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Dinner with the dog

Local Matters

Dinner with the dog

Georgie, enjoying a late-summer “pup cup” on the porch at Grassland Dessert Cafe in Lakeville.

Natalia Zukerman

Dog owners know the dilemma: You’re out for the day with your four-legged sidekick when hunger strikes. Fortunately, a number of area restaurants, cafés and breweries welcome dogs, mostly at outdoor tables. Policies and outdoor seating can change with the season, so calling ahead is always a good idea.

The White Hart and Provisions in Salisbury is particularly pet-friendly. The inn welcomes pets on request, and its front porch and sprawling lawn make inviting places to settle in with a canine companion. They even welcome well-behaved patrons — bipedal and quadruped alike — in the cozy dining area.

At Harney & Sons in Millerton, dogs are welcome on the outdoor terrace, where their humans can stop for tea, sandwiches, salads and other light fare. Nearby, The Millerton Inn has a spacious front porch for outdoor dining; the inn itself also accepts pets on request.

Le Gamin in Sharon has plentiful outdoor seating for you and your pooch. French bulldogs may feel especially at home but everyone is welcome.

Grassland Dessert Cafe in Lakeville makes sure four-legged customers aren’t left out of dessert. Dogs can join their humans at the outdoor seating, and the cafe even offers a pup cup, because just watching someone else eat ice cream is too much to ask of anyone.

Mizza’s in Lakeville welcomes dogs at its outdoor tables in good weather, making pizza night an option for the whole family — including the member who eats things off the floor.

In Wassaic, The Lantern Inn makes its position charmingly clear: “We love kind dogs, on leashes, with their owners.” Dogs can join diners in the restaurant’s outdoor garden.

Four Brothers Drive-In in Amenia may be the ultimate dog date night. The drive-in describes itself as designed with “families, friends & pets in mind,” and leashed dogs are welcome to hang out on the lawn and around the drive-in grounds. There’s even a section of the menu at The Shack called “Paw Treats,” featuring “The Fiona,” a serving of vanilla custard and peanut butter topped with a doggy biscuit!

Off The Trail Cafe in Falls Village has outdoor seating where diners can relax with their dogs, although seating is limited.

Farther afield, Market Place Tavern in Litchfield welcomes dogs at designated outdoor patio tables, while Rhinebeck’s Smoky Rock BBQ has multiple dog-friendly outdoor tables. At Terrapin Restaurant, well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome on the outdoor patio and in the covered, open-air pavilion.

For beer-loving humans, Subversive Malting & Brewing in Catskill allows leashed, well-behaved dogs outdoors and in its heated tent; Suarez Family Brewery near Hudson welcomes leashed dogs on its outdoor patio; and Union Street Brewing Co. in Hudson welcomes well-behaved dogs in its garden.

Natalia Zukerman
Arts, Lifestyle and Enagement Editor
Natalia Zukerman is arts, lifestyle and engagement editor for The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News. She writes about the region's vibrant cultural life, produces the weekly What To Do newsletter and contributes a weekly cartoon to the newspapers. Beyond journalism, Natalia is an accomplished musician, painter, educator and cultural diplomat. Her boundless passion for the arts enriches communities worldwide. She lives in Millerton with her dog, Georgie.
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