Dog-friendly patios and cafes in Langley

Your dog can join you on a restaurant patio in Langley, but never inside the dining room, and only where the restaurant has decided to allow it. That’s the provincial rule, and it explains a lot: why you’re sent round the side gate, why the water bowl isn’t one of their glasses, and why the answer at one café is yes and next door is no.

What BC allows: dogs on patios, service dogs inside

BC’s Food Premises Regulation starts from “no animals.” Section 25 makes two standing exceptions: guide and service dogs (kept out of any area where food is prepared, processed or stored) and fish in an aquarium. Anything else needs a health officer’s OK.

Since March 2020 a provincial policy has set out how a restaurant can say yes to pet dogs outdoors. The restaurant has to:

• get an updated sanitation plan approved by its health inspector first;
• keep food prep and utensil storage off the patio;
• give dogs an entrance that doesn’t pass through the inside;
• keep dogs leashed, in a harness or in a carrier, and on the ground;
• never let a dog eat or drink from the restaurant’s reusable dishes;
• have staff wash their hands after touching a dog.

It also suggests a sign at the patio entrance reading “Dogs are permitted in outdoor dining areas and owners are responsible for controlling their dogs at all times.” No restaurant has to take part, and some allow only certain dogs.

Service dogs are different. The policy notes that restaurants must accommodate a person who relies on a guide or service dog, and that the BC Human Rights Code protects them even when the dog isn’t formally certified. A service dog can come indoors.

What it means at the table: dog on the ground, not on your lap or a chair; bring your own collapsible bowl; use the outside way in.

Fort Langley dog friendly patios

• Trading Post Eatery (Trading Post Brewing), 9143 Glover Road. The brewery’s site says its outdoor patios are dog friendly. The Fort Langley page describes a heated patio used year-round and a turf “Parking Lot Patio” that it calls dog friendly and pitches as the summer spot. The menu changes with the seasons: burgers, salads, pastas and shared plates. 604-343-2337 ext 2. tradingpostbrewing.com
• Trails End (Smugglers’ Trail Caskworks), 23285 Billy Brown Rd #100, beside the Fraser River. A café, taproom and bistro that serves breakfast through dinner. Its site says it has two dog-friendly patios. 778-705-2225. smugglerstrailcask.com

Dog friendly patios on 64 Avenue (Willoughby)

• Camp Beer Co., 110-19664 64 Ave. “Can I bring my dog?” is in its FAQ, and the answer is yes: pets are allowed on the patio. It runs a full kitchen and doesn’t allow outside food, and there’s a kids’ menu. Hours: Monday to Thursday 12pm–10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm–11pm, Sunday 10am–9pm (visit page). 604-427-4287.
• Trading Post Brewing tasting room, #107-20120 64th Ave. The same “outdoor patios are dog friendly” note covers the brewery. The kitchen does pizzas, pretzels, snacks and shared plates. 604-343-2337 ext 1. tradingpostbrewing.com

Dog friendly in Langley City

• Farm Country Brewing, 20555 56 Ave #5. “Dog friendly” and “kids welcome” are both on its home page, and Neapolitan pizza is the new thing on the menu. (778) 819-2288. farmcountrybrewing.com

Downtown, the Downtown Langley Business Association runs a Dog-Friendly Downtown program. Its list of patios and cafés that welcome dogs is growing, so check it before a walk along Fraser Highway.

A farm stop with its own dog park

• Roots and Wings Distillery, 7897 240th Street. It goes further than a patio. There’s a private off-leash dog park for customers, plus a patio and picnic area where you can sit with your dog afterwards, and food is served. The site asks owners to supervise their dogs and pick up after them. The home page lists Friday 12–9pm, Saturday 12–9pm and Sunday 12–7pm, with Thursday closed. 604-371-2268. rootsandwingsdistillery.ca

Is a dog friendly cafe missing here?

Probably. Plenty of places quietly let dogs onto the patio without saying so online, and we only list a business when its own website or official page says dogs are welcome. If your local café puts out a water bowl, it can tell us through /submit/ and we’ll check its site.

Before the patio, burn some energy off at one of the off-leash dog parks. Muddy afterwards? Here are the dog groomers and self-serve dog washes. If the dog can’t come along, try dog daycare and boarding. More breweries are on our Langley craft breweries page.

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