Dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix Arizona is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. They told us that he was only expected to live three more months and up to 6 at the most. Louie already was old and couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed eating and going out to eat so I took him out as often as I could and instead of the 3-6 months Louie made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.

There are some things that you need to know if you dine out with dogs. Not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. You need to see a sign or license posted that the restaurant is dog friendly….

If you don’t see a sign then you need to call and ask the restaurant if you can bring your furry friend.

From experience I highly recommend that you dine out with your dog at off times to avoid possible problems. Some people just don’t like dogs and other people are allergic. It’s best to avoid other dogs too because dogs enjoy barking at each other and that might be considered to be a disturbance and you could be asked to leave.

You need to know that dogs must be by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture and dogs are NOT to eat off restaurant plates.

Did you know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even TOXIC to your dog? You must get a list of safe foods and foods to avoid from your veterinarian. You also need to be aware that your dog is NOT as heat tolerant as you are. Dogs wear a fur coat all the time and absorb heat up their paws. They also can’t sweat. All dogs do differ just like people but in general 90 degrees F is too hot to dine out with dogs. Maybe some dogs can take 90 degrees or less but only in shade.

Our first destination this month is Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante. They are an Italian restaurant that specializes in serving Neapolitan Pizzas, House made pastas, Italian foods, seasonal specials and more. They also have a comfortable all weather dog friendly patio with misters and shades for cooling. They also have portable heaters for those few chilly days and an indoor outdoor bar with a TV for other people.

The patio has a nice park-like atmosphere.

Our nice server brings water for the dogs.

Then we get some fresh baked breads.

I get the seasonal special of Chicken piccata. I had a small side salad with it that I forgot to photo.

The chicken is intense with lemon. It really doesn’t taste like other chicken piccata dishes that I have had. They tell me that the food here is authentic Italian and the chef and pizza maker are both from Italy.

My husband gets the Bottega Pizza (sausage and pepperoni).

My dogs are pretty happy to be getting lots of chicken.

www.BottegaRistorante.com

Next we went to Oscar’s Pier 83 in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide.

They have a nice comfortable patio that is nicely spaced with large comfortable tables. They also have some new outside shades too.

My husband got fried cod, oysters and shrimp.

I got the cajun catfish with added vegetables.

To my surprise the dogs enjoyed squash and zucchini very much. They also got to eat fish but I had to be extra careful on what I fed them because there was a lot of cajun seasoning on the fish that contains onion and garlic that is very bad for dogs. I cut both sides of seasoning off the fish so the dogs could have some. The fish was very crispy…much crispier than it normally is here. With all the seasoning it was hard to tell that it was catfish but it seemed fresh.

www.OP83.com

We love going to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They offer most of your favorite Vietnamese dishes except for pho.

Today my husband had a shaken beef Banh Mi baguette sandwich. (the beef is always REALLY great here….to me it is like filet mignon but I know that it is rib eye)

I got a noodle bowl….

It’s BIG and everything here is delicious! I got a BIG bowl of rice noodles topped with minty herby salad, marinated seasoned chicken with crushed peanut and fried shallots, (my husband accidentally got me tofu too that is very tasty) a crispy egg roll, fish sauce for dipping and chili paste. Both meals could be two meals for some people. I got plenty to share.

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

My lucky dogs got to revisit Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale again.

We all got to see the NEW expanded patio.

Today they started us off with a complimentary basket of fresh baked focaccia and a bowl of water for my VIPS ( Very Important Pups) My husband got the sausage special with a choice of fresh hand made pasta (he picked trofie)

I got the strawberry chicken salad.

We all enjoyed our visit to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante!

That was dining out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix for January 2021.

This month we visited –

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante – Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide

Oscar’s Pier 83 – Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery – North Phoenix

We hope to see you next month!