Date night with the dog: twelve Southwark places for an evening out together

A good evening out in Southwark can include the dog. From a candlelit dining room on the Thames in Rotherhithe to seasonal tapas on Bermondsey Street, these twelve places have food and a setting worth making an occasion of, and your dog comes too. We've grouped them by area so you can walk the dog to dinner and make a night of the neighbourhood.

Rotherhithe: cobbles, river and candlelight

The Mayflower Pub

The Mayflower at 117 Rotherhithe Street claims to be the oldest pub on the Thames. It has cobbled streets outside, an open fire inside and a candlelit restaurant looking over the river. Dogs are welcome on the deck, a decked jetty with the same river view. The jetty is walk-ins only, so you can't book it: just turn up. At low tide you can see the original 1620 mooring point of the Pilgrim Fathers' Mayflower. The menu is classic British with daily changing chef's specials, and the bar pours traditional ales, craft beers, local gins and wine. At 4.7, it's the highest-rated place in this guide.

The Blacksmiths Arms

A bit further along Rotherhithe Street, at number 257 and close to the river, The Blacksmiths Arms is a family-run bar and restaurant with a kitchen that does both English and Thai, from battered fish and chips to Thai green curry. That's handy if one of you wants curry and the other wants chips. Dog owners come for the dog-friendly secret garden, which is enclosed. The bar serves beers, wines and cocktails.

The Pacific Tavern

At 100 Redriff Road, The Pacific Tavern lives up to its tagline, Fire, Land, Sea, with flame-roasted vegetables, meats and fish, house salads, sharing platters and homely puddings (one of them vegan). The wines go from New Zealand to South America and across the Asian seas, alongside Pacific ales, alcohol-free beers, cocktails and mocktails. The outdoor seating is dog-friendly, and the pub's South Pacific music showcases, which celebrate New Zealand music, can turn a quiet supper into a proper night out.

Bermondsey Street and around

Bermondsey Street runs south from London Bridge, and it has enough good food along it for a whole evening.

Pizarro

If you want to sit inside with the dog, start here. Dogs are always welcome at Pizarro, 194 Bermondsey Street, and the restaurant is fully dog-friendly indoors. It's José Pizarro's second restaurant, a short walk from his original José Tapas bar, with an open kitchen in the middle of the room. The menu is seasonal Spanish tapas plus more substantial dishes, so you can order a selection to share or have plates as starters and mains. If you've brought friends, a wood-panelled semi-private room seats 6 to 10 and can be booked online.

The Woolpack

The Woolpack at 98 Bermondsey Street calls itself the best pub and beer garden in South London, and the garden is the reason to go. It's enclosed, with shade and heating lamps, and dogs are welcome at the garden tables. There are private booths too. The food is pub grub made with British seasonal ingredients, and the drinks run from craft beer to wine.

Crol and Co Bermondsey Street

In Hatcher Yard at 9 Tanner Street, this is the biggest of Vanessa and Nico's three Crol & Co sites. It opened in summer 2023. It suits a more easy-going date: an all-day menu, craft beers from the Bermondsey Beer Mile and espresso roasted by local friends.

The Kings Arms

The Kings Arms at 251 Tooley Street is an independent, family-run gastro pub that has been serving drinks and food since 2005. The menu covers fish and chips, burgers and Sunday roasts. The printed wine list runs from whites and rosés through reds to sparkling and Champagne, with several natural wines marked, and there's real ale and cocktails too. It takes dinner reservations, which helps on a busy night.

Tower Bridge and the river

Gaucho Tower Bridge

For an anniversary, Gaucho has the view. This Argentine steak restaurant at 2 More London Place spans two glass-fronted floors looking out on Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, and it has a terrace for outdoor dining. Inside there's a contemporary dining room and a secluded cocktail bar, with wines, cocktails, and vegan and vegetarian dishes on the menus. Borough Market and London Bridge are a short walk away if the dog needs a stroll before you sit down.

Shakedown Bar & Restaurant - Tower Bridge

Shakedown is the bar and restaurant of The Dixon hotel at 4 Queen Elizabeth Street. It sits in the original cell block of a former Magistrates' Court, all exposed brick, vaulted ceilings and industrial detail. It's a cocktail bar, espresso bar and restaurant in one, with a menu built on cicchetti, the Italian custom of small shared plates, plus pizzettas, pasta and prosecco. If your date starts early, there's afternoon tea with handmade sandwiches, scones and clotted cream.

Bankside and Borough

Founder's Arms

The Founder's Arms sits on the South Bank at 52 Hopton Street, between Tate Modern and Blackfriars station, with large panoramic windows, a long bar and outdoor seating. The cooking is British: heritage beetroot salad, cyder battered haddock with triple-cooked chips, and on Sundays a roast with homemade Yorkshire pudding, a veggie Wellington or a nut roast. It's an easy place to end up after an afternoon at the gallery.

Mc & Sons Borough

For a livelier night, Mc & Sons is a traditional Irish pub at 160 Union Street, on a small side street between Blackfriars Road and Borough. Photos of the Mc Elhinney family through the generations hang on the walls, and traditional Irish music plays on Friday and Saturday evenings. On weekdays the kitchen serves Thai street food under the name Johnny Rice, with an à la carte menu at weekends and gluten-free and vegan options. Try the signature spice bag: chicken popcorn bites, chips, chillis and spring onions.

A little further south

Megan's in the Hamlet Restaurant (Dulwich Village)

Megan's in the Hamlet, at 25 Dulwich Village, is fully dog-friendly indoors and also has a large covered al fresco space. It fills a big corner spot and serves brunch and dinner meant for sharing: hot honey halloumi, kebabs, loaded bowls and crispy fries. It always keeps space for walk-ins, so if nothing shows online, turn up and ask for a table.

Making the evening work for the dog

Walk first. A good long walk before dinner gives you a dog who settles under the table and stays there through pudding.
Bring water and a chew. A collapsible bowl and something long-lasting to chew keep a dog content while you linger.
Pick your night for a nervous dog. Mc & Sons has live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, so a weeknight is calmer. An enclosed garden like The Woolpack's or The Blacksmiths Arms' gives a wary dog more room.
Keep the lead short indoors. In a busy room like Pizarro's, keep your dog tucked in by your chair, away from the path staff walk with hot plates.
Go early for the jetty. The Mayflower's jetty is walk-ins only, so on a fine evening arrive early to get a spot by the water.

For more ideas, see every dog-friendly restaurant in Southwark.