Dog-Friendly Restaurants and Patios

Yes, you can eat out with your dog in Fort Lauderdale, as long as you sit outside. Every place below says, on its own website or in a 2025–2026 local write-up, that leashed dogs are welcome at its outdoor tables, checked in September 2026. Florida keeps pet dogs out of indoor dining rooms, so every table on this page is on a patio, a deck or a dock. Call ahead; policies change.

Florida's rules for dogs on patios

Florida's food code keeps pet dogs out of restaurants. The state's Division of Hotels and Restaurants says pet dogs are generally prohibited, and never allowed inside or walking through the dining room. A 2006 state law, Florida Statute 509.233, lets a city or county create a permit that allows dogs in a restaurant's designated outdoor area. The state sets the minimum rules for those permits: the dog stays on a leash and under control, stays off chairs and tables, and reaches the patio without passing through the building. Staff wash their hands after touching a dog, and hand sanitizer sits on the tables. The law covers dogs only, not cats or other pets.

Wilton Manors runs a permit program under that law (City Code section 050-090), and its version adds that dogs stay on the ground, not in laps. We could not find a 509.233 permit section in Fort Lauderdale's city code or in Broward County's code as of September 2026, so inside the city a patio's dog policy comes down to the restaurant, and it can change with little notice. Service animals are a separate matter: Florida law lets them go inside, and it says emotional support does not make a dog a service animal. Knowingly passing off a pet as a service animal is a second-degree misdemeanor.

Las Olas, downtown and the Riverwalk

• Casa Sensei (1200 E Las Olas Blvd) has a dog menu of “doggie sushi” and an outdoor dock on the Himmarshee Canal.
• Wild Sea Las Olas (620 E Las Olas Blvd, in the Riverside Hotel): the hotel names the restaurant's outside patio as its pet-friendly dining area; only service animals go inside.
• Tarpon River Brewing (280 SW 6th St): dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables.
• Circle House Coffee (727 NE 3rd Ave, Flagler Village): dogs are welcome on the patio.
• Uncommon Path Brewing (710 NW 5th Ave, Progresso Village): a dog-friendly patio and a wood-fired pizza kitchen.

For the rest of the boulevard, see the Las Olas Boulevard guide.

The beach and the Intracoastal

Coconuts (429 Seabreeze Blvd) is the simple choice near the sand: its site says leashed pets are allowed on the patio only, and the patio sits on the water. Farther north, Shooters Waterfront (3033 NE 32nd Ave) has a dog menu and a large patio on the Intracoastal. Dogs are kept off almost all of the city's sand, so pair a patio lunch with the hours in the dog-friendly beaches guide.

17th Street and the marinas

• Boatyard (1555 SE 17th St): dogs outdoors only, on a leash, all four paws on the floor, and no dogs on the furniture.
• Quarterdeck (1035 SE 17th St): dogs are welcome; ask for the Puppy Chow menu.
• Southport Raw Bar (1536 Cordova Rd): the site says it is pet friendly, with 100 seats on a waterfront deck.
• Gilbert's 17th Street Grill (1821 Cordova Rd): dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating.
• LauderAle (3305 SE 14th Ave): leashed dogs are welcome in the covered beer garden.

Wilton Manors and Oakland Park

The Alchemist Cafe (2430 NE 13th Ave, Wilton Manors) serves breakfast and lunch in a gated garden, and its site says dogs are welcome. A few minutes north, Funky Buddha Brewery (1201 NE 38th St, Oakland Park) welcomes well-behaved dogs in its outside patio areas. The Wilton Manors guide covers the rest of the neighborhood.

Near the nest

The closest is Gulf Stream Brewing (1105 NE 13th St), about half a mile from the house. Its site says well-behaved dogs on leashes are always welcome, and it has its own pizza kitchen. Shuck N Dive (650 N Federal Hwy), a Cajun cafe about 1.3 miles south, has an outdoor patio with big picnic tables that a 2025 local guide describes as accommodating to dogs.

Dog-friendly patios by area

Every place on this page, with the rule its own site or a 2025–2026 source gives.

Place	Area	Address	Dog rule
Casa Sensei	Las Olas	1200 E Las Olas Blvd	Outdoor dock; dog menu
Wild Sea Las Olas	Las Olas	620 E Las Olas Blvd	Outside patio only
Tarpon River Brewing	Downtown	280 SW 6th St	Outdoor tables
Circle House Coffee	Flagler Village	727 NE 3rd Ave	Patio
Uncommon Path Brewing	Progresso Village	710 NW 5th Ave	Dog-friendly patio
Coconuts	Beach	429 Seabreeze Blvd	Leashed, patio only
Shooters Waterfront	Intracoastal	3033 NE 32nd Ave	Patio; dog menu
Boatyard	17th Street	1555 SE 17th St	Outdoors, leashed, four paws on the floor
Quarterdeck	17th Street	1035 SE 17th St	Puppy Chow menu
Southport Raw Bar	17th Street	1536 Cordova Rd	Pet friendly; waterfront deck
Gilbert's 17th Street Grill	17th Street	1821 Cordova Rd	Outdoor seating
LauderAle	17th Street area	3305 SE 14th Ave	Leashed, covered beer garden
The Alchemist Cafe	Wilton Manors	2430 NE 13th Ave	Garden seating
Funky Buddha Brewery	Oakland Park	1201 NE 38th St	Outside patio areas
Gulf Stream Brewing	Near the nest	1105 NE 13th St	Leashed, well-behaved
Shuck N Dive	Near the nest	650 N Federal Hwy	Patio picnic tables

Before you go

Call ahead; policies change. A new manager, a private event or a packed brunch can close a patio to dogs, and some waterfront spots never allowed them: Kaluz on the Intracoastal, for one, posts that it welcomes service animals only. Keep the leash short, keep the dog on the floor and bring water. For heat and paw safety, read keeping your dog safe in South Florida, and for a first look at the city with a dog, see our short overview post.

Check Dates & Book