Cutesy sweaters. Spa treatments. Fitness-tracking collars. Temporary tattoos.
If you thought you’d seen the pinnacle of dog spoiling in America, think again. Now your dog can be served his or her own personal menu at a handful of restaurants across the country.
And no, we’re not talking typical “dog-friendly restaurants” here, like the ones where Fido is welcome to come hang – usually on the patio – and might be offered a lukewarm bowl of water that seven other dogs have used that day already. Instead, these establishments include gourmet meals especially for dogs on their menus, so your pup can dine alongside you.
Interested in reserving a two-top for your best friend to dine alongside you? Here are some restaurants you should check out.
With locations in California, Texas, and Nevada, this restaurant serves up menu items like grilled chicken breast with brown rice and grilled hamburger patty with brown rice at kids’ menu prices. Spoil your beloved canine at Lazy Dog with some healthy grains and meat.
For pups in Clearwater, Florida, Besa Grill serves up not only food, but even non-alcoholic beer for dogs! This Mexican-fusion bar and grill has featured a dog menu since 2013 (and it’s known as the area’s most ambitious dog menu) after they saw an increase in customers ordering food from the “people menu” to feed their pooches on the restaurant’s dog-friendly patio. Pup customer favorites include the Backyard Hash and K-9 Meatballs.
Back on the West coast, the Moss Beach Distillery in Moss Beach, California, offers items like hot dogs, skirt steak, and scrambled eggs to its canine diners. Prices are in bones rather than dollars (it’s a dog-friendly menu, after all) and the restaurant features a patio that overlooks the ocean for you and your pup to enjoy a memorable, scenic meal together.
If you find yourself in Portland on a Tuesday night, your dog can not only eat at Tin Shed – he or she can eat for free (with the purchase of an adult – a.k.a. human – meal). On the menu for your furry friend? Chicken, ground beef or pork mixed with rice or sweet potatoes, followed by peanut butter banana ice cream (which humans and dogs alike are welcome to order).
Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden
What dog doesn’t love sausage? Banger’s, located in Austin, Texas, whips up a sausage especially for dogs – Woof Wurst – and will happily serve them on-site. Your best bet would be to visit Banger’s on the third Monday of any month, when the restaurant hosts Mutt Mondays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. You’ll get access to free dog training sessions, grooming and doggie giveaways from local companies (and stick around for dinner for dogs and humans alike, of course!).
Anna Keller likes the occasional fancy, over-the-top meal served on a white tablecloth, but will be just a happy with dinner from Taco Bell (she and her husband were there the day they launched their new breakfast menu.) For her, food is about the experience, the story, the tradition, and the community it provides, and it takes a starring role in her blog, where she shares recipe creations and recreations—usually of the baking variety.