Dog friendly eating & drinking in Staffordshire

Dog Friendly Eating & Drinking in Staffordshire is a personal guide to my favourite independent dog friendly pubs, restaurants and cafes in the county.

Besides enjoying the outdoors with my cocker spaniel Larkin, eating and drinking is how I spend a lot of my leisure time. Naturally, that means I’m always on the look-out for dog friendly venues. In this post I share with you all my current recommendations you can enjoy with your pooch.

A PERSONAL GUIDE TO DOG FRIENDLY EATING & DRINKING IN STAFFORDSHIRE

In this guide you’ll find a range of dog friendly places to eat and drink, all recommended by Moorlands Eater. I hope you’ll find somewhere you like, whether you just want breakfast, a coffee or beer and a sandwich, an informal lunch, or experience some top-notch cooking.

Before reading on, here’s a few points on what to expect (and not to expect) from my guide to Dog Friendly Eating & Drinking in Staffordshire.

• My personal recommendations. As this Guide is all about my favourites, you won’t find every dog friendly pub, restaurant, and café in Staffordshire listed here. But I do aim to update this post with more great places as I discover them.
• North Staffordshire. As I live in the Moorlands, the Guide includes more recommendations in north Staffordshire than the rest of the county. You’ll often find me in lovely Leek, the nearest town to me, so that’s particularly well represented.
• Inside & Out. Due to the changeable British weather, I’ve concentrated mainly on venues where you can eat and drink indoors with your dog. However, where I think the quality or location is worth it, I’ve included some where there’s only outside dog friendly seating. In these cases, most will have shelter of some kind. But I may include some venues only suitable in good weather if I think they’re exceptional.
• Drinks only. I’ve listed some places that don’t serve full meals. That’s because sometimes all you want after a great walk with your dog is a coffee or a pint.
• Proudly independent. Moorlands Eater celebrates independent food and drink so you will not find national or international chains in my Guide.
• Updates. I try to update this Guide as often as I can, but venues do change. If making a long journey, you may wish to contact venues in advance to ensure they can accommodate you and your dog.
• Good manners. You should always assume that dog friendly means dogs that are well-behaved, on-lead at all times, and not allowed on furniture.

Thank you to everyone who has sent me their recommendations since I started posting this Guide over five years ago. Follow me on Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram for my latest recommendations and news about updates to the Guide.

ARE YOU A DOG FRIENDLY ESTABLISHMENT?

Time and budget constraints mean there’s only so many venues I can visit in any given period. But if you run a pub, café, restaurant, B&B, hotel, etc. and would like to invite me, my dog, and one guest to try your offering, do get in touch. Please note, however, that I only include venues I genuinely recommend. For more details, see the Work with Moorlands Eater and Disclosure sections on my About page.

LEEK: QUEEN OF THE MOORLANDS

The nearest town to where I live is Leek. Known as ‘the Queen of the Moorlands’, it’s noted for its antique shops, markets, and a great range of independent businesses; shops as well as places to eat and drink. Not to be missed is the Totally Locally Leek Sunday Supplement. Held on the first Sunday of the month, it’s a fantastic artisan market with stalls of food producers, art, crafts, and gifts, plus live music and entertainment. There’s always lots of pooches to meet there too!

Blue Mugge. Hugely popular, traditional pub, friendly to both humans and dogs. Serves a good range of beer and hearty food at very reasonable prices: e.g. pie, braised beef, gammon and chips, plus vegetarian dishes, lighter meals, sandwiches etc. I recommend the cheese and mustard mash topped fidget pie with ham, apples and cider.

Cafe Apollonia.  Dog friendly downstairs and at the outside tables on the cobbled market square. Their All-Day Breakfast features top quality ingredients the local speciality of Staffordshire oatcake. Also great for soups, sandwiches, cakes, pancakes and more. Very popular so be prepared for a wait at busy times.

Cock Inn.  No food currently served here, but come to this traditional wood panelled, characterful pub for the good range of beer. Dog-friendly in the bar, there’s also a beer garden out the back that’s flower-filled in summer. Regular live music and a stalwart of the Leek Blues & American Festival.

Den Engel. This is a great Belgian-inspired bar with a huge range of continental, craft, and cask beers. Although they don’t have a food menu, they regularly host pop-ups including from the brilliant Tribe 44. Dog friendly downstairs and at the outside tables, there are treats and water bowls available.

Flo’s. A relative newcomer to Leek, sells indulgent desserts, waffles, ice creams, and cakes to eat in or takeaway. At the time of writing, they’ve just begun selling savoury hot food too. Dog friendly downstairs with treats and water bowls available. Also sells doggie ice cream.

Fountain Inn. The only food available is the occasional pop-up, but it’s a great traditional pub with multiple CAMRA awards. Dog friendly everywhere, there are cosy open fires in winter and a beer garden. Regularly hosts live music.

Foxlowe Arts Centre. Community-run arts centre with a gallery, live events, displays of local history and heritage. Dog friendly, licensed café plus outside seating in the beautiful gardens. Simple menu of sandwiches, soups, etc. Usually a good selection of cakes too.

Lion House Tea Room. Lovely, quirky place with charming, mismatched China mugs, plates and teapots. Very dog friendly (your pooch might get their own plate of biccies). Serves good sized portions of simple food like breakfasts, sandwiches, soup, Staffordshire oatcakes, quiche, plus homemade cakes and scones.

Monty’s Fish & Chips. It’s not easy getting fresh fish in the landlocked Moorlands, but the battered haddock or cod is always good at Monty’s. Fab chips and all the usual chip shop favourites. Right in the Market Square, it’s a great choice for dog friendly eating after a spot of shopping in Leek. Look out for good value lunchtime deals.

No.5 Café. Lovely dog friendly café in the centre of Leek. As it’s run by the same people as the marvellous artisan bakery next door, Live Love Loaf, you can be sure of getting a knock-out sandwich. Lots of imaginative fillings and, if you’re lucky, their homemade pastrami or corned beef. Also pastries and sweet baked goods.

The Roebuck. Dog friendly throughout, the pub is owned by Titanic Brewery so you can be sure of a great selection of beers. Traditional pub food including the Totally Locally Burger with ingredients sourced within 100 yards of the pub. Lots of events including quizzes, live music, and in summer The Hop Yard outside bar.

Spout Brew House. Popular, unique coffee shop and bar that’s very dog friendly inside and out. Homemade fresh food, including vegetarian and vegan choices. The chilli-cheese Mumbai breakfast is highly recommended! Brunch/lunch Wed-Sat plus evening menu Thu-Sat.

White Hart Tea Room. A Leek institution set in a Grade II listed building. Good range of traditional homemade food in generous portions including sandwiches, toasties, jacket potatoes, pies, quiche, salads, and great value breakfasts. Dog friendly everywhere, they even have a doggy food menu.

STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS: THE REST

Black Lion Inn, Butterton. This pub has to be one of the best in the Moorlands, combining the finest traditions of hospitality with a modern concern for the environment. Lovingly refurbished, there’s lots of dog friendly space inside as well as a decent beer garden. The food, using local producers and suppliers, is of a very high standard whether you want a pub snack like homemade sausage roll, exceptional Sunday roasts, or modern British cooking. EV charger available for customers.

Black Lion, Cheddleton Beautiful old pub next to the village church, with roaring fires in winter. Dog friendly everywhere plus beer gardens to front and rear. Usually a big jar of dog biscuits on the bar. Real ales and good standard of traditional pub food – look out for specials like steak and kidney pudding. Sunday lunches extremely popular.

Black Lion, Consall Forge. Pub with one of the best views in the county: overlooking the Caldon Canal with narrowboats gliding by as well as the steam trains of the Churnet Valley Railway. Always a great range of beer plus traditional pub food, summer barbecues, live music events. Dogs on leads welcome everywhere.

Cheddleton Old School Tearooms Right in the centre of the old village, it’s dog friendly inside plus there’s outside seating. Open Wednesday to Sunday for tea, coffee, excellent breakfasts, lunches and lots of homemade cakes.

Cottage Kitchen Country Café, Winkhill. Although the only dog friendly seating is outside, it’s under cover. Open every day for a big range of breakfasts and quality lunches made with locally sourced ingredients, plus afternoon tea, desserts and cakes from the bakery. Licensed.

Flash Bar Stores. Don’t be fooled by the name: this is a café as well as shop near the village said to be the highest in England. While it’s dog friendly inside, in fine weather you’ll want to sit outside for the great views. It’s hugely popular with walkers and bikers for great breakfasts, so not always easy to get a parking spot at weekends.

Grosvenor Restaurant, Cheadle. Set in a lovely 18^th century country house tucked away on a camping and caravan site, serving popular favourites plus imaginative dishes in a modern British style as well as brilliant breakfasts. The beautiful Library Room is dog friendly and there’s lots of outdoor space too if you want to sample their takeaway menus for breakfast or Sunday lunch. Tip: for a lovely short dog walk before or after you meal there’s beautiful Hales Hall Pool Nature Reserve nearby.

The Hideaway, Biddulph Grange Country Park. I can’t go for a walk in this lovely country park without ending my visit at the very dog friendly café. Offering hot and cold drinks and simple food like toasties, oatcakes, jacket potatoes, plus cakes and ice cream. Free dog biscuits plus doggy ice cream to buy.

Holly Bush, Denford.  A former flour mill in a picturesque location right next to the Caldon Canal. Great walks on its doorstep. Dogs allowed in most of the inside spaces, but it’s lovely to sit out front, watching the narrowboats go by. There’s more seating round the back plus play area for children. Serves decent traditional pub food every day between 12.00 – 8.30 pm.

Hotel Rudyard. With a dog friendly bar plus daytime coffee shop round the back, this recently refurbished hotel on the doorstep of Rudyard Lake is perfect after a walk at the popular beauty spot. Open for tasty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, or just a drink.

Jackson’s Nurseries & Tea Room. Although the only dog friendly seating is outside, it’s a lovely, decked area overlooking a large pond and the garden centre plant area with views of the surrounding Moorlands landscape. Open every day for drinks, good breakfasts, sandwiches, simple homecooked meals like ham and eggs, lasagne, pies, daily specials, and cakes baked in-house. Licensed.

Lazy Trout, Meerbrook. A fine collection of local, real ales and good food. Look out for local pasture-fed beef and incredible lamb from nearby Troutsdale Farm. Dogs welcome everywhere except the central, carpeted room. Lots of outside seating and a large beer garden with spectacular views of The Roaches and Hen Cloud. Very popular, booking advised.

Manifold Inn, Hulme End In a great location on the Manifold Way, this traditional coaching inn with accommodation (some guest rooms dog friendly) is popular with locals, walkers, campers, and holiday makers. Offering satisfying, reasonably priced home-cooked food, dogs are welcome in the bar. There’s also outside seating plus barbecues and a field bar in summer.

Plumicorn at The Tawny Hotel, Consall. This luxury hotel sits in 70 acres of gardens and woodland with mini lakes, follies and guest accommodation dotted among them. At its heart is the Plumicorn restaurant which has a dog friendly bar where you can now enjoy the same top-quality menus as those in the restaurant.

Ramblers Retreat, Dimmingsdale. In the heart of this wooded, beautiful part of the Churnet Valley, the Rambler’s has been serving tea, cakes and more for forty years. You can only sit outside with your dog, but the gardens are lovely in summer with pretty, wooden huts and sheltered tables if the weather’s poor. Exceptional cakes and desserts but also breakfasts, lunches and snacks.

Red Lion, Cheddleton Popular, friendly village pub serving a range of hearty food Wednesdays + Friday-Sunday: chilli, lasagne, burgers, fish and chips, steaks, nachos, etc. plus Sunday roasts. Dogs allowed in the bar area and beer garden. Lots of events including quizzes, bingo, live music.

The Star at Cotton Gastropub serving good quality food with an emphasis on local suppliers. Lots of comfortable dog friendly space inside as well as a garden. Staff are usually very generous in offering up the doggie biscuits!

The Tea Junction, Hulme End This great little stop off on the popular Manifold Track is dog friendly inside and there’s lots of outdoor seating too. There’s a big range of homemade cakes and scones, ice cream, plus simple food like oatcakes, breakfasts, baked potatoes, filled baps and sandwiches. Depending on the season, specials might include soup, pies and pasties, or a ploughman’s.

Three Horseshoes, Blackshaw Moor. Dogs allowed in the bar and beer garden at this great country inn and spa on the edge of the stunning Staffordshire Peak District. Besides pub classics and a top-notch carvery featuring quality local meat, there’s a good choice of imaginative starters and desserts plus modern British dishes. Also look out for unusual dishes from their team of Filipino chefs.

Ye Olde Rock Inn, Upper Hulme. Just inside the boundary of the Peak District National Park, you’ll find good value food at this unfussy village inn close to the popular Roaches. The dog friendly areas are the Hikers Bar with pool table and dartboard and the Hikers Retreat. Booking strongly advised as these aren’t large spaces. Pub classics plus chef’s specials like Cajun seabass and Greek flatbreads.

EAST STAFFORDSHIRE

Denstone Hall. Award-winning farm shop and café on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border.  Open every day for breakfast and lunch, everything in the café is homemade and includes the farm’s home-reared beef. Dog’s aren’t allowed inside the café, but there’s lots of outdoor seating plus The Dog House – a timber lodge where you can eat with your pooch whatever the weather

Duncombe Arms, Ellastone Don’t be confused by the post code: this fantastic spot is definitely in Staffordshire! Fine dining and perfectly executed pub classics in an exceptional country inn. Dog friendly tables in the bar plus plenty of outside seating with lovely views. Food is of a very high standard and highly recommended.

The Hatch at Dalton’s Dairy, Wootton. A fantastic dog friendly spot to enjoy fabulous handmade ice cream straight from the farm, plus hot and cold drinks, milkshakes and homemade cakes. The Hatch is a hut on a grassed area, open seasonally, with picnic tables, children’s games, plus a few pods for when the weather’s not so good. Having a Dalton’s Spinner is a must: delicious vanilla ice cream whizzed with your choice of fresh fruit.

STAFFORD AREA

Dog & Doublet Inn, Sandon. Dog friendly in the bar, this is an excellent gastro pub in a beautifully restored Arts & Crafts building. Depending on the time of your visit, there’s a range of menus including sandwiches, sharing platters and grazing boards, classics like local steaks and burgers plus modern British cooking. And if you want to make a night of it, some guest rooms are dog friendly too.

Fitzherbert Arms, Swynnerton near Stone. Dog friendly in the lower bar, snug, garden and terrace, there’s water bowls, free treat plus ‘dog beer’ for sale. All your pub favourites, plus tasty nibbles, sharing platters, Sunday lunches and dishes with a modern British feel.

Plume of Feathers, Barleston. Owned by Neil Morrissey of Men Behaving Badly and Bob the Builder fame. Dogs allowed in the bar only, but it’s pretty big, plus  there’s outside seating. It’s a great stop-off after you’ve taken your dog for a walk at nearby Downs Banks. Good mix of pub classics combined with more imaginative options: try the curried smoked haddock Scotch egg with black pudding.

The Red Lion, Bradley. Dog friendly in the bar area. Beautifully renovated rural pub south west of Stafford. Offers a mix of well made pub classics alongside accomplished modern British cooking. At lunchtime, there’s a separate menu with a range of sandwiches and two or three course fixed price menus. Also afternoon teas and Sunday roasts.

STOKE-ON-TRENT & AROUND

Anasama Greek Eatery, Trentham. Dog friendly inside as well as at the riverside tables on the Trentham Estate. Affordable hot and cold mezze plus souvlaki, gyros and lots more tasty, generously portioned Greek dishes, both familiar and traditional family recipes. Anasma started out as a bakery, so it’s no surprise there’s also an incredible selection of cakes and pastries to eat in or take home.

Bolton Gate Café, Weston Coyney. Based on a family farm next door to Park Hall Country Park, this dog friendly café (which also hosts arts events) is a great spot to recharge after a walk. Open 9 – 3 pm for quality breakfasts, lunches, and ‘farmyard fillers’ like Yorkshire pudding wraps and vegan cottage pie. Don’t forget to ask for a free pup cup treat for your dog!

Slamwich Club, Hanley. Dog friendly downstairs plus outside seating. It’s a bit misleading to say this venue on Piccadilly sells toasted sandwiches, because they’re huge, outsized affairs with a fantastic range of fillings. Loads of sides, fries, salads, dips and sauces to choose from too. Licensed + live events.

STOCK by Feasted, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Innovative bar and restaurant focussing on imaginative modern broths, small plates, nibbles, and sides, all with outstanding flavour. Dog friendly everywhere and treats available.

I hope you’ve found lots of new places to try with your pooch in my personal guide to Dog Friendly Eating & Drinking in Staffordshire, whether it’s a quick pint or a coffee, breakfast, lunch, or a top-notch dinner.

I always love to hear about new venues, so do let me know your favourites!

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