Best of · SydneySydney's Best Dog Friendly Beer Gardens for Summer
A beer garden is the easy part of a dog friendly summer. The hard part is the detail that never makes it onto a map: which ones have a curfew, which ones keep the dog outside no matter how full the bar gets, and which ground is going to be too hot for paws by early afternoon. We checked the dog policy at twelve Sydney beer gardens rather than taking the sign out the front on faith, so you know before you sit down whether the dog can come inside once the sun gets to be too much, and what time, if any, it has to leave.
- 01
The most complete entry on this list, and the only one where the dog has somewhere else to go once the garden heats up. Water bowls, bar treats and a dog menu, with real access to the inside as well as out.
Welcome inside and out, with a dog menu, water bowls and bar treats.
- 02
The highest-confidence verdict on the whole list. The Courty doesn't just tolerate dogs in the garden, it puts water bowls out and treats them as regulars throughout the entire pub.
Welcome throughout the venue, inside and out, with water bowls available.
- 03
The brewery that goes furthest for dogs, full stop. Doggy beer, a charcuterie board and birthday celebrations on record, inside a converted locomotive workshop with room to spread out over summer.
Welcome inside and out, with a dog menu, treats and doggy beer.
- 04
Dogs are welcome in every part of The Clock Hotel, not just the beer garden, which makes it the fallback option on a day the garden's full.
Welcome throughout the venue, inside and out, on a lead.
- 05
One of the biggest beer gardens on the inner west map, and close to three thousand reviews back up the reputation. Dogs are welcome across every outdoor area.
Welcome in all outdoor areas, on a lead, with dog treats on offer.
- 06
The eastern suburbs' entry, a beer garden under a fig tree with a curfew worth knowing: dogs are welcome until 9pm, after which it's humans only.
Beer garden only, until 9pm. Four Legged Menu and water bowls available.
- 07
The Garden Bar at The Bank runs later than most on this list. Dogs are welcome until 10pm, which matters once daylight saving pushes sunset past eight.
Welcome in the Garden Bar (beer garden) until 10pm. Support animals welcome throughout.
- 08
A sandstone schoolhouse turned pub, with doggy snacks and water bowls on tap in the Northern Courtyard. Worth planning around: it's a weekday arrangement, with select Saturdays only.
Northern Courtyard only, Monday to Friday and select Saturdays. Doggy snacks and water bowls provided.
- 09
The Cloey backs almost onto Clovelly Beach, and dogs are welcome in both the beer garden and the deck beside the sports bar, good for a post-swim pint.
Beer garden and sports bar deck both dog friendly.
- 10
Dogs get the run of the place here: the bar, the rooftop and the backyard, with water bowls out in the family-friendly yard.
Welcome in the bar, on the rooftop and in the backyard, with water bowls provided.
- 11
An outdoor-only courtyard that doubles as a kids' play space, so it leans family pub rather than quiet beer garden. Worth knowing if you're after a calmer corner.
Outdoor courtyard only; dogs are not permitted inside. Shared with a children's play area.
- 12
The outlier on this list, and worth the drive: a genuine waterfront beer garden on Pittwater, with a view none of the inner-city pubs can match.
Outside dining area only, not inside. Large waterfront beer garden overlooking Pittwater.
Dog owner FAQs
Which of these let dogs inside as well as the beer garden?
Five of the twelve: The Erko Hotel, Courthouse Hotel (The Courty), BrewDog South Eveleigh, The Clock Hotel and The Alex all let dogs inside as well as out. The other seven, including The Vic on the Park, The Golden Sheaf and The Newport, keep dogs to outdoor areas only, which for a beer garden guide is the point in summer anyway.
Do any of these have a curfew or time limit for dogs?
Two do. The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay cuts dogs off at 9pm, and The Bank Hotel in Newtown allows them in the Garden Bar until 10pm. Greenwood Hotel is a different kind of limit: dogs are welcome in the Northern Courtyard Monday to Friday and select Saturdays, not every day of the week.
Which beer garden is closest to a beach, for a swim-then-pub afternoon?
Clovelly Hotel, which backs almost directly onto Clovelly Beach. The Newport is the other water-adjacent option, though it looks over Pittwater rather than the ocean, and it's a drive north rather than a walk.
What should I bring for a dog in a beer garden over summer?
Water, regardless of whether the venue provides bowls, since not all of them say they do. And check the ground before you sit. A lot of these courtyards are paved with limited shade, and pavement gets hot enough to burn paws well before the air feels unbearable to a person.