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Dogs are a member of our family and eating in a restaurant may not be an excuse not to be with them.
The regulation of dogs in restaurants is confusing, but we are going to explain it to you! So the next time you want to enjoy a good meal, you can have your furry friend by your side.
It is important for you to know that there are restaurants that admit dogs and that they advertise it, either in their shop window or in the Doggies in Town App where you can find all the dog friendly restaurants in your city. So if you don’t want to think too much and go eat at a restaurant where they love dogs as much as you do, just download the App (Android or iOS) and choose your place.
Can you bring dogs into restaurants, cafes and bars?
Currently, in most Spanish cities the quick answer is yes on the terraces of bars and cafes. In the case of restaurants it is more limited, but in case it is prohibited you would see it on a sign.
The best thing you can do is to always the employees or call the restaurant beforehand to make sure, because although depending on the locality and province the law may vary, we do not want to spend an uncomfortable moment with our dog.
Important note, if the dog in question is a service dog or a unit of the canine police, by law you can not prohibit access to these super dogs, nothing can stop them!
Law on the admission of dogs in restaurants
There is no specific law on whether or not dogs can enter restaurants, there are many and they conflict with each other. In addition, many of these laws are ambiguous and unclear, but in Doggies in the Town we have read them all to give you a summary so you know in which cities you can be with your dog in restaurants.
European Union regulations state that dogs cannot enter places where food is prepared, handled or stored. Meaning, the entry of dogs is prohibited in kitchens and food stores, since that law does not specify anything about the exclusion of dogs from areas where food is not prepared, handled or stored they can enter the dining room of a restaurant or cafeteria.
In this case, it is up to the food business operator to decide whether there is a risk of dogs entering such areas if they are allowed access to the premises. This is as long as there is no municipal ordinance or regional law that says otherwise: something that happens in Spain, giving rise to surprising disparities, although in the terraces there is some generalization in allowing pets to stay.
Spain’s national regulations, drawn up by the Ministry of Health, are similar to those of Europe and state that dogs cannot enter commercial establishments where food is prepared, sold or stored, as well as shopping centers, markets and food stores. But this is not the end! There are autonomous communities with laws that do allow dogs to enter restaurants.
And in communities such as Andalusia, Madrid and Catalonia, as a general rule dogs are welcome in restaurants, with limitations when it is the owner of the restaurant who must prohibit or expressly allow the entry of dogs.
But there is still more, and that is that before this type of laws, restaurants are subject to local regulations. Thus, deciding the entrance of dogs in restaurants is the final jurisdiction of each municipality. Although this means that if there is no legislation at the local level, the legislation of the province, autonomous community or state is applied by default. This means that there will be cities where there are more dog friendly restaurants than in others.
How to know which restaurants are dog friendly?
The quickest way to find dog friendly restaurants is to search on the Doggies in Town App, (Android or iOS) which in addition to recommending the best restaurants, will give you information about how many dogs you can take to the place, size limitations, additional services for your dog offered by the business that you will visit and other surprises.
In autonomous communities such as Andalusia or Madrid, it is the establishment that must decide the specific conditions for admitting dogs in restaurants, cafes and bars, always with prior administrative authorization from the competent body. But how can we know these rules? Once again, it depends on the area where we are.
In Andalucia, if dogs are allowed in restaurants they must show a sign indicating so, however in other communities it is the opposite, dogs are allowed as long as there is no sign of non-acceptance. In the end, the best recommendation we can make is to always ask before entering. More and more businesses are opting to become dog friendly cafes, bars and restaurants, so everyone is happy.
