Plenty of the dog friendly patios in Cleveland are on the west side, in Ohio City around West 25th Street and the West Side Market. There is another good one on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood and one downtown on East Fourth Street, which means you can plan a whole afternoon with the dog without getting back in the car between stops.
The places here all welcome dogs on the patio, and several go further with water bowls or a courtyard set back from the sidewalk. For every outdoor table in town, including rooftops and riverfront bars in the Flats, open the full Cleveland patio guide.
Patio rules can change with the weather or a busy weekend, so call or check with the restaurant before bringing a large dog to a crowded brunch.
Dogs welcome
Where to eat and drink outside with your dog
Ohio City
TownHall
Best for: Weekend brunch with the dog
TownHall is on West 25th Street in Ohio City and has one of the larger patios in the neighborhood, with water bowls set out for dogs. The brunch menu is long, with huevos rancheros, cold brew and plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, so a mixed group can all order something. It gets busy on summer weekends, so expect a wait for an outside table and bring a little patience for the dog too.
Ohio City
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Best for: A house beer next to the West Side Market
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio’s pioneering craft brewery, sits on Market Avenue in a pair of historic buildings beside the West Side Market. The patio is dog friendly. Order a house beer such as Dortmunder Gold or Edmund Fitzgerald Porter with a pub meal. Market Avenue runs just off West 25th, so this works as the first or last stop of an Ohio City walk with the dog.
Ohio City
Market Garden Brewery
Best for: Room to spread out in a beer garden
Market Garden Brewery is across West 25th from the West Side Market, with a big multi-level beer garden and an outdoor fireplace. Dogs are welcome outside. Pizza and sandwiches suit a patio table, and a Progress Pilsner or Citramax IPA goes with either. When you finish, dessert is a short walk away on West 25th, which gives the dog one more stretch before the ride home.
Ohio City
Momocho
Best for: Guacamole and margaritas on Fulton Road
Momocho is a modern Mexican restaurant on Fulton Road, a few blocks west of the West 25th Street strip, with a dog-friendly patio. It is known for guacamole flights, and ordering one with a round of margaritas outside is the reason to go. Being off the main strip can help if your dog does better with less foot traffic going past the table.
Ohio City
Heck's Cafe
Best for: A burger in a courtyard
Heck’s Cafe is a long-running burger restaurant in a converted townhouse on Bridge Avenue in Ohio City. Its dog-friendly patio is a courtyard, which keeps your table away from the sidewalk. Order the Burger Au Cheval, topped with a fried egg, or another of the signature burgers. Heck’s has sister locations in Avon and Beachwood, but the courtyard described here is on Bridge Avenue.
Lakewood
Around the Corner
Best for: A Lakewood neighborhood bar with a big patio
Around the Corner is a neighborhood bar on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, the city that borders Cleveland on the west. The patio is large and dog friendly, and it draws a lively crowd on summer weekends, so it suits a social dog best. The kitchen is known for the ATC Cheeseburger with pub sauce and melted cheddar, and there is weekend brunch if you would rather go earlier in the day.
Downtown
Mabel's BBQ
Best for: Barbecue downtown before a game
Mabel’s BBQ is on East Fourth Street, the pedestrian block downtown a short walk from the ballpark and the arena. It serves Cleveland-style barbecue, including its kielbasa and the Polish Girl sandwich, and the patio is dog friendly. Get a barbecue platter and eat outside before a game. Game days bring crowds to East Fourth, so a calm dog will handle it better than a nervous one.
Plan the walk
An Ohio City afternoon with your dog
TownHall, Market Garden Brewery and Great Lakes Brewing Company are within a few blocks of each other around the West Side Market, with Heck’s Cafe on Bridge Avenue and Momocho on Fulton Road a little farther west. That makes an easy loop on foot.
A simple plan is brunch on the TownHall patio, a walk past the market along West 25th, then a beer outside at Great Lakes or Market Garden. If the dog still has energy by evening, finish with a burger in the courtyard at Heck’s.
Before you go
How to keep your dog welcome on a patio
Keep the leash short and the dog under or beside the table, out of the path servers use. Bring your own water for the walk between stops even where bowls are set out, and on hot afternoons pick a shaded table, since patio pavement holds heat.
If a patio is packed, ask for a table at the edge. It is easier on the dog and on the people around you. Outdoor seating in Cleveland depends on the weather, and restaurants can close a patio on short notice, so check before you head out. For rooftops and riverfront tables when the dog stays home, see every patio on the Cleveland map.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
Do all of these places serve food?
Yes. The list runs from brunch at TownHall to barbecue at Mabel’s BBQ, pizza at Market Garden Brewery and pub meals at Great Lakes Brewing Company.
Where can I sit outside without the dog?
The full patio guide covers The Garden of Eden, a rooftop terrace on East Ninth Street downtown, plus riverfront spots in the Flats such as Shooters on the Water and Lago East Bank.
Is there a patio outside the city worth the drive?
Tinkers Creek Tavern in Walton Hills has a back patio along the creek, close to the Cuyahoga Valley. Call ahead about dogs.
More outdoor tables
See every Cleveland patio on the map
Rooftops downtown, riverfront bars in the Flats and neighborhood patios across the city are all in the full patio guide.