The 10 best dog-friendly restaurants in Charlotte

Dog-friendly dining around Charlotte runs from a Tega Cay restaurant with a fenced dog yard and Scottish dishes such as cockaleeky pie to Korean-inspired Southern barbecue with an on-site dog park in Optimist Park, a LoSo taproom with an enclosed dog run and a Montford bar that Axios Charlotte reported in 2025 keeps a separate menu for dogs. This list covers 10 restaurants and brewpubs in Charlotte, Concord and Tega Cay, S.C., that welcome dogs, from $6.95 house spreads to a $75 chef’s tasting. Five of them spell out that dogs stay outside, and the others describe a dog-friendly patio or list the restaurant as dog friendly. The list is for dog owners who want a meal without leaving the pup at home and for visitors traveling with a dog. Entries are listed alphabetically, not ranked.

How we chose

Each restaurant states a dog policy on the restaurant’s own website, or, in one case, a named local outlet reported the policy, and each showed 2026 activity through a county health inspection or a live event calendar. Picks are based on the dog setup, such as a fenced yard, a dog run, an on-site dog park or a dog menu, plus the food, prices from each restaurant’s own menu and coverage from Axios Charlotte, Charlotte Agenda and WBTV. Apart from Angry Ale’s, whose own site could not be read, restaurants that did not state a dog policy on their own sites were left out, along with breweries that rely on food trucks. Two national or regional chains made the list. No restaurant paid to be included. Prices and hours were last checked on November 10, 2026.

Angry Ale’s

This Montford Drive bar and grill keeps two menus, one for people and one for pets, Axios Charlotte reported in a list of dog-friendly patios updated in June 2022. In April 2025, Axios reported that the dog menu includes a grilled burger patty with optional cheese, grilled chicken tenders, bacon by the slice and a puppy latte of whipped cream in a cup. Charlotte Agenda reported in 2016 that dogs are allowed on the patio only.

Why we chose them

• Axios reported an updated brunch menu in 2025 with a breakfast bagel burger and a mimosa bar.
• Mecklenburg County inspectors gave the kitchen a 93 in September 2026.
• Call ahead to confirm the dog menu, which was last reported in 2025.

Address: Charlotte (Montford) — 1518 Montford Drive

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Brewers at 4001 Yancey

Dogs stay out of the taproom at this LoSo brewery and restaurant, but they are welcome in the beer garden, on the covered patio and on a partially enclosed patio, and an enclosed dog run lets them play, according to the FAQ. The taps pour 35 to 40 rotating beers and ciders from Victory, Sixpoint, Southern Tier and Bold Rock, plus beers brewed on site under the CLT Brew’d name. The kitchen’s menu includes a $10.50 Victory pretzel with beer cheese and a $15.50 BBQ bacon burger.

Why we chose them

• Taco Tuesday brings $4 tacos and $7 margaritas.
• Kids eat free on Sundays with the purchase of a handheld, salad, bowl, entree or pizza.
• The October 31 Halloween party included a costume contest for dogs.
• Drinksgiving on November 25 has $5 CLT Brew’d beers and $10 cocktails.

Address: Charlotte (LoSo) — 4001-A Yancey Road

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Cabarrus Brewing Co.

This brewery in the historic Gibson Mill complex serves food, so dogs are limited to the patio and the Biergarten, and only leashed, calm dogs are allowed, according to the brewery’s FAQ. The brewpub menu runs from beer-battered Wisconsin cheese curds and a 10-ounce Bavarian pretzel with beer cheese to double smash burgers and a shaved-sirloin Philly. Live music plays in the Tap Room every Friday and Saturday from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Why we chose them

• Look for the grain silo with the CBC logo on McGill Avenue to find the entrance.
• The Tap Room generally takes no reservations.
• Guests under 21 are welcome with an adult.
• The November calendar includes a Sunday run club and Thursday bike nights.

Address: Concord (Gibson Mill) — 329 McGill Ave. NW

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Chapter Six

Rare Roots Hospitality, the family-owned group Jon and Kim Dressler started in Birkdale Village in 2003, runs this Western Mediterranean restaurant near the Rail Trail, and the homepage invites diners to a covered, pet-friendly patio. The menu draws on Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, France and Italy. The Treatment, a chef-led tasting of on- and off-menu dishes, is $75 per person and raises $5 per guest for a partner charity.

Why we chose them

• Whipped ricotta with mint-pistachio pistou is $14 on the brunch menu.
• Dinner starts at 4 p.m. daily.
• Sunday brunch runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Executive chef Bernard Crate leads the kitchen.

Address: Charlotte (South End) — 2151 Hawkins St., Suite 120

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Hawthorne’s NY Pizza & Bar

Family-owned since 2004 by owners from New York, according to the restaurant’s website, Hawthorne’s now lists 10 locations around Charlotte, and the homepage invites diners to the patio with the line “Family & Dog friendly.” The Seventh Street restaurant’s menu has 18-inch New York cheese pies for $18.99 and specialty pies such as the Elizabeth Special, with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers and onions, for $27.99.

Why we chose them

• An order of six garlic knots is $8.99.
• Jumbo wings come seven to an order for $12.99, with sauces including Long Island style and garlic Parmesan.
• The Seventh Street location is closed on Mondays.
• Call ahead to confirm the patio is open, since the dog-friendly line covers the whole brand.

Address: Charlotte (Elizabeth) — 1701 E. Seventh St.

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Kid Cashew

The Charlotte page for this wood-fire grill lists Dog Friendly and a large, heated patio among the amenities, along with free, spacious parking. Kid Cashew has three locations, in Charlotte, Mount Pleasant, S.C., and Sandy Springs, Ga., and the menu leans Mediterranean. House spreads of tzatziki, hummus and spicy feta are $6.95 each, and a half rotisserie chicken brined for 48 hours is $12.95.

Why we chose them

• Wood-fire grilled Spanish octopus is $12.95.
• Wild-caught salmon is $17.95, and a flame-grilled lamb burger is $12.95.
• A lunch Pick 2 deal is $11.95.
• Sunday opens at 10 a.m. with a brunch menu.

Address: Charlotte (Dilworth) — 1608 East Blvd.

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Maisie’s Green Brae

Christine and Karl Schaefer opened this restaurant in June 2026 and named the place for Maisie, their one-eyed foxhound rescue, according to the restaurant’s website. A fenced dog yard lets dogs run off leash with their owners, dogs are welcome on a leash throughout the outdoor space, and water bowls are set out, though dogs stay out of the indoor dining room. The menu mixes Southern and Scottish comfort food, from a Steak and Ale Pie to an oatmeal-breaded Skirlie chicken sandwich.

Why we chose them

• A Holiday Puppy Couture Pageant runs December 5 at the Maisie’s Gone Plaid festival.
• There is no dog menu, but the kitchen can usually do plain grilled chicken.
• Happy hour brings $5 drafts and $9 craft cocktails.
• Monday and Tuesday are the restaurant’s days off.

Address: Tega Cay, S.C. — 2150 Gold Hill Road

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Market on Morehead

The team behind Market on Main in Columbia, S.C., built this 10,000-square-foot restaurant, which logged a first county inspection on May 21, 2026, and the About page says the covered patio welcomes four-legged guests alongside their owners. The patio has heaters, misters and retractable screens for year-round use. Executive chef Howard Stephens’s fall menu includes the M.O.M. Burger, two 5-ounce Brasstown Beef patties with truffle frites, for $22.

Why we chose them

• M.O.M. burgers are half off on Tuesdays, WBTV’s QC Life reported in September.
• A 12-ounce picanha steak is $40.
• Weekday lunch guests park on the top level of the Morehead Square deck.
• The kitchen is closed on Mondays.

Address: Charlotte (South End) — 1001 Morehead Square Drive, Suite 100

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The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Ballantyne

Founder John Marrino opened OMB in 2009, and the brewery’s Ballantyne location at The Bowl opened in 2024, according to the brewery’s website. Dogs are welcome only in the outdoor Biergarten, on a leash, and the Biergarten has a separate ordering window. The menu mixes German pretzels and sausages with American burgers, and the beer is brewed to the Reinheitsgebot: water, malt, hops and yeast only.

Why we chose them

• The jumbo pretzel is $18, and an OMB smash burger with fries is $13.50.
• Sundays bring $5 Olde Mecks and $1 wings.
• Ballantyne takes no reservations on Saturdays or Sundays.
• A 2026 Christmas Market is on the Ballantyne calendar.

Address: Charlotte (Ballantyne) — 15025 Bowl St.

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Seoul Food Meat Company

Owner Tim Chun opened this Mill District location in October 2022 with about 15,000 square feet indoors and 12,000 outdoors, including a dog park, a playground and a splash zone, Axios Charlotte reported. Each Seoul Food location has an on-site dog park, and dogs must be leashed on the patio, bar and courtyard and stay out of the restaurant, according to the FAQ. The menu is Southern barbecue with Korean-inspired flavors, served family-style on trays.

Why we chose them

• Kids eat free Monday through Wednesday with an adult meal of $14 or more.
• Daily specials include $2 tacos on Tuesdays.
• The Mill District location has a free on-site lot near the 25th Street light rail station.
• Most tables are first come, first served, though courtyard tables at the Mill District can be requested by email.

Address: Charlotte (Optimist Park) — 421 E. 26th St., with a second location at 1400 S. Church St. in South End

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Prices, hours and opening status last checked November 10, 2026. Call ahead where an entry says to.