Dog Daze Social Club. 1100 Rhode Island Ave., NW.
DC’s bar scene for dogs is booming. The latest pet-friendly concept, Dog Daze Social Club, hopes to set itself apart with a 6,000-square-foot park for your pup—and a restaurant you’d still want to check out without one. It’s set to open in Logan Circle on October 19.
“Dog bars are sometimes centered around just the dog piece,” says managing partner Kyle Cissel. “But we also want to provide a food and beverage program where people coming here five days a week are very excited about what they’re eating and drinking.”
The highlight, of course, is the dog-friendly “summer garden,” fit with shady trees and a synthetic turf that’ll be cleaned daily. Outdoor seating and benches will be set up, where owners can lounge while their pups roam around off-leash. The garden will also feature a special menu of dog-friendly treats.
Dogs will need a day pass to enter, which owners can get by creating profile for their pet online in advance or in-person. The passes will cost $5 to start. Down the line, Dog Daze is also looking at membership options that would include unlimited access to the garden, food and drink discounts, invites to events, and other perks.
For safety, Dog Daze also has restrictions on dogs allowed to use the garden: They must be at least four months old, and those over one year must be spayed or neutered. Proof of current vaccinations must be shown, and foster dogs are not allowed. Only two dogs are allowed per person.
Equally important to Dog Daze is its cafe and restaurant area, where you can grab a bite with or without a dog. The Dog Daze team has partnered with local brands for its morning cafe lineup. Unido Coffee, the Panamanian roaster behind Cafe Unido in Shaw, is providing special coffee roasts, while Dupont Farmers’ Market mainstay, Just Juice, will be whipping up acai bowls and smoothies.
Thin-crust, Chicago tavern-style pizza is Dog Daze’s signature dish. Find toppings like hot salami with Calabrian chilis or a pie called “the Bear” with Italian beef and roasted red peppers. The menu also includes a handful of focaccia sandwiches, salads, and snacks (smoked olives, melon and prosciutto). For dessert: fior di latte soft-serve with lemon crumble and olive oil or seasonal sorbets.
Barman Lukas Smith, who’s behind some of the city’s most creative cocktails at No Goodbyes in Adams Morgan’s Line Hotel, is behind drinks like a rhubarb rosé spritz, a peppercorn gin and tonic, or a “still serious” non-alcoholic negroni. Dog Daze also claims to be the first in DC to serve brews from Virginia’s Lost Barrel Brewing. A limited selection of wines rounds out the drinks list.
Because it’s a dog-centered social club, plenty of events are in the works too, including adoption drives and puppy yoga. For opening weekend on Oct. 19 and 20, look for a dog caricature artist and half-off menu items.
