Dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix is just a “FLUFF” story about where I take my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly and diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told to only expect three months and maybe up to six months for him to live. He couldn’t do a lot. but he always enjoyed eating and going out to eat. so I took him out to eat as often as I could. Instead of only three to six months Louie made it another seventeen months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.

There are a lot of things that you need to know about dining out with dogs. First thing that you need to realize is that many restaurants do have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. You need to see a sign posted that reads dog friendly patio. If you don’t see that then you must call the restaurant and ask if it is ok to dine there with your dog. It might seem strange but it is ALWAYS BEST to dine at off times and avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. Some people do’t share your love for dogs….Other people may be allergic to dogs. It’s best to avoid other dogs because dogs tend to bark at each other and this is a disturbance and you can be asked to leave.

You need to know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even toxic to your furry friend. You need to get a list of foods to avoid and safe foods for your dog from your veterinarian. Usually a small un-sauced lean piece of meat is usually a safe bet. Also here in Phoenix it often gets too hot to dine out with dogs. Your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. They have fur coats, they can’t sweat, and they absorb heat up their paws. Everyone and every dog is different but for the most part 90 degrees F and up is too hot to dine out with dogs. When ever there is any doubt keep your dog safe and leave them at home.

If you do take your dog out to eat you need to know that your dog must be by your side at all times. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off of restaurant plates. You should bring a water bowl with you for dining out with dogs.

We thought about a new treat for the dogs today and went to NakedQ BBQ in North Phoenix. It’s a casual BBQ restaurant. I like the BBQ turkey here because it is consistently delicious and moist. My other favorite is when they offer the BBQ corned beef…GOSH it’s usually FORKING amazing.

They have two high top tables for dining outside and we thought it would be difficult so we took our food togo and stopped at a cute little park on Union Hills & 59TH. The dogs were delighted by the smell of BBQ.

Me and the dogs enjoyed NakedQ BBQ’s AMAZING BBQ turkey on a garden salad.

The BBQ turkey is always amazing at this NakedQ BBQ. It was so good my bigger dog kept whacking me in my gut with her paw to get more turkey.

The dogs also enjoyed some BBQ Brisket, BBQ Pork, and Hot Links from my husband’s plate.

We enjoyed our take out from NakedQ BBQ in North Phoenix.

www.NakedQ.com

2340 W Bell RD PHX AZ

602-439-4227

We made a trip to The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen in North Scottsdale. This restaurant is a craft kitchen and distillery. Today my husband got the Brunch Burger.

Look at the BIG SMILE on my dog’s face. This burger was ground in house of short rib and brisket. The. burger is also made of a fried egg, American cheese, and house made maple ketchup on a brioche bun and house chips. My dogs were WAY MORE excited about my husband’s lunch than mine today…….(They also got to eat mostly his burger today)

I had the shipwright ahi tuna salad today.

I have had this before and today’s does taste different. It was still good so I didn’t complain but it taste like it was missing some of the ingredients…or maybe it just had too much wasabi taste today that burnt out all the other flavors?????? Still good though…..The dogs got a small amount of ahi tuna.

My dogs hung out with my husband today……

We enjoyed ourselves at The Craftsman.

www.cheers@TheCraftsmanAZ.com

20469 N Hayden RD Scottsdale

480-401-1102

We also took the dogs to Twisted Italian in North Peoria. They serve mostly typical Italian foods and some twisted things like home made pierogi and Italian chili rellenos. The Twisted Italian is always a good choice for dining out with dogs because they only have two outside tables so we avoid potential problems.

I had the salmon lunch platter.

It comes with a lot of vegetables (green beans, asparagus, zucchini, and broccoli) and a good amount of pasta in a lemon white wine caper sauce. My dogs liked helping me eat almost everything on this platter. I was surprised that they liked the zucchini about the same as the fish. I liked the green beans but I think the green beans were the dogs least favorite.

My husband got the Italian beef and sausage sandwich with fries.

They gave him an enormous amount of meat there. They gave him beef jus, giardinier. The dogs got to enjoy some of the beef and a tiny bit of sausage.

We did alright at Twisted Italian in Peoria.

www.EatTwisted.com

9940 W Happy Valley Rd Peoria AZ

623-537-4000

We regularly go to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving around a dozen different banh mi baguette sandwiches. Other popular dishes that they offer are noodle bowls and rice plates but they don’t serve pho.

We both got the noodle bowls today. I got the chicken and my husband got the grilled pork. Here’s a better look at the chicken noodle bowl.

It’s a very large bowl of food. There is salad with pickled vegetables and fresh mint and rice noodles, a crispy egg roll and lots of marinated chicken. For some people this can be two meals. I have my dogs to share with and they sure don’t mind helping to eat the chicken.

They get to eat grilled pork too.

We always do great when we go to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ

602-843-3637

That was dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix. We hope that you have enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.