The Dirty Onion: The Irish Bar With a Menu for Dogs

We’ve all been there – that moment when you try to leave the house but your pet stares up at you with those ‘don’t go’ eyes. The very kind that pierces straight through to the soul, flooding you with an overwhelming sense of both love and guilt! Thanks to the many dog-friendly watering holes in Belfast, local dog owners are lucky that they don’t have to leave their fur babies when they go for a pint. Better still The Dirty Onion, a popular Belfast pub has just a menu for our four-legged friends.

The Dirty Onion, an authentic Irish pub and restaurant housed in one of Belfast’s oldest buildings and famed for its live music, launched Northern Ireland’s first-ever menu for dogs, and it’s already a roaring success.

Wagging tails one bite at a time, the speciality menu features an array of high-quality, healthy and nutritious treats and dishes, all of which are made in Northern Ireland by leading local pet food provider Naturo.

Dogs can choose from a handful of options that are conveniently categorised by animal age range. With each dish served with vegetables and a bed of rice, menu items span from salmon and potato to chicken and lamb and turkey. Once more, it’s wonderfully priced with dishes starting at just £1.25.

For dessert, pups can indulge in liver brownies bursting with yummy ingredients to promote optimal health and good teeth. Those with a soft spot for creamy concoctions will love Frozzys, a lactose-free frozen yoghurt specifically for dogs. Rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, flavours include blueberry, cranberry, strawberry and original.

Pooches with a penchant for partying can bond with their owners over a beer in The Dirty Onion beer garden, which happens to be one of the biggest in Belfast. And no, the chicken-flavoured Snuffle Dog beer does not contain actual alcohol or hops!

As well as being one of the city’s most beloved dog-friendly drinking dens, The Dirty Onion is the first stop of Belfast’s dog-friendly pub crawl.

If that doesn’t seal the deal, this trendy bar boasts a dedicated dog day three times a year called ‘Pooch Social’. As dreamy as it sounds, the bar puts on a BBQ, live music, drinks galore and, of course, a doggy fair brimming with locally produced dog food, treats and accessories.

These shindigs are in aid of dog charities such as Lucy’s Trust, a cause dedicated to re-homing and caring for unwanted dogs. It’s safe to say that The Dirty Onion is barking up the right tree!