When the sun’s out, everyone wants to be outside drinking and dining — and that includes the dog. But not all establishments allow four-legged, furry friends to visit.

Read on to learn about the best places to enjoy a drink or meal alongside your dog this spring, summer, and fall in Eau Claire.

The Oxbow Hotel

Even if you’re not an overnight guest at this 30-room downtown hotel — which Grammy-winning singer and Eau Claire native Justin Vernon opened in 2016 — you can still hang on the patio at courtyard and patio with your pooch. A cocktail menu, sharable bites (such as a Koldtbord, a Scandinavian-style and fire pits, as well as a spot to play kubb (a lawn game where you try to knock over wooden blocks by tossing a wooden baton) keep the place lively and cozy.

SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar

This combination bicycle-repair shop and coffee shop in downtown Eau Claire welcomes dogs at its outdoor seating. Grab a seat while your bike’s being tuned up. What’s unique about this café is that everything’s baked in-house and the liege-style waffles are a locals’ favorite. There’s also a pour-over coffee bar. Live music is hosted here on occasional evenings, too.

The Brewing Projekt

Open since 2018, this brewery’s taproom boasts outdoor tables that are dog-friendly. Naturally, beer brewed on site is served in the taproom, but so is food, thanks to food trucks parked on site (such as Mi Mi Café, specializing in Vietnamese cuisine; and Smackdaddy’s Gourmet Grub, where Mediterranean and Cajun food is the focus). 

K Point Brewing

Dogs are allowed on the patio at this brewery that’s a sister business to The Coffee Grounds, whose coffee appears in the Coffee Stout on Nitro. In addition to the brewery’s beers, batch cocktails are also served and on the food menu are small plates with global flair and locally sourced ingredients, such as the beef and pork sliders, and a Friday fish fry, too.

Shanghai Bistro

This Asian-fusion restaurant’s outdoor patio welcomes dogs — and even has a special K9 menu with items that include Bacon of the Sea (crispy salmon skin) and The Dog Bowl (broiled chicken or beef, carrots and green beans on rice). Proceeds from purchases off that menu go towards local animal shelters. Talk about dog-friendly!

Humans can order sushi rolls, ramen and noodle dishes, as well as from a sizeable section on the menu featuring Asian dishes made from Impossible meat-free products or tofu.

Lazy Monk Brewing

Located in downtown Eau Claire, just west of the Chippewa River, which the taproom overlooks, this brewery specializes in brewing German and Bohemian lagers, plus IPAs, ales and stouts (like the Peanut Butter Milk Stout). Only two areas are dog-friendly: the Bier Hall and the Bier Garden. Although there is not a food menu, you may get lucky and arrive when the Mad Batter truck is parked on site, selling cupcakes and other sweet bakery treats.

The Joynt

Tucked into the historical Water Street District, this dive bar has been in business since the early 1970s. While there’s no food service and live jazz shows are no longer, dogs are welcome and it’s a great place to sip a beer alongside your dog, which not many bars claim to offer.