’s limits.
Bayshore Club
I remember when this waterfront site was Scotty’s Landing, and Bayshore Club is certainly a more polished, upscale operation, but it still feels easygoing with dogs. Boasting waterfront seating, a lawn for spreading out, and a Dog Dinner menu of chicken and vegetables, salmon and vegetables, or Bayshore Dirty Paws Rice. The outdoor setup gives dogs room while everyone else settles in over food and a drink.
Pro Tip: Ask for the lawn area if your dog needs more room than a standard patio table allows. @bayshoreclubmiami // 3391 Pan American Dr., Miami
Casa Sensei
The canine menu at Casa Sensei matches the mood of this playful Pan-Asian and Latin restaurant next to the Himmarshee Canal. The Woof Roll combines beef, rice, carrots, and peas in soy paper, while the Chicken Lovers Stir Fry and Salmon Delight give dogs two more full-meal options on the waterfront patio.
Pro Tip: Order the Woof Roll — I mean, doggie sushi, how cute is that? @casasensei // 1200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Glass & Vine
I’ve loved Glass & Vine for years because it works equally well for groups, families with kids, and dogs. The restaurant sits inside Peacock Park in one of Miami’s most dog-friendly neighborhoods, and the staff welcomes four-legged guests with water and a dedicated menu. Dogs can order meatballs with tomato broth or grilled chicken or salmon served with brown rice and red quinoa while everyone else settles in for steak frites and drinks under the trees.
Pro Tip: Walk through Peacock Park first, then order your dog the grilled chicken. @glassandvine // 2820 McFarlane Rd., Miami
Monty’s Raw Bar
My dog Foster has been spotted sitting at the bar at Monty’s Raw Bar on more than one occasion, usually waiting for French fries. The Biscayne Bay spot has served seafood since 1969, and its huge covered dockside patio remains one of the easiest places in Miami to bring a dog. There is no separate dog menu, but the staff brings water, the bay breeze helps, and dogs have long been part of the crowd.
Pro Tip: Stop at the dog park in Kennedy Park before heading over for lunch, it has one of my favorite dog parks ever. @montysrawbarcg // 2550 S. Bayshore Dr., Miami
Negroni Midtown
On its Midtown patio, Negroni pairs a bistro and sushi menu for humans with one of the more inventive dog offerings in Miami. The canine menu includes chicken nigiri made with grilled chicken, rice, corn, and lima beans, plus a beef tartare bowl with rice and vegetables. The restaurant has also hosted pet birthday parties, and staff members know many of their regular dogs by name.
Pro Tip: The chicken nigiri is the order. @negronimidtown // 3201 Buena Vista Blvd., Miami
Sawa Restaurant & Lounge
The Merrick Park patio at Sawa Restaurant & Lounge has welcomed dogs for years, with a canine menu that goes from snacks through dessert. Dogs can start with baked biscuits or jerky strips, move on to a chicken kebab, filet mignon kebab, or Angus burger patty, and finish with a dessert cup.
Pro Tip: Tag Sawa in your dog’s best lunch photo, they use guest submissions to find canine cover models.@sawarestaurant // 360 San Lorenzo Ave., Suite 1500, Coral Gables
Shooters Waterfront
A Fort Lauderdale waterfront fixture since 1982, Shooters Waterfront remains one of my go-to Broward spots. Its dog menu offers turkey, chicken, and beef meals made with vegetables, grains or potatoes, oils, vitamins, and minerals. The meals come in eight- and sixteen-ounce portions, so dogs can have a proper lunch while everyone else can dine on seafood and drinks along the Intracoastal.
Pro Tip: Dog meals come in two sizes, so ask for the eight-ounce portion unless your dining companion has a serious appetite. @shooterswaterfront // 3033 NE 32nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Bonus: BarkYard n’ Brews
The off-leash dog park and bar at BarkYard n’ Brews is my favorite place to take my dogs anywhere in South Florida. The 10,000-square-foot park has a splash pad and staff monitoring dog play, while the bar pours beer, wine, cocktails, and coffee and hosts regular dog-focused events (snow day is a personal favorite of Foster’s). BarkYard doesn’t cook food, but food trucks pull up on weekends and event days, or you can order delivery and eat in the designated area. Plus, Orchestrated Minds Brewing sits next door.
Pro Tip: You will need to register your dog ahead of time, and they will need current rabies, distemper, and Bordetella vaccines, and those 10 months or older must be spayed or neutered.@barkyardnbrews // 817 NW First St., Fort Lauderdale