Where to find dog-friendly pubs and bars in Sydney

It’d be a rare occurrence to find yourself at this Bourke Street pub not in the company of at least one four-legged friend. This pub doesn’t just have a dog-friendly policy, they actively encourage you to pop in even if you’ve only got your pet for company – you only need five bucks to buy a dog bowl of meat and veg, or canine-suitable ‘beef tartare’. Also when you order a roast on Sundays, your pooch will get a meal for free. 

The beautiful thing about this old boozer is that it’s a pub designed to facilitate a good time on your terms. Want to sit up at the bar with a huge plate nachos and watch back-to-back AFL games? This is the best place for it. Prefer to sink your tip money in pinball machines while you annihilate jugs of Stone and Wood Pacific Ale and Young Henrys Newtowner? Right this way. They’ve even got two separate outdoor areas so that smokers and diners can both enjoy the sunshine, and they let you bring your dog (on a lead) or kid (no lead required).

At this Crown Street day-to-night bar and eatery you'll find vintage posters of dogs adorning the walls and usually at least a couple of real hounds. There's doggo parking out the front, or if you've got a petite pooch you can bring them inside, so you can enjoy a spritz and a plate of pappardelle with them by your side. 

A few years back some friends sat in a shabby old pub in Redfern while it was robbed at gunpoint. These friends were not moulded after Bruce Willis and so did not intervene in the robbery, but instead finished their beers while keeping their eyes firmly fixed on the Bledisloe Cup and then made a speedy getaway once the assailants had vacated the premises. They also did not have a guard dog on at the time, which may not be the case in the current era. Sunday afternoons from 2-6pm is Puppy Happy Hour (though dogs are welcome at any time) and there is even a designated pup refreshment station.

Merivale’s mega-pub has weekend hang times that somehow manage to be chic, child-friendly and dog-friendly. You’ll want to dress up a little for an afternoon here – and get in early for any shot at a table –and it might be worth breaking out that snazzy new collar for your drinking buddy, because the calibre of dogs  leans towards designer. There’s plenty of outdoor space but it’s also very busy so make sure your pal is cool with crowds and not the sort to steal your hard won porchetta off your plate.

This spacious Inner West pub will welcome you and your pooch after a Newtown Jets home game at nearby Henson Park for a post-game debrief. There's also the car park out the back where you can let your dog run around.

Although the beer garden in this historic hotel is more blue ribbon than blue collar (hope that bright yellow Veuve Cliquot umbrella is keeping the sun off) it’s still a local-friendly hotel where you can drink a bone dry French rosé from Domaine Saint Anne or a frosty pale ale with your dog by your heels. Keep in mind this place has a late license and isn’t averse to some party times so after 9.30pm your furry mate will need to head home.

The Henson Park Hotel was for many years an abandoned, rotting shell of a pub hidden in the backstreets of Marrickville. But with one hell of a refurb it's now one of the most family-friendly watering holes in the Inner West. You'll find families packing out the beer garden for lamb shank shepherd’s pies and a karaage chicken burger, you’ll also find a whole parade of pooches kicking back in the sunshine and hoping you drop some scraps their way.

This old Petersham boozer has spruced up the beer garden, turfed the TAB and reworked their food offering to be a lot more friendly to families, little humans and people making better life choices. Sadly there’s no doggie treats on there, but you sure can bring your friend for life with you when you pop in for a pizza and a craft brew.

In a leafy pocket of Ultimo you’ll find this old timer that strikes a comfortable balance between old ways and the new. Traditional pub fixings still have pride of place in the public bar and while there’s no beer garden, they have co-opted an outdoor section of the neighbouring park for alfresco beers and a Sunday barbecue each week. All of this adds up to a dog-friendly watering hole where as long as you’re furry friend is compact and well behaved you can hang at the bar our out in the sun and enjoy your cheeseburger from the bistro out the back.