Best of · SydneyThe Best Dog Friendly Sunday Roasts in Sydney
A roast is a winter meal, which makes this the one guide where welcome inside is the whole point. Nobody wants to eat one on a footpath in July. The roasts here are the ones Sydney's food press keeps agreeing on, the pubs that turn up again and again across the city's best-roast lists. We have not eaten them, so that ranking is theirs, not ours. What we checked is the part none of those lists mention: whether your dog gets through the door, and how far in. The first seven take dogs indoors, and two of those will not seat one in the dining room, which is worth knowing before you book. The last four are just as well rated but will only have your dog outside, so check the forecast first.
- 01
The other unanimous pick, and the one to book if you want your dog at the table rather than parked in the bar while you eat. Most pubs draw a line at the restaurant door.
Dogs in the public bar, out on the balcony, and in the restaurant at Phylli's. Treats at the bar.
- 02
The third pub every list agreed on, and a proper mock-Tudor English boozer hidden in the middle of the CBD. Handy if the roast is the only reason you came into town.
Welcome in the beer garden and inside the bar, as long as they are well behaved.
- 03
A Redfern classic that turns up on most lists, and the one where your dog is expected rather than tolerated. You notice the difference the moment you get to the bar.
Inside the bar area and the garden, and there are treats waiting at the bar.
- 04
The Old Fitz does a roast and a theatre upstairs, which is a combination no other pub on this list can offer. Sunday lunch then a play is a decent way to lose an afternoon.
Inside and out. Your dog can take the downstairs pub couches or the beer garden.
- 05
The most relaxed room on the list about dogs generally, and the one where they read as part of the furniture rather than something being tolerated.
Inside and in the beer garden. Treats available, and dogs are welcome at trivia nights.
- 06
Well rated for the roast, with one condition worth reading before you book a table.
Public bar and beer garden only. The dining room and loft are off limits, so check they will serve the roast where your dog can sit.
- 07
A Paddington institution and a regular on the lists, with the same catch as The Glebe. The welcome is real, it just stops at one particular door.
Bar areas and the beer garden. The dining room and loft are pet free, so ask where the roast is served.
- 08
A unanimous pick, on every list we looked at, and the closest thing Sydney has to an English country pub. The catch is that the low ceilings and the open fire are the part your dog does not get to see.
Outdoor seating only. The footpath tables out the front are the dog spot, and the bar and dining rooms are off limits.
- 09
Just as well rated for the roast as anything above it, and another where your dog stays on the footpath. Fine in September, a harder sell in July.
Outdoor seating only, at the Norton Street tables out the front.
- 10
The Bondi entry, and the one where sitting outside reads as the point rather than the compromise. Time it with the weather and you will not miss the indoor room at all.
Outdoor seating only. Keep to the al fresco tables.
- 11
A Paddington local that keeps turning up on the lists. Worth it if the forecast is on your side, and a long wait if it is not.
Outdoor seating only.
Dog owner FAQs
Which Sydney pubs let dogs inside for a Sunday roast?
Seven of the eleven here welcome dogs indoors, not just on the footpath. The Duke of Clarence, The Bat & Ball, The Old Fitzroy, Dove & Olive, The Glebe Hotel and Four in Hand all take dogs in the bar, and Forrester's goes furthest by allowing them in the restaurant itself. The last four, The Lord Dudley, The Royal Leichhardt, Rocker and The London Hotel, are rated just as highly for the roast but will only seat your dog outside.
Can my dog sit with me in the dining room?
At most pubs, no. This is the catch nobody mentions. The Glebe Hotel and Four in Hand both welcome dogs in the bar and beer garden but keep the dining room and loft pet free, so if the roast is a dining room booking your dog cannot join you. Forrester's is the exception on this list: dogs are allowed in the restaurant at Phylli's. When in doubt, ring and ask where the roast gets served.
How do you decide which roasts are the best?
We do not. We have not eaten them. The roasts on this list are the ones Sydney's food press keeps putting on its best-of lists, so that judgement belongs to the food writers. Our job is the bit they leave out: we check each pub's dog policy against its own website, its listing and its reviews, then tell you exactly how far inside your dog is allowed.
Do any of them have treats for the dog?
Forrester's, The Bat & Ball and Dove & Olive all keep dog treats at the bar. Dove & Olive go further and let dogs come to Monday trivia.