Editorial
London is, in theory, a dog-friendly city. The parks are excellent, the pavements are wide, and the British relationship with dogs is deep enough to have produced an entire cultural tradition of treating them as near-equals in public spaces. The bars, however, vary enormously. Some welcome dogs with water bowls, biscuits, and staff who crouch down to say hello. Others technically permit dogs but make you feel like you've committed an offence by bringing one. These are the genuine article — the bars in London where your dog gets as warm a reception as you do.
A genuinely dog-friendly bar provides water without being asked. It has staff who notice the dog and react positively. It has flooring you can clean without drama, space for a dog to settle without blocking everyone, and a management culture that chose to welcome dogs rather than merely tolerate them. The difference is palpable: a bar that welcomes dogs feels relaxed and warm in a specific way. The best ones in London are below.
Certain London neighbourhoods have higher concentrations of dog-friendly bars than others — Hackney, Hammersmith, South East London, and parts of North London have developed cultures around dog ownership that their bars have followed. These five span the city and represent the best of their respective areas.
A few things worth knowing before you arrive. Even the most dog-friendly London bars have limits during their busiest sessions — Friday and Saturday evenings after 8pm are the moments when a phone call ahead is worth making. Dogs should be on leads in all but the most explicitly off-lead spaces. Water bowls are available in all the bars above but carrying a collapsible bowl removes any uncertainty. And while all eight bars welcome dogs of all sizes, larger dogs in particularly compact rooms appreciate the consideration of arriving at off-peak times.
Our London craft beer guide has a significant overlap with dog-friendly options — taprooms in particular tend toward welcoming dog policies. The broader hidden gems section covers the neighbourhood bars across all our cities that combine quality and warmth in equal measure.
Sofia covers the European bar scene and has been based between London and Berlin for a decade. She believes the best bars welcome dogs without making a performance of it, and tests this theory regularly with her whippet.