Despite living in New York City for almost a decade I have only had a dog for about 3.5 of those years. And when I adopted Artemis, it was as if a whole new New York opened up to me. My neighbors made eye contact with me for the first time ever. I made friends in Central Park. I became a dog foster mom and made friends with other foster moms. This city is always changing; there are always new restaurants to frequent and new shows to see. So, no matter how long you’ve lived here, there is always something new to explore—and with a dog, exploring New York is even more thrilling. Your dog will always enjoy sniffing the corners that you’ve overlooked, and will help remind you to appreciate the same walks you take every day.
Whether you’re visiting New York City or you’ve lived here your entire life, we could always use more venues to frequent with our dogs. Unfortunately, unlike Paris, pet dogs are not allowed inside restaurants, so if you want to dine with your dog, you have to wait for the summer months to dine on the patios. But there are some exceptions and loopholes of which to take advantage. Here is our #ArtemisApproved guide to a dog-friendly (and stylish) New York City. We have personally vetted these places and consider ourselves regulars there, and trust me, there is no one pickier than chief canine officer Artemis.
Ralph’s Coffee in Upper East Side, Manhattan
888 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021
We love coming here in the morning on our way to Central Park! (It’s right next door.) This coffee shop is located within the Ralph Lauren women’s flagship store; we suggest you enter from the store entrance with your dog. They’ve partnered with La Colombe for specialty Ralph-approved blends, and we highly recommend the iced latte (add some sugar and it’s so creamy, you’ll think it’s a milkshake). Get your drink to go, but no one will bat an eyelash if you and your dog sit down for a few minutes in the café area.
Central Park in Manhattan
Listen up: If you’re not going to off-leash hours in Central Park (before 9 A.M. and after 9 P.M. every day), you’re missing out on the best version of New York City. Even if your dog can’t go off leash (especially if you’re just visiting!), it’s worth it to walk around with a leash, witnessing the chitter chatter of New Yorkers actually speaking with strangers for once. Dog New York is the best New York.
Ladurée in Upper East Side, Manhattan
864 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10021
This is another one of our morning walk pit stops, except unlike with Ralph’s, we head into the French pastry shop on our way back home after Central Park. As a teenage girl, I obsessed over Ladurée macarons and bought my first box, which amounted to a month of groceries, while studying abroad in Paris. But now, I prefer their croissants and kouignoù amann in the mornings. We stop by and grab a pastry from the nice Francophone people working there, and Artemis always jumps up to look at the pastries.
Union Square Greenmarket in Union Square, Manhattan
Union Square Park, 201 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
Artemis and I love to shop for groceries together, partly because I tend to prioritize her own health over mine. When we go to the farmer’s market together, I love to shop for vegetables that we both enjoying eating, from parsnips to kale to collard greens. The Roaming Acres Farm tent sells ostrich bones just for your dog, and there is a dog run in the park once you’re getting your weekly produce.
Boris & Horton in East Village, Manhattan
195 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
When the weather gets chillier and your dog still wants to play, this dog-friendly café is where you want to go. (Though, admittedly, it’s a bit of a trek for many people and it can be very crowded on weekends—but we hear they’re finally opening up new locations!) How do they get around the city’s health code? They have partitioned two areas of the business; one is humans-only, and one is dog-friendly. You go to the humans-only side to order food for yourself. You can use their app to order it without leaving the dog-friendly area, in fact, and pick it up from the counter once it’s ready. The food is basic comfort food, like grilled cheese and toast, but they make a decent coffee and there is free wifi, so you can bring your laptop and zip through some emails while your dog makes new friends.
The Laundress in SoHo, Manhattan
199 Prince Street, New York, NY 10013
We love the cleaning products from The Laundress and we’ve talked about them before. Their SoHo flagship is how we wish our home looked: industrial-sized washing machines and dryers (the employees tell us that they bring their own laundry over for washing—talk about a New York City-specific work perk!), gleaming tiles and marble countertops, great smells, and everything perfectly organized. They love having dogs visit and have a jar full of dog treats just for canine guests. They even have regulars who visit on their walks every day! They’ve also hosted in-store events with local dog brands.
SoHo Grand Bar & Lounge in SoHo, Manhattan
310 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013
You don’t have to be a guest at the SoHo Grand Hotel to enjoy drinks and brunch with your dog at the gorgeous Grand Bar & Lounge on the second floor. Fun fact: The hotel was founded by the family behind Hartz Mountain Industries, which originally made its money in pet care. So, not surprisingly, the hotel has a dog park (open to guests and locals who pay to be members). It feels luxuriously indulgent to sit on the velvet sofas in the lounge and eat stacks of pancakes with our dogs at our feet. We try to hold as many meetings here as possible.
Ollie’s Ice Cream + Stuff in Bushwick, Brooklyn
158 Irving Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
We were apprehensive, at first. An ice cream shop for dogs and humans? Can the ice cream be good? Yes, in fact, I very much enjoyed my salted caramel in a cone, and Artemis enjoyed her Pup Cup, which had a frozen pumpkin puree that was unfortunately too hard for her to eat. There is not much seating involved, but when we went in the middle of summer, we were the only ones in the shop.
Photography by Tayler Smith