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Hong Kong has finally thrown a bone to the city’s furry residents, officially putting an end to a decades-long ban on dogs inside eateries. The new pet-inclusivity scheme kicked off on July 9, with more than 940 restaurants successfully amending their licences for this first wave of the initiative. Pups and their owners can now confidently stroll into these approved spots, all of which have A3-sized approval signs displayed at the entrance.
If you fancy some four-legged company while you dine, the likes of Casa Cucina, Yeonnam Dong Korean Restaurant, Treehouse, Smoke and Barrel, as well as several Black Sheep favourites – including Falcone, Jean-Pierre, La Vache!, and Motorino – are all ready to welcome the neighbourhood dogs in their premises. Meanwhile, those looking for a caffeine hit with their hound in tow will have their pick of purveyors such as Blue Bottle Cafe, Elephant Grounds, Fineprint, %Arabica, Detour, and many more. Bread lovers will also be delighted to hear that Bakehouse (The Peak) and The Baker & The Bottleman are also on the list, as are one of our favourite Soho nighttime haunts, Dead Poets.
Before you head out, however, note that not all locations of your favourite restaurant or café chains have applied for the license. If you want to see exactly where you can visit with your pup, check the official FEHD list of approved establishments beforehand.
For the first round of applications, the scheme drew over 2,200 applications from eager restaurateurs, forcing the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to cap the first phase at a maximum quota of 1,000 establishments and allocate the quotas via an open ballot. For the eateries that didn’t make the cut, the department has established a waiting list from the leftover valid entries of the original June ballot, which is currently being used to fill any immediate vacancies.
While officials have noted that the total number of permits could very well be expanded if this adaptation period goes off without a hitch, a definitive date for a formal second phase has not yet been locked in. For now, the remaining eateries are sitting on standby, waiting for the government to let the rest of the pack in.
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