London: Dog Friendly Restaurant & Place Guide

Darling Posetta Baddog RIP was most definitely not a dog who went places. She wasn’t interested in socialising: her main focuses were her family, food and tennis balls, and we hung out on Hampstead Heath and in the Regent’s Park.

Not so with Princess Lettice. She’s been out and about all over London, from the screening of Dior & I at The W Hotel to a CHANEL showroom appointment. She wasn’t fazed by the jewels at Van Cleef & Arpels, and took a shine to my agents at Curtis Brown. I could have done without her shouting from my lap at a neighbouring Jack Russell over a meeting at Black’s but overall she’s been immaculately behaved.

The thing is: she hates being left out of anything exciting (and by ‘exciting’ I mean ‘leaving the house’), and the moment she sees me tie up my laces and turn the lock, she’s off like a streak of ginger, out the front door, and down the stairs, where she waits for me on the doormat. I feel like such a heel picking her up, and taking back upstairs to the flat to wait for my return.

That being said, I don’t really approve of dogs being toted all about town, (being, you know, dogs and not toys) and Letty has only really been out with me when Remy is out of the office, I haven’t been able to find a sitter, or my sister has been away. At just 2.5kg, she’s perfectly portable, and easily popped in a capacious handbag, from where she surveys her people from a position of strength.

Soho House, on Greek Street, my usual between meeting hangout is sadly not dog-friendly, so I’ve had to find some places where she’s welcome in town.

Twitter has been very helpful, and the best resource I know is the Doggity App, which I highly recommend. In the meantime, my personal recommendations – where I’ve actually been are as follows:

Market, in Camden, just a few minutes from the High Street. Owner Denise has her own dog, and I eat in there all the time. They serve delicious seasonal, modern British food. A proper restaurant, but one with a laid back feel and brilliant service. Also: properly excellent brunch on Sundays. Worth travelling for (every day).
43 Parkway
London NW1 7PN
020 7267 9700
www.marketrestaurant.co.uk

Russell Norman’s Polpo restaurants, in Beak Street (Soho), Covent Garden, Clerkenwell (by Smithfield Market) and Notting Hill. I could happily eat lunch at Polpo every day of the week: scrumptious, seasonal, Italian-influenced small plates, that won’t break the bank.

Black’s Club in Soho. Not for everyone, as you have to be a member, but a lifesaver if you are, or can persuade a friend to take you. They’ve kindly given me and Lettice a membership, although we’ve already had a very doggy meeting there as guests of other members. It’s a charming 18thC Georgian townhouse (designed by a pupil of Wren) and extremely atmospheric.
67 Dean Street, London W1D 4QH. Telephone: 020 7287 3381 www.blacksclub.com

Andrew Edmunds in Soho
A Soho institution, and rightly so. Delicious food, low ceilings, very romantic in the evenings, perfect for lovely lunches.
46 Lexington Street, London W1F 0LW. www.andrewedmunds.com

Near me in North London there are several great gastropubs which all welcome furry friends:
The Wells, in Hampstead Village, The Lord Palmerston in Dartmouth Park, The Bull & Last on Parliament Hill, The Red Lion in Highgate Village. The Spaniard’s on Spaniard’s Lane on the top side of Hampstead Heath is a normal pub with food, and it even has a dog washing facility.

It’s not dog friendly inside, but Pizza East at the arse end of Kentish Town has (limited) pavement seating and we’ve often eaten there on sunny days right through the year.

oh, and in case you didn’t know, the Apple stores are dog-friendly. I took Letty with me last week because my appointment was at 1745hrs and I didn’t want to leave her home alone in the dark. I spent over two hours in the Covent Garden one getting my smashed iPhone fixed and everyone was absolutely lovely to her.

The Lord Palmerston. 33 Dartmouth, Park Hill, Dartmouth, London NW5 1HU. Telephone: 020 7485 1578
Pizza East.