If you’re looking for a place both you and your dog are sure to love, look no further than The Bark Park and Patio! This incredible local gem has seamlessly blended two of life’s greatest joys—dogs and craft beer—into a one-of-a-kind experience that keeps locals and visitors coming back time and time again. Picture this: a spacious dog park where pups can run off-leash, play, and make new furry friends, all while their humans kick back and enjoy a refreshing drink from the 20-tap self-serve beer wall. From craft beers to ciders, seltzers, wines, and even canned cocktails, there’s truly something for everyone to sip and savor while soaking in the inviting, vibrant atmosphere. Hands down, it’s the most dog-friendly bar in Northern Kentucky!
What truly sets The Bark Park & Patio apart is its tight-knit community vibe. This isn’t just a place to grab a drink—it’s a hub for socializing, meeting new people, and connecting with fellow dog lovers. With seasonal events, fun activities, and special happenings that bring everyone together, there’s always something to look forward to. Whether it’s a dog costume contest, a beer tasting, trivia or bingo in the warmer months, or euchre night in the colder months, there’s never a dull moment here. Plus, the food truck serving up insanely delicious bites is the perfect complement to your drink, ensuring no one leaves hungry.
To dive deeper into the story behind this extraordinary dog-friendly bar in Northern Kentucky, I caught up with the owner, Lee Cahill—both a beer and dog enthusiast—who gave me the inside scoop on The Bark Park & Patio. Here’s what he had to share:
How did you come up with the concept for The Bark Park & Patio? Was it a personal passion for both dogs and craft beer, or did you see a gap in the market? Where did your inspiration come from?
I actually got the idea for The Bark Park & Patio from Madtree Brewing. My friends and I would bring our dogs, sit on their patio, and have a couple beers. The only problem was the dogs just wanted to play with each other. We couldn’t let them off the leash, obviously, so they would become frustrated and excited, start pulling, and inevitably lead to someone’s beer being spilt or dropped. I just thought to myself, there has to be a way to put down the leash and enjoy our beers without spilling them and letting the dogs play. A few years later and here we are!
How do you envision the experience for customers? Are they primarily here to socialize with other pet owners, enjoy a drink, or both?
We have such an amazing community here and while some people are definitely just here to let their dogs run, I like to think that the majority come for the great atmosphere and social aspect. Not to brag, but I know so many friend groups that started out here. And it’s no surprise because we have two of the greatest ice breakers of all time: beer and dogs. With that said, I take a LOT of pride in our beer wall and curating the beers on tap. If you are a beer lover and connoisseur come on out, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Do you have any unique/favorite events or promotions that cater to both dog-lovers and bar-goers?
We have different weekly events based on the season. We have Bingo and Trivia during the spring, summer, and warmer months of fall, while in the winter we have Euchre and Poker nights. I personally love our weekly Euchre nights on Wednesdays. It’s always a great group of people that show up and have a fun time. However, my absolute favorite event we have each year has to be our Corgipalooza! We coordinate with the Cincy Corgi Facebook group and have on average about 250 – 300 corgis come out and take over our field. There are games, prizes, costume contests, and of course food and beer.
As your business grows, do you plan to expand the concept or introduce new services or amenities?
Yes, we are always looking to introduce new ways to help serve and entertain our community. For instance, last year we opened our own food truck and, if I do say so myself, have one of the best burgers in the NKY area. Next year we are hoping to convert the front building, which right now only serves as a storage area, into a dog grooming salon. We are also hoping to expand and grow our “Dog Daze” beer brand. You should be able to find our Winter seasonal, “Dog Daze of Winter”, on store shelves later this year or early next.
You guys always seem to have a wide selection and a great variety of brews! How many beers do you usually have on tap? What’s your go-to drink at the bar, and do you have any dog-friendly drink offerings?
As I said earlier, I do take a lot of pride in curating our beer wall, so thank you for asking about it. We have a 20 tap, self-serve, beer wall that includes wine, seltzers, ciders, and of course beer. We also sell canned cocktails for those who prefer a less sudsy beverage. When I first opened up the doors, I had no idea what I was doing when it came to curating a tap list and only put beers on that I enjoyed. One of the first lessons in business that I learned very quickly was, “Don’t sell what you like, but what your customers are wanting to buy”. With that in mind I always include crowd favorites on the beer wall like Summer Shandy, Miller Lite, Angry Orchard, and Zombie Dust, but I always save room for some unique beers that are less well known but equally delicious. Right now, my go to drink is probably Inner Sight by Third Eye Brewing, a newer local brewery in Sharonville.
From my personal experience, the park always feels so welcoming, with lots of shared love and appreciation for pups and pints. How do you think you guys are able to accomplish this “community” feeling so successfully?
I wish I could say it has all to do with my charming personality and beautiful smile ….. but more realistically it likely stems from the fact that when you mix good beer and adorable, well behaved, pups together people just become more friendly and better company. When you see your dog having the time of its life playing with someone else’s pup it is very easy so strike up a conversation and get to know someone. You do this enough times and before you know it you’ve built a tight knit community.
If you could have any dog breed (or any dog) as your business’s mascot, which one would you choose and why?
I hate to play favorites here, but Banjo would be my mascot. Banjo was my German Shorthaired Pointer who passed away in March earlier this year. He was my Taproom dog and perfect companion who would come to work with me nearly every day and would greet everyone as they came in. He was loyal, loving, gentle, and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. In my very biased opinion he was quite literally the perfect dog. He was the inspiration for the artwork on our Dog Daze of Summer beer label and has been sorely missed since his passing.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your awesome food truck?
Let me just tell you, we aren’t like The Cheesecake factory where there are 85 different things on the menu. We have 5. But everything we do, we do very well. We have a burger, burger tacos, a black bean burger, chicken sandwich, and fries. Our burger is a 2 patty smash burger with lettuce, cheese, tomato, grilled onions, and our very own signature Bark Sauce. I would put our burger up against any other burger out there! When it’s someone’s first time eating at our place most people will go for the burger, but the second time they eat here I strongly recommend trying the burger tacos. While the burger is the staple and is standalone incredible, the burger tacos are next level. It is simply the taco version of our burger, but adds such a unique spin on the burger that it will quickly become your favorite thing.
Paws & Pints: The Perfect Pairing
After hearing a little bit more about The Bark Park & Patio, I pose a very simple question for beer drinkers and dog lovers alike: Why choose between having fun with your dog and enjoying a cold one with friends when you can do both at Northern Kentucky’s most dog-friendly bar, The Bark Park & Patio? I urge you to do yourself and your furry friend a huge favor, and go experience the park for yourself. Dogs and beer? It just doesn’t get any better than that.
Things to Know Before You Go:
The Bark Park & Patio is Northern Kentucky’s most dog-friendly bar for a reason! Not only do they make it fun for dogs and owners to hang out together, they make it safe. Make sure you visit their website to get more information about what to expect when you go, but here are the basics:
- Dogs must be at least 4 months old and play well with others.
- To go off-leash in the field, dogs must have either a Day Pass or Monthly/Yearly membership, be spayed/neutered (no exceptions), and be fully vaccinated.
Keep an eye out for their grooming salon (opening up in 2025) as well as Dog Daze of Winter Merchandise coming to store shelves soon. For more information, visit their website at www.barkparkpatio.com or follow them on Facebook to keep updated on future fun and events!
Go here to find more fun things to do in Northern Kentucky!
