Best dog-friendly Raleigh breweries!

I love beer. I love Raleigh. AND, of course, I love dogs. So I present: the best dog-friendly Raleigh breweries for you and your pup to visit! Please invite me to come with you! First round is on Kivus & Camera.

Disclaimer: this is not every dog-friendly Raleigh brewery. The City of Oaks is lucky to have dozens and dozens of great breweries, both in Raleigh proper and in the surrounding triangle area. I know this may be surprising, but John & I haven’t been to all of them. Feel free to drop a comment to show some love to your favorite Raleigh breweries.

Also, this list is in no particular order, mostly just the order in which I thought of them.

Lynwood Brewing Concern

Lynwood Brewing Concern, on Whitaker Mill in Dock 1053, is the perfect spot for drinking a beer with your dog in tow. They’ve got the main taproom where you can see the brewing and production facility behind some paned garage doors, seats outside but under cover on the platform of Dock 1053, AND a good size beer garden (fenced on all sides) with plenty of outdoor seating.

They also offer live music and trivia nights, among other things. Dock 1053 has an actual parking lot, unlike some of the other breweries listed, but it’s also a popular location (especially on the weekends), with an event venue and a couple of restaurants.

R&D Seven Saturdays Taproom

Okay, now I’m going to play favorites a little bit. I’m at R&D Brewing’s Seven Saturdays Taproom every week for my run club and I quite like their beer, especially the flagship Seven Saturdays IPA and the Raspberry Milk Stout. Most of the seating is inside, as it’s located right on Capital Boulevard, but they do have giant sliding doors so when the weather is nice, you’ll get that fresh air, and your dog will love the cool concrete floors on a hot day.

If running is your thing, come join us on Tuesdays. If not, there’s also trivia as well as live music and food trucks.

For you hockey fans, R&D is who makes the Storm Brew as a collaboration with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Mordecai Beverage Company

This might be the most family friendly location on the list, since Gateway Plaza has fun spots for kids to run around a bit. But this list is not for your kids. It’s for you and your dog. So get your pup something from Woof Gang Bakery a few doors down, and then get yourself a beer at Mordecai Beverage Company.

And if you don’t have a dog yet, they often team up with Cause for Paws for adoptions. Just saying…

Mordecai Bev Co is in a shopping center, so plenty of parking. It’s also close to a greenway entrance if you want to go walk or run before you reward yourself with beer.

Raleigh Brewing Company

Just inside the Beltline on the west side of Raleigh, across from Meredith’s campus, Raleigh Brewing Company has their Neil Street location. Indoor and outdoor space, plus brewing facilities on site.

If you’ve ever flown through RDU, you’ll recognize their logo – they’ve got a taproom in Terminal 2.

RBC is also an important piece of Raleigh’s beer history. When the owner (the first woman to have a brewery in NC!) launched, she also launched companies that supply commercial brewers and home-brewers alike with equipment.

Crank Arm Brewing Company

For my fellow downtown folks who love to walk (and cycle), my favorite spot for a beer in the city center is Crank Arm in the Warehouse District. They’ve got my favorite vibe of anyone on the list (way to lean in to the cycling theme y’all), and they also get bonus points for being one door down from Videri Chocolate factory.

So, if you’re a downtown Raleigh dweller out walking your dog and get a bit parched, grab a beer and sit on the patio. Get some chocolate on the way home for yourself, and maybe some vanilla soft-serve for your pup?

Nickelpoint

Nickelpoint Brewing Co. is just around the corner from John and I, in Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood. Nickelpoint is walkable from Neuse River Brewing (see them next) AND Lonerider’s downtown Raleigh location (in my honorable mentions list). So if you wanted to do a brewery bar crawl with your dog, the Five Points neighborhood is a pretty good option.

Nickelpoint also has an event space that overlooks their brewing area, if anyone is envisioning a brewery wedding…

Neuse River Brewing

Where are the Belgian lovers? This one’s for you. Neuse River Brewing Company is right next to Nickelpoint in Five Points, which is not too far from Raleigh’s downtown districts. You’ll probably be looking for street parking at Neuse and Nickelpoint, but these are quiet neighborhoods, so it shouldn’t take you too long.

Neuse River Brewing has a focus on Belgian beers. They also operate as a restaurant, so keep them in mind for date night!

Sneaky Penguin

Aside from having the best name, obviously, Sneaky Penguin Brewing Company is the youngest Raleigh brewery on this list. Their tap room just opened in October of 2022. It’s in a shopping center off Six Forks Road in North Raleigh, and you have to visit. Have some beer, but also see how many sneaky penguins you can find hiding around the place. Don’t forget to check the bathrooms!

Trophy

I have it on very good authority from all the dogs I’ve met that dogs love Trophy Brewing. So many options for where to get your Trophy beer as well. You’ve got Trophy on Maywood where their production facility and taproom are, Trophy pizza on Morgan St., and State of Beer which is a sandwich and bottle shop with some nice outdoor seating. State of Beer is just off Hillsborough Street a couple blocks from the Capitol.

Compass Rose

Last but not least, we’ve got Compass Rose Brewery for those of you from Wake Forest who don’t want to make the trek inside the Beltline. Their suburb-ish status means they actually have land though. This place is huge, so you won’t have to worry about parking or finding a place to sit with your pup and your beer.

Honorable Mention: East Bower Cider Co.

I love a good cider, so I had to throw an honorable mention to the East Bower Cider Company which opened recently not far from Lynwood Brewing Concern. They also offer beer on guest taps!

Other dog-friendly Raleigh breweries to consider:

• Burial (not on the list because the Raleigh location is not very big and you should make a pilgrimage to Asheville instead)
• Clouds
• Funguys
• Gizmo Brew Works
• Lonerider at Five Points
• Wye Hill (I think of them as more of a restaurant than a brewery, but you can’t beat the view)
• I wish I could add Big Boss, but they don’t have a new taproom yet. Soon I hope!

That’s it. That’s my list of the best dog-friendly Raleigh breweries! What other things in Raleigh do you want to hear about?

Kivus & Camera is a Raleigh-based wedding photography team. Elyssa and John Kivus love their city and love sharing that love with all y’all. So, when not creating magical photos for incredible couples, they’re often visiting breweries, cocktail bars, parks, running routes, and more in the City of Oaks.

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