Does your dog deserve a treat? Of course they do! The next time you’re looking for an outdoor place to eat, drink, and hang out with your furry friend, check out this list of local restaurants and beer gardens that welcome dogs.

Though we’ve had a roundup of dog-friendly patios on The Food Lens since 2021, the list is bigger than ever before: The City of Boston made it possible this summer for restaurants and beer gardens to license outdoor areas to welcome dogs. Neighboring communities like Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, and Everett have been dog-friendlier for years, so this guide also reflects our furry friends’ longtime faves outside the city proper.

As always, dog owners, please keep your pup leashed and in your control when you’re out and about. Service dogs are welcome anywhere.

Where to Find Dog-Friendly Patios in Boston and Beyond

Credit: Chris McIntosh

Aeronaut Allston
From Somerville-based Aeronaut Brewing Company, Aeronaut Allston is Boston’s original pop-up beer garden—and it’s officially dog-friendly for the 2023 season. Along with a selection of brews, live music and local food trucks set up on site every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Western Avenue lot. Take me there.

Area Four
The outdoor dining area at Area Four abuts ample green space in Kendall Square, so your pup can get their zoomies out before you post up on the patio for a cool bowl of water (them) and cinnamon bun-sized garlic knots (you). Take me there.

Bar Mezzana
The South End’s self-described Coastal Italian Bar Mezzana has a street-side patio perfect for spritz season. This summer, you can bring your pup along: A portion of it welcomes well-behaved dogs. Take me there.

Bone Up Brewing Company
Make a dog-friendly day of it in Everett’s so-called Fermentation District with a stop at Short Path Distillery and Night Shift-neighbor Bone Up Brewing Co. Along with house brews, amenities at BUBCo. include snacks, like Eastern Standard Provisions Co. pretzels and Buenas empanadas, and a beer garden welcoming pets. Take me there.

Credit: Chris McIntosh

Bow Market
Check out the new lineup of businesses at Bow Market this season. From the main courtyard to the patios of Remnant Brewing and Rebel Rebel Wine Bar, all outdoor areas of the Somerville marketplace are dog-friendly. Take me there.

Bully Boy Distillers Cocktail Garden
On nice days during the warmer months, all service moves outside and across the street from Bully Boy Distillers’ chic tasting room in Roxbury to the seasonal cocktail garden. Dogs are welcome to sit and stay among the tropical foliage, while 21-plus humans can enjoy creations like Royal Colada, a purple, ube-flavored piña colada. Take me there.

Cambridge Brewing Company
CBC isn’t just one of the original and most respected breweries in Greater Boston; it’s also a full-service pub with a local-food ethos. That extends to furry friends, too: Ask your patio server for a complimentary salmon-skin snack, made in-house especially for canine guests. Take me there.

Castle Island Brewing Company
Bring the dog to either location of Castle Island Brewing Co. during patio season. The lively Southie spot has a corner lot to see and be seen, while the Norwood HQ has a paved paradise that’s dog- and kid-friendly. Both locations feature plenty on tap plus a full-service menu by Bardo’s Bar Pizza, from excellent crispy-laced pie to other Boston-Italian-inspired eats. Take me there.

Credit: Chris McIntosh

The Charles River Speedway
Brighton’s Charles River Speedway encircles a courtyard with a half-dozen small businesses built into historic structures—many of which offer provisions for day drinking. All outdoor areas are dog-friendly, from the beer garden at Notch Brewing to the small but lively patios outside the destination’s unique sake, tea, wine, and cocktail bars. Take me there.

Cisco Brewers
A seasonal Cisco Brewers outpost in the Seaport is an enclosed but open-air space featuring beers of the Nantucket-born brand—Grey Lady wheat and Whale’s Tale pale ale among them—as well as Nantucket Vineyard wines, Triple Eight Distillery spirits, and local food options served out of little shacks. Expect cute dogs, post-work millennials, lively games of corn hole, and if you’re lucky, some live music. Take me there.

Dorchester Brewing Company
The ground-level patio at this Dot fave is dog-friendly seven days a week, but Dorchester Brewing Co. doubles down with dog-specific events each month featuring dog “beer,” treats, and a social experience for doggos and humans alike. Take me there.

Dovetail
Dine with your pup at Dovetail in the picturesque Charlestown Navy Yard. The quiet, cobblestone walkway between historic buildings is outfitted with a few outdoor tables and string lights above, with a designated dog-friendly section. It’s open on a walk-in basis for lunch and dinner daily, with a wide-ranging menu bistro from the team behind Brewer’s Fork. Take me there.

Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company
This brewery’s flagship IPA might be called The Cat’s Meow, but their Framingham beer garden is for the dogs. The outdoor area at Exhibit ‘A’ also hosts rotating food trucks. Take me there.

Credit: Chris McIntosh

Flora’s Wine Bar
This cozy West Newton wine bar pops bottles from around the world, stirs up unique cocktails, and stocks the best craft beer available. It’s all paired with a la carte cheese and charcuterie boards as well as simple, satisfying snacks. Take it to the outdoor tables on Flora’s lively sidewalk patio to enjoy it with your pup. Take me there.

Idle Hands Craft Ales
Play ball at this Malden brewery—not with your dog, though leashed creatures are welcome in the outdoor beer garden. We meant with one of Idle Hands’ baseball-themed IPAs like Four Seam, Short Season, and Backwards K. Take me there.

Jinny’s Pizzeria
Newton Centre neighborhood favorite Jinny’s Pizzeria comes from chef Lydia Reichert and her partners at nearby Sycamore. Outdoor seating is dog-friendly, and (like all dining-in at Jinny’s) is first-come, first-served. Take me there.

Night Shift Brewing
This local beverage company has grown over the years and includes a couple seasonal beer gardens. Night Shift headquarters in Everett has long had a dog-friendly patio; and now the seasonal outdoor beer gardens along the Charles River on the Esplanade and in Allston are newly also for the dogs. Take me there.

OAK Long Bar + Kitchen
Fairmont Copley hotel’s canine ambassador Cori Copley can finally invite her friends over to chill: The Back Bay icon now has a dog-friendly patio in the heart of Copley Square. The umbrellaed outdoor area is prime for pup- and people-watching with a cocktail in hand. Take me there.

The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint
Dogs aren’t the only creatures who think bones are a real treat—just look at Boston’s booming barbecue scene. Medford smokehouse The Porch boasts dry-rubbed St. Louis Spare Ribs among its authentic options, and it also has a dog-friendly patio on which to enjoy them. Take me there.

Short Path Distillery
Another stop on an Everett Fermentation District crawl, Short Path Distillery shakes up a range of creative cocktails with house-made spirits ranging from gin to whiskey, fernet, ouzo, and more. Grab a shaded table on the patio and feel free to bring your dog. Take me there.

Shy Bird
For the morning walk, at mid-day, or in the evening, lead your best friend to Shy Bird in South Boston. The all-day cafe and rotisserie restaurant serves up espresso drinks, fried chicken sandwiches, and wine bar-worthy plates on its dog-friendly patio. Take me there.

SRV
We bet there isn’t a single dog walker in the South End who hasn’t passed by SRV at aperitivo hour and wished they could stop in for a treat. Good news: now you can! The standing-room front patio—which occasionally gets a few tables for dinner service—is BYO dog food, with a bacaro-style menu of snacks and drinks such as tender, tangy Polpette (meatballs in marinara sauce) and a rainbow of Negroni. Take me there.

Credit: Brian Samuels Photography

State Park
This Kendall Square bar is a neighborhood mainstay known for beer-and-shot combos, hot chicken sandwiches, awesome desserts, and the always-dog-friendly State Park patio. Take me there.

Trillium Brewing Company
All Boston locations of beloved brewery Trillium offer dog-friendly options. Expect to see a lot of pups and pints this summer at the beer gardens on the Greenway and Boston Common, as well as on the patios of the Fort Point and Fenway-area taprooms. (If you plan to visit the Canton location, you should leave your pets at home.) Take me there.

Yellow Door Taqueria
Bright picnic tables and a container bar bedecked with bold florals and string lights surround the South End outpost of  Yellow Door Taqueria. It’s a lively place to have a margarita and meet friends, including those who are not bipedal. Take me there.

A version of this post was first published in 2021.