The ultimate guide to the best dog friendly places to eat in Cheltenham
[UPDATED 2024 with lots of new additions!]
Living within walking distance of central Cheltenham, we often wander into the town centre if we have a bit of free time at the weekend or for a quick coffee in the week. We’re incredibly lucky that Cheltenham is so dog friendly – we can often do a whole shopping trip with the dogs in tow!
As part of the Great Taste of Chelt campaign, Visit Cheltenham invited us to put together a guide of our favourite dog friendly places to eat and drink in Cheltenham with Poppy. Since then, we’ve been working our way around many more places so this list is up to date as of early 2024.
If you’re looking for dog friendly places to eat in The Cotswolds, we’ve put together a list of the best dog friendly places to eat in The Cotswolds too.
(Full disclosure, some of the below were gifted visits but we know and love all of them and visit far too often!)
No.85 Coffee & Kitchen
We’re lucky enough to live round the corner from this hidden gem. It’s a great spot for brunch and lunch with great big portions and a regularly changing menu. We love their beef brisket and avocado toast but they also do a big (and very tempting) range of cakes and cookies! The owner Steph also makes AMAZING cocktails that are definitely worth a try.
The Coffee Dispensary
Hands down the best coffee in Cheltenham and we’ve been bringing Poppy here since she was 10 weeks old! This has got to be our favourite dog friendly spot in Cheltenham, and certainly our most frequently visited.They have an incredible selection of cakes, brownies and blondies and delicious freshly made toasties too. A special mention to their breakfast granola bowls which have become a bit of a weekend staple for me! If you’re not a coffee drinker, it’s worth a visit for their hot chocolates too with at least 5 varieties on the menu! Come evening from Thursday to Saturday, the basement turns into a cocktail bar with the best espresso martini in Cheltenham, and a range of other incredible cocktails.
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Boston Tea Party
A great dog friendly place to visit with plenty of seating and a very popular breakfast spot! Expect your dog to get plenty of fuss from the lovely staff while you agonise choosing from the largest cake selection we’ve seen - which is definitely a good thing in our eyes. The blueberry and ginger smoothie is a particular favourite and we have been known to detour out of our way just to go past in the morning and grab one!
The Urban Meadow
Tucked away off the main high street in Cheltenham, the Urban Meadow is a lovely relaxed option for breakfast or a quick lunch. We love the pancakes with homemade honeycomb for an indulgent breakfast or choosing from their bagel menu at lunchtime. If you fancy a walk, you can pop slightly out of town to their sister cafe The Meadow Cafe before a stroll around Cox's Meadow.
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Woodkraft
Poppy is a much loved regular at Woodkraft and always gets such a lovely welcome, water bowl and a treat or two! The food is consistently excellent and is a very popular locals option for brunch. Our favourites include eggs benedict and choosing from their seasonally changing pancake options. Whatever you order, make sure you get a side of hash browns - they are AMAZING!
Dunkerton's Taproom
Dunkerton’s Taproom is a must visit if you’re in the area, showcasing the very best local Cotswolds suppliers. It has become a bit of a local institution and a firm favourite for local dog owners popping in before or after their weekend walks. You’ll rarely see a table without a dog tucked underneath or snuggled on their owners lap in an armchair! It’s all about the food here, home to some of the very best foodie pop ups in Cheltenham. Take your pick from The Woozy Pig and their legendary burgers, Bella Mia for delicious sourdough pizzas or Bombay Street Food Co for authentic Indian street food dishes.
Botanica Coffee Kitchen
Probably Cheltenham’s most instagrammable cafe in the unlikeliest of locations, Botanica has house plants adorning every wall and shelf in sight. Everything we’ve tried from their regularly changing menu of breakfast and light bites is delicious and it’s also a great spot for a coffee. A hearty recommendation for the breakfast bap which is definitely the best in Cheltenham! Visit their sister cafes Arc Espresso Deli by the train station for lighter bites, amazing coffee and pastries or newly opened Sorrel in the Suffolks specialty coffee, seasonal small plates, cocktails & wine.
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Gallimore's Kitchen
We love this spot tucked away in Montpellier Courtyard for consistently excellent and very good value food. From breakfast through to dinner dogs are always welcomed very warmly (usually with a big plate of ham!) but it's the daily changing fresh seafood specials that we really think are worth visiting for.
The Swan
We’re lucky enough to have the Swan as very local to us and their Indian street food menu is delicious! We love being able to choose from a selection of small sharing plates and are working our way through the menu with each visit. The Swan also has one of the best local independent beer selections in Cheltenham, you’re welcome to bring your own board games to while away a few hours on the comfy sofas! If Thai is more your thing, they have two sister pubs called the Vine and the Railway - both super dog friendly too.
Domaine 16
Eating at Domaine 16 is literally like walking into a cheese lover’s dream. Think cheese fondues, baked cheeses and artisan meats. The truffle cheese fondue is probably the best fondue we’ve ever had. Stretchy trousers recommended! (Make sure you let them know about your dog on booking as dogs are welcomed on the ground floor only.)
Society Cafe
This is a fairly new addition to Cheltenham, but with a perfect central location and loads of space, it's a great option to take dogs for really good coffee and cake. I'd highly recommend their caramelised white chocolate flapjack! There's also a very large upstairs which is a great place to go and work for a few hours.
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The Strand
The Strand is a lovely welcoming pub that focuses on using as many independent suppliers as possible. They always have an incredible beer selection and they absolutely love dogs! We really like their large beer garden in the summer too.
Deya Taproom
Located by the train station in the unlikely location of a trading estate, Deya Taproom is a great place to visit with friends, with loads of seating and a really lively atmosphere at the weekends. The ever changing schedule of food trucks can be found on their instagram page. We actually visited Deya every weekend for months before our wedding to try all of the different food trucks for our wedding evening food!
Baker & Graze
Baker & Graze is a lovely cafe based up in the pretty Suffolks area of Cheltenham. They have a great brunch menu, the most incredible selection of freshly baked pastries every day and in our opinion, they sell the best sourdough in Cheltenham. Very dog friendly and absolutely worth a visit.
There really are so many great dog friendly options in Cheltenham, it was difficult to narrow it down to a list. If you think we’ve missed anywhere that’s worth a visit, let us know here.
Thanks for reading,
Cara, Andy, Poppy and Maple x
