Dog lovers across Toronto know the struggle: nothing kills a vibe like leaving your pup behind on a sunny patio day. Luckily, thanks to relaxed provincial rules around food service and furry friends, a growing number of spots — especially breweries and cideries — are officially rolling out the welcome mat for dogs.
Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act was updated to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas, and even some indoor spaces, as long as the food served is considered “low-risk” (think pre-packaged snacks, not sizzling burgers). It’s opened the door — literally — for more dog-friendly hangouts, and many local breweries have happily jumped on board.
Here are four of Toronto’s best breweries where dogs are more than welcome — they’re practically regulars.
Black Lab Brewery
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
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.
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)
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.
