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Best Pet-Friendly Restaurants In The South Bay Area

It's five-paws up for the South Bay restaurants that cater to every member of the family, even the furry ones. One offers a doggie menu, one bakes a gourmet dog biscuit and all of them serve water to the leashed dogs that are welcomed as guests in outdoor dining areas. Expect a great dog day no matter your choice at the best pet-friendly restaurants in South Bay.

Cafe Limelight
Photo Credit: cafelimelight.info/

Cafe LimeLight
1016 Cedar St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 425-7873
www.cafelimelight.info

Choose between the pig ears or roast turkey for your furry friend, and enjoy this delightful cafe's regular, gluten-free and (ah-hem) dog menus. Like all of the restaurants on this list, only service dogs are allowed inside, but the dog-friendly atmosphere has created a loyal following among those who train service dogs, so it's not unusual to find canines inside and out. The people food here is locally sourced and organic. In addition to gourmet panini, soups and salads, Cafe LimeLight also serves local microbrews and wines.

Left Bank Brasserie
Photo Credit:

Left Bank Brasserie
377 Santana Row, Ste. 1100
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 984-3500
www.leftbank.com/

Located on the fashionable promenade of Santana Row, this French brasserie serves dogs water in a Left Bank Brasserie dog bowl alongside house-made dog cookies from Chef David Bastide's personal recipe. Come by for a bit of Sunday afternoon people watching and enjoy a glass of wine, fresh bread and perhaps the lovely salade nicoise with seared ahi tuna, haricots verts, fingerling potatoes, avocado, radishes, olive tapenade and anchovies. Expect engaged chefs, the best appetizers in the Bay Area and a truly pleased pet no matter when you visit, but come during good weather for a side of ambiance with your meal.

Dog under Chair
Photo Credit: ThinkStock

Xanh Restaurant
110 Castro St.
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 964-1888
www.xanhrestaurant.com

Mountain View's Castro Street is one of those strolls with small-town-charm but big-city-atmosphere that define much of the South Bay. Xanh's elegant Asian-fusion cuisine from chef Thuy Pham has it all, including friendly service and food worthy of any discriminating foodie's palate. So while Fido basks in the sunshine with a personal water cup, you may enjoy one of its terrific signature items such as grapefruit salad, spicy tuna roll or the Xanh banana leaf sea bass, a Chilean sea bass with shitake mushrooms, ginger, onions and glass noodles.

Related: Best Bay Area Pet Day Care Centers

The Cantankerous Fish
Photo Credit: thecantankerousfish.com

Cantankerous Fish
420 Castro St.
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 966-8124
www.thecantankerousfish.com

Castro Street always seems to head the list of favorite places for dog-friendly restaurants. It's a great dog stroll, and offers a large assortment of food, both of which bring dog lovers to Cantakerous Fish with its "Please join us" attitude toward dogs and their people. Pups enjoy water bowls and dog treats, and owners take advantage of a large assortment of fresh food on the menu. For a first visit, try the signature dish: Cantankerous sea bass, a fresh New Zealand sea bass grilled and served with charmula sauce, seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes and topped with sun-dried tomato tapenade.

Dog with ice cream
Photo Credit: ThinkStock

Ricatoni's
17385 Monterey Rd.
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408) 779-7422
www.ricatonismorganhill.com

There's a water bowl waiting for your dog here at Ricatoni's, a casual deli that is great for meeting friends, having a bite or just resting while you and your dog are out and about. The menu is built on pasta, salads, soups, sandwiches, seafood and smoked meats, but try this if you love pasta: asparagus and cheese giganti. It's an asparagus- and cheese-filled pasta in a roasted garlic cream sauce tossed with asparagus. Otherwise, check out the lobster and prawn mafalda with warm bread with creamy butter.

Related: Five Vet Tips To Keep Your Dog Healthy In San Francisco

Marketing communications professional Amy Rabinovitz is a Bay Area writer who has lived in Marin County, San Francisco and now resides in Silicon Valley where, for 15 years, she has been a digital and social media marketer. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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