Dog-Friendly Twin Cities: Your Guide to Sniffing out the West Metro

Photo: @omnibrewing

We’re highlighting dog-friendly spots in the burbs, one metro area at a time. We’ve covered the North, South, and East Metros, and now it’s on to the wild, wild west.

Gear up, pups, because there’s a lot to explore! Without further a-doo, here are a few wag-worthy hangouts in the dog-friendly West Metro.

Eats

First things first: grub! Spoiled pups will ruv the dog menus at Pub 819 in Hopkins and Rock Elm Tavern in Plymouth. 3 Squares Restaurant in Maple Grove, Pub 42 in New Hope, and Edina Grill in Edina each love to welcome doggos on their lovely patios. And People’s Organic allows dogs on their Minnetonka, Edina, and Eden Prairie patios.

For lakeside dining, stop on in to Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia or grab a quick snack to-go from Tommy’s Tonka Trolley in Excelsior (milk bones and Frosty Paws for Fido available, too!).

There are loads more places to grab a bite with your pooch in the west, too.

Drinks

Start your day off right with coffee from one of several dog-friendly coffee shop patios in the area, like Ruby’s Roost Bakery & Coffee in Victoria, The Depot Coffee House in Hopkins, and Daily Dose Cafe and Espresso in Maple Grove.

Winos will love a tasting on Parley Lake Winery’s pup-friendly patio in Waconia.

And if you need a grr-eat beer, the West Metro’s got you covered with pup-loving breweries like Excelsior Brewing in Excelsior, Lupine Brewing in Delano, OMNI Brewing in Maple Grove, and Unmapped Brewing in Minnetonka (OMNI and Unmapped are both dog-friendly inside, too!).

Treats

In the mood for a sweet treat? Share a shake with Fido at Tommy’s Malt Shop in Chaska, or a delish cone at The Social Ice Cream Parlor in Victoria. Plus dog-friendly Yogurt Labs in Hopkins, Maple Grove, and Wayzata.

Parks

Give your pup space to run and mingle. The huge Crow Hassen Off-Leash Area in Rogers, Lake Rebecca Park Reserve in Rockford, and Carver Park Reserve Dog Park in Victoria offer tons of space for Rover to stretch his legs. There’s also Maple Grove’s Fish Lake Regional Park Off-Leash Park. After a romp in the seven acre fenced in area, you can leash up and stroll the park’s walking trails.

If you’ve got an especially active pooch, sniff out Plymouth Dog Park’s agility obstacles like tunnels and weave poles, and then let Fido cool off in their swimming pond.

Orchards

It’s that time of year again… apple picking season! Bring your pup along for a day of fall fun at Minnetonka Orchards in Minnetrista, Fall Harvest Orchard in Montrose, and LuceLine Orchard in Watertown. The Deardorff Orchards & Vineyards in Waconia includes Parley Lake Winery mentioned above so after apple picking, you can cap off a pup-approved day with a glass (or two) of wine!

Shops

If you’re out and about with your pooch and want to indulge in some retail therapy fear not, the West Metro has more dog-friendly shops than you can shake a stick at! Like Excelsior Bay Books, White Birch House in Victoria, Primp in Excelsior and St. Louis Park, Patina in Golden Valley, Carver Junk Company in Chaska, and more.

For Fido’s help with home and garden projects, take him to Tonkadale Gardens in Minnetonka, Bachman’s in Eden Prairie or Plymouth, or several Frattallone’s Ace Hardware stores in the area.

There’s plenty more where that came from, folks check out the full directory for even more pup-loving spots near you.

Let us know if you’ve got a favorite we missed so we can add them to our directory!

Next up: Share all of your pup’s adventures with #SidewalkDog for the chance to be featured. Then head to our Dog-Friendly Twin Cities online forum for super local, pooch-centric chat with the some of the best people we know dog people.

And since you clearly love being out and about with your doggo, you NEED our Dog-Friendly Passes! These puppies score ya FREE beer or wine on dozens of local patios, and inside some taprooms, too. Get your paws on ‘em today. (They make grrr-eat gifts, too!)

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