Dog Friendly City Guide: New York City, USA

New York runs on its feet, and a dog slots straight into the rhythm. This is a city you cross on the pavement, where the dog comes with you into the corner bar and the neighbourhood bistro as a matter of course, and where, by some happy accident, a good number of the bars seem to be named after a dog already. You will not want for somewhere to eat, drink or sleep with your companion here.

What follows is the verified version, the places we have actually checked rather than the ones a booking site waved through. Each one has been confirmed as genuinely dog friendly, and the hotels at the end are ranked against the Roch Dog Friendly Standard.

A City of Dog Bars

It is hard not to notice that a fair share of New York's bars are named for the dog. Barking Dog, Lucky Dog and Salty Dog are exactly what they sound like, Hair of the Dog does what the name promises the morning after, and Mad Dog & Beans and Dog & Bone round out a roster that feels purpose-built for the four-legged regular.

The Grey Dog is the all-day cafe-bar the locals settle into. And when you want a room without a canine pun over the door, Mercury Bar, Bar B and The Wing Bar keep a water bowl by the stool just the same.

Eating Out

For a proper sit-down the choices run wide. Bar Pitti is the kind of sidewalk-table Italian New Yorkers stay loyal to, Cafeteria does its round-the-clock comfort food, and Nizza and Pepolino bring an easy Mediterranean welcome to the table.

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Good Enough to Eat is the brunch institution worth the wait, and when it is a slice you are after, Garlic Pizza Bar and Rocco's Pizza Joint take the dog without a second look.

Wine and Coffee

For wine and a quieter hour, Ayza pairs the glass with chocolate, D.O.C. Wine Bar keeps an Italian list, and Wine 30 is the snug neighbourhood pour. Between walks the coffee is covered too, at Il Caffe Latte, Pause Cafe and the dependable Think Coffee.

Where to Walk

New York's green is mostly leashed and mostly shared, but there is room to roam once you head for the edges. Forest Park gives you genuine woodland trail out in Queens, and Van Cortlandt Park opens up the Bronx's largest green space, both a long way in spirit from the crowded midtown pavements.

Where to Stay

Which leaves the bed. New York's certified hotels have each been assessed and ranked against the Roch Dog Friendly Standard on what they actually do for a dog and its owner, not on what the booking page claims.

The strongest welcomes are the Ace Hotel and the Whitby, both earning a B. Below them, rated and reviewed in turn, sit the Dominick, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge over the river in Brooklyn, and the Ludlow and Marlton downtown, so you can match the welcome to the neighbourhood and know what each is worth before you book.

The full list of certified dog friendly hotels in New York shows how every one was ranked, and what that ranking buys you and your dog.

This guide was first published on 1 June 2023 and updated on 8 June 2026.