Black-lab-brewing

Four dog-friendly breweries and tap rooms in Toronto

Dog lovers across the city are always looking for places they can take their furry friends to — and that includes dog-friendly patios and breweries!

The Ontario Regulations and Statutes in force as of Jan. 1, 2020 have adjusted some laws under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to make patios more accessible for dogs. This has implemented an education to inform business owners on proper mandated health and safety restrictions in order to make Toronto patios, indoor breweries, cider houses and wineries more accessible for man’s best friend.

The Act outlined more relaxed restrictions for business owners in outdoor and indoor food premises, where the food is “low-risk.” Meaning in spots where pre-packaged foods and beverages are served.

Some of the city’s craft breweries have already adopted these principles. Here are four of the city’s dog-friendly breweries:

Black Lab Brewery

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This Leslieville taproom is the front runner in advocating for dog-friendly breweries and tap rooms in the city. The brewery encourages dog-owners to bring their pups along and even serve a “Bark Brew” dog beer. The beef ale created by Pet Winery is available for your dog, while you can enjoy one of Black Lab’s assorted beers on tap. They also have occasional food pop-ups, so you can grab a bite and spend the afternoon sipping without having to worry about letting the dog out.

Left Field Brewery

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Another east end favourite that caters to canines is Left Field Brewery. The dog-friendly spot is always filled with pups and welcomes all dogs as long as they are well behaved and on a leash. If your dog is out of line Wrigley, their head of security, will take care of it.

Henderson Brewing Co.

@hendersonbrewing/Instagram

On the west side of town you can find dog-centric brew house, Henderson Brewing Company. After hosting a Dogtoberfest event in October 2019 for Get Leashed Magazine, they caught the attention of many of the city’s pet-lovers. Now the Roncesvalles brewery is constantly hosting many of the city’s good boys and girls.

Bellwoods Brewery (Hafis Road)

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Bellwoods Brewery’s Leslie and Keele location welcomes all two and four-legged clientele. Being that this taproom is a lot more open than the Ossington location, Bellwoods’ Hafis Road location is more accessible for your furry friends.

The lead photo of Snoopy (at top) provided courtesy of Karen Weiler of Posh Pets Photography. 

For a pub with a new dog-friendly menu in Toronto, click here.

Article exclusive to STREETS OF TORONTO