Best Places to Dine with Your Dog
    San Francisco is a dog lovin’ town and most restaurants with al fresco dining out front don’t mind if you bring along your well-behaved pooch. The health code doesn’t permit dogs inside of restaurants or near food service, but if no one complains, it usually goes without notice. The occasional warning or citation stops some eateries from allowing dogs on their patios, so always be sure to ask if it’s okay before taking a seat. Some places love having canine guests, and even go out of their way to make them happy. Here are a few of the places where Jasmine and I like to hang out:

Park Chalet – Grab a spot on the lawn and a dollar beer
1000 Great Hwy. (across from Ocean Beach), 415-386-8439, www.beachchalet.com
    Wander around the back of the Park Chalet’s big sister, the Beach Chalet, and find a grassy wonderland surrounded by huge trees and garden paths with chairs for lounging. On warm nights, get there early – it’s first come first served for the tables on the lawn, and it’s packed by 6 p.m., especially on Dollar Beer Mondays and Taco Tuesdays. If you’re a picnic person, feel free to BYOB – bring your own blanket – and the laid-back staff will be happy to serve you there, too. A friend and I met for dinner and discovered not only are dogs welcome on the lawn, they’re everywhere – romping, playing Frisbee, rolling in the grass, and giving each other a good sniff. The “lawn menu” keeps it simple, but the food is quite good – try the half-pound chuck burger and beer battered fish ‘n’ chips. If you’re lucky enough to have a weekday free, slide right in for lunch. They also serve brunch on the weekends.

Rose’s Café – Fresh-baked biscuits good enough for you to eat
2298 Union St. (at Steiner), 415-775-2200, www.rosescafesf.com

    Rose’s doesn’t just tolerate your dog on their patio, they love your dog on their patio, and to prove it, the cooks are up every morning at 3 a.m. baking all organic, bone-shaped doggie treats made out of oats, flour, and chicken stock that smell good enough to take away from your dog. If my pizza of fennel salami topped with an egg wasn’t so tasty, Jasmine might have gone hungry. Rose’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week and weekend brunch. Sister restaurants Terzo and Rose Pistola also welcome pups on their patios.

Calzone’s – People and pooch watching in North Beach 

430 Columbus Ave. (at Vallejo), 415-397-3600, www.calzonesf.com
    This relaxed bistro on Columbus Avenue has one of the largest and best people-watching patios in San Francisco – and guess what? They love your dog! Jasmine and I kick back often with our friends Zoe, the Tibetan terrier and her human, Brandy, for a leisurely lunch under the shady awning. To prove how much Calzone’s loves canines, our waiter brought bowls of water for our pups before he brought our bottle of pinot grigio. We like to start with the Italian pot stickers – plump dumplings filled with mild sausage, wild mushrooms, ginger, and garlic. The namesake calzones are good, as are the pizzas, salads and sandwiches, but I am a creature of habit: I almost always order the freshly made ribbons of fettuccine tossed with Dungeness crab and a rich garlic scallop sauce with cherry tomatoes. Calzones is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and serves food until 1 a.m. (the patio is heated, too).


Newly Notable: La Terrasse – The French love our dogs and we love their food
215 Lincoln Ave. (Presidio Transit Center, Main Post), 415-922-DINE (3463), www.laterrassepresidio.com
    France has the highest percentage of pet dogs relative to its population of any country in the world. It’s not uncommon to see dogs pull up a chair and receive the royal service, including dinner on fine china, at some of the best restaurants in Paris. So when Laurent Katgely of Chez Spencer and Antoine Alliaume of Curbside Café partnered to bring a new French bistro to the burgeoning Presidio, it was a given that dogs would be welcome. The terrace seats 50 (10 more than inside the restaurant) with panoramic views of the park, the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. One recent afternoon Jasmine basked in the sun while a friend and I sampled some of the dishes (though Jazz helped us with the grilled hamburger and perfect pomme frites). Cheese and walnut pizza may not sound appetizing, but it is – a thin, crispy crust topped with Roquefort and Gruyère cheese, crème fraîche, and candied walnuts. Duck leg confit was exactly as it should be – crunchy skin outside and meat so tender it nearly melts on the fork. Salad Lyonnaise features curly endive and Belgian endive crowned with a poached egg and crumbles of thick-cut bacon.  La Terrasse also serves dinner and weekend brunch. It’s classic French for people, and classic French for their pooches.

Get Across Town: Zazie – Monday dog night dinners
941 Cole St. (at Carl), 415-564-5332, www.zaziesf.com

    Every Monday, weather permitting, one of my favorite restaurants in Cole Valley hosts a doggie dinner on their charming (and heated) garden patio. Bring your pup to dinner and receive $10 off a bottle of Graeser’s “Ruff Red” zinfandel (named for the winery’s resident German shepherd), and there are treats for your dog, too. Zazie also occasionally hosts doggie wine dinners, which sell out quickly. Last fall, Jasmine, Brandy, Zoe and I attended the Mutt Lynch Winery and Babies Dog Bakery event – four courses with wine pairings for humans and four courses for dogs (sorry, no wine with the biscuits). Make a reservation because Monday nights fill up fast. The rest of the week Zazie serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and dogs are welcome at the two front patio tables.

Get Outta Town: Fish. – Beautiful views from a big old deck with dog bowls 

350 Harbor Dr. (at Gate 5 Rd.), Sausalito, 415-331-3474, www.331fish.com

    When I’m in the heat of a deadline and can’t lavish Jasmine with the attention she deserves, I sometimes take her to the wonderful Sausalito Pet Hotel where proprietor and dog lover, Franck, pampers her silly. When I pick her up on Friday, I always bring a friend and we walk across the street for lunch at Fish., a great spot for sucking down fresh oysters and little neck clams, or digging into a variety of fresh seafood. The gigantic two-tiered deck looks out onto the shimmering water as boats bring in the catch of the day. When you order at the counter, grab a dog bowl from the stack just inside the door and the cool folks at Fish. will fill it full of fresh water for your parched pooch. Fish. (yes, the period is part of their logo) serves lunch and dinner daily.
– S. D. Reynolds