Some of the best dog friendly bars and restaurants in the SC Upstate to make your pet’s tail wag
The list of restaurants and bars that allow dogs is long — and seemingly growing all the time — but there is one in Mauldin that gives a whole new twist to dog friendly.
It’s Dapper Dog Bark Bar and Taproom, which, obviously is a bar but they also offer dog training.
Co-owner Stephanie Danielsson calls it “train-by-day, play-by-night concept.”
She and her partner Sean Martin, a dog trainer, opened the business in January.
“The past few months, we’ve been able to welcome in so many people and dogs from Greenville and surrounding areas,” she said.
They have craft beer and wine and partner with others to sell clothing and dog treats.
“The Dapper Dog is 100% dog friendly, welcoming dogs into the taproom (on-leash) and providing a spacious off-leash area for dogs and their humans to socialize,” she said.
They serve charcuterie supplied by a local partner or people can get chips or pretzels. They also have food trucks on site from time to time and allow people to bring in food.
She and Martin have four dogs and always wanted to go a place like The Dapper Dog.
They describe the business on their website as “Built for canines and their companions” with the goal of creating a “stronger bond with your pup.”
It is ranked first on Yelp for dog-friendly bars in the Greenville area. They also offer trivia, Bingo and special nights for certain breeds (Doberman night is Saturday.) A park for dogs to be off leash is available under certain conditions such as current on shots and no fleas.
201 Murray Drive, Mauldin
Seriously fun brewery
In Spartanburg, Yelp reviewers ranked Ciclops Cyderi and Brewery No. 1 for dog friendly.
Located at 197 E St John St, the business started in 2014 in the home of Kolby and Cindy Garrison.
Kolby Garrison called himself owner/head brewer/assistant janitor.
He gave most of his first brews away.
“We never dreamed of opening a cidery or brewery, this was someone else’s dream that eventually became ours,” he said on his website.
He calls his work “seriously fun.”
“Our slogan, ‘Making Absurd the Norm’ means brewing classic German beers to style alongside beers ‘dry hopped’ with waffles or baseball bats. It means creating ciders with flavors from around the world that have never been tried before while honoring the simple apple that made it. It means never taking ourselves too seriously but always making good liquid.”
Simple, local, fresh
In Anderson, Yelp taps Summa Joe’s Searing Pans as the best dog friendly restaurant.
The name comes from owners Joe and Summer Fredette.
“At Summa Joe’s we bring a taste of the Upstate to your plate,” they say on their website.
Simple, local, fresh is their motto, with ingredients coming from local farms when possible. They roast their own lunch meats and hand prepare pizza dough. Sauces are made from scratch.
One of their pizzas is named Capital Punishment Pie “It Will Light You Up!” and includes Joe’s Polecat Farm trio — pepper hot sauce with cheese Polecat Farm produces mostly organic fruits and vegetables and has been around since 1998.
It’s located at 127 N Main St, Anderson.
Other places mentioned by dog-loving Yelp reviewers are:
Fireforge Crafted Beer in a former warehouse in downtown Greenville. It’s a small-batch craft brewery, tasting room and pleasure garden.
Pets are welcome in the outdoor biergarten.
Location: 311 E Washington St. Greenville
Shoeless Brewing Co. proudly calls itself the smallest brewery in the Upstate.
“Normally isn’t a bragging right but in this case we think it should be,” they say on their website. “We are also the largest home-brew store in the Upstate.”
It opened in 2015, after 25 years of brewing at home.
One thing that sets it apart from most is they ask your opinion about whatever you drink.
“Each one of our beers go through this process whereby the Greenville craft beer community gets a say in how our beer is made and what it will taste like when it’s done,” they say.
Location: 104 Mauldin Road, Greenville
Yee-Haw Brewing Company is mentioned on both Yelp and Bring Fido. The brewery began in Johnson City, Tennessee, in the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Depot, or Tweetsie Depot.
Greenville is the only location outside Tennessee.
Bring Fido says, “Fido can join you at a table in the beer garden. The brewery is nicknamed the “innovation lab” because they test new flavors and beer recipes here.”
For food, they have Prince’s Hot Chicken and specialty BBQ.
Location: 307 E McBee Ave, Greenville
Gather Greenville at 126 Augusta Street in Greenville is a food court with 13 vendors, welcoming “leashed, well-behaved pets” on the ground floor. Sorry, no pets on Saturdays and Sundays.
They ask that you walk your dogs before you get there and if something should happen, you clean it up.
Among the food options are lobster, Mexican, pizza, fried chicken, cheesesteak, sushi and acai.