Nottinghamshire’s pub coverage via CAMRA’s own “Dog Friendly” tag is strong and spread right across the county, from Nottingham city centre to its smallest towns. Cafés and restaurants are much thinner, with one standout exception at a National Trust site.
Verified pubs (CAMRA “Dog Friendly” tag, currently open)
Nottingham city centre and Mapperley: Glass House, Canalhouse (outside area only), Malt Cross, Bread & Bitter. West Bridgford: Waterside Bar & Kitchen, Poppy & Pint (correctly placed here by CAMRA, despite several blogs mislabelling it “Nottingham”). Beeston: Pottle. Mansfield/Mansfield Woodhouse: Coopers, William IV. Worksop: Cannon (tap room only). Retford: Old Police Station, Brew Shed. Sutton-in-Ashfield: Duke of Sussex (tap room). Kirkby-in-Ashfield: Dandy Cock Ale House, Dog House, Duke of Wellington. Bingham: Wheatsheaf. Southwell: Minster Tap. Ollerton: New Plough Inn. Eastwood: Sun Inn, Dog & Parrot, Old Wine Vaults.
A name collision worth knowing
A pub called the “Sydney Arms” turns up in some searches for Sutton-in-Ashfield — but it’s actually in Sutton, Surrey, nowhere near Nottinghamshire. We’ve left it out entirely.
Cafés and restaurants: one strong lead, a handful of weaker ones
The best find in the whole county is Central Bark at Clumber Park — a genuinely first-party-confirmed dog café, documented on the National Trust’s own site, with a warm water dog shower and weekly/monthly organised dog walks. The Dukeries Lodge, Edwinstowe, and The Lion By Olivers, Brinsley near Eastwood, both allow dogs in their bar/booth areas but not the main restaurant. A handful of Nottingham city cafés (Portland Coffee Company, the Homemade Café at Forest Recreation Ground, Bendigo Lounge in Beeston, Café Sobar, Prickly Pear) are named dog-friendly in local blogs and roundups, but we couldn’t independently confirm any of their policies with the venues themselves, so treat these as leads rather than confirmed facts.
Closed venues excluded, and two genuine gaps
Several confirmed closures were caught and excluded via CAMRA’s own live pages — the Portland Arms in Hucknall, the Hop Pole Hotel in Ollerton, the Pheasant Inn and Corner House in Mansfield, the Sherwood in Retford, and the Cured and Moot House in Bingham, among others. Once those were stripped out, Newark-on-Trent and Hucknall both came back as genuine pub gaps — no currently-open, CAMRA-tagged dog-friendly pub turned up in either town in this pass. Cafés and restaurants are a near-total gap outside Nottingham, Beeston and the Clumber Park/Ollerton area.
A busy pub on a weekend, full of new smells and other dogs, takes some settling into for a nervier dog. A calming bite before you set off can help take the edge off. If the anxiety runs deeper than a new environment, that’s a conversation for your vet.
For everything else dog-related in Nottinghamshire, see our Nottinghamshire dog services hub — and if you need help on the days you can’t walk them yourself, here’s our guide to dog walkers in the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a dog café in Nottinghamshire?
Yes — Central Bark at Clumber Park, documented on the National Trust’s own site, is the strongest and best-confirmed find in the county.
Is there a dog-friendly pub in Newark or Hucknall?
Not currently — a genuine gap in both towns once closed and stale listings are excluded.
Is the “Sydney Arms” in Sutton-in-Ashfield dog-friendly?
That particular Sydney Arms is actually in Sutton, Surrey — not Nottinghamshire at all, so we’ve left it out.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who has strong opinions about which pub gardens have the best scraps.
