There's plenty of dog friendly bars in the Tampa Bay area, but nothing like The Dog Bar in St. Petersburg! This place is designed so that the dogs can have fun playing off leash in the park area while the owners sit at the bar and watch their fur babies have fun.

I love bringing our dog, Kuma, with me everywhere, but sometimes I hesitate to take her with me to pet friendly dining areas because she just gets too bored. I feel bad eating and drinking with my friends while she has nothing to do, but wait and be still. Now, with this dog bar, I don't have to worry about that! I can relax, talk, drink and have fun while Kuma is having fun too!

The place is huge, at 5000 square feet, with plenty of tables and seating areas. Inside, the dogs need to be on leash and outside, in the dog park area, the dogs need to be off leash. There's lots of shaded areas for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. Of course, it's Florida, so you're still going to be hot, but it's nice that they provide the shade in most areas.

I sat outside at the wooden high top table (with convenient drink holders) and watched Kuma enjoy the dog park area, designed with astro turf, that had cute dog-boned shaped pools and wooden ramps. The park is usually separated into the Small Dog area and the Medium/Large Dog area, but since there weren't that many dogs at the time we went, at noon on a Sunday, the whole park was open for both types of dogs.

In order for your dog to enjoy the dog park area, you'll need to bring your dog's vaccination records and pay a fee. It's $5 for the week or you can pay a $40 membership that's good for the year ($20 for each additional dog). We chose the $5 option, but I'm seriously considering doing the $40 membership. It's just that awesome here.

The Dog Bar also makes me happy because they have awesome happy hour deals! $2 beers and $4 well drinks from open until 8pm! How crazy is that? That's the best happy hour deal I've heard in awhile. Especially in the Tampa Bay area. Lately, all the happy hour deals I hear about are from 4-6pm. How is that even possible when you have an 8-5 job!? Sorry, had to vent a little about that... back to the topic: awesome happy hour deals at The Dog Bar!

They don't serve food at this bar, but they encourage you to order food from neighboring restaurants, like Taco Bus, that can deliver right to you at the bar.

I'm hoping the Tampa Bay area opens up more dog bars like this because it is the coolest concept for dogs and their owners!

THE DOG BAR
ADDRESS: 2300 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
HOURS: Mon - Closed, Tue-Thu - 4PM-1AM, Fri - 4PM-2AM, Sat - 12PM-2AM, Sun - 12PM-12AM