Jimmy's Tap & Barrel

Jimmy's Tap & Barrel is a rustic craft beer, whisky and cocktail bar on Union Road in Ascot Vale, and it says plainly on its own site that it is a dog friendly bar. With an open-air beer garden and BYO food, it is an easy late-afternoon stop with the dog in Melbourne's inner north-west.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating areas, including the open-to-air beer garden, on a lead and under standard pub courtesy around other drinkers. The indoor bar room is best treated as humans-only, so head straight for the garden on warm afternoons.

There is no kitchen, which works in your favour: grab takeaway from anywhere on the Union Road strip and settle in at a garden table with your dog and a pint.

The vibe

This is a beer-first local rather than a full pub. The taps rotate regularly, the whisky and cider shelves run deep, and there is a pool table for the evening crowd. It fills up on weekends from mid-afternoon, so weeknights are the relaxed window for a dog visit.

Max: bring a mat and pick a corner table in the garden, away from the door swing. The changing taps mean your usual is never the same twice.

Getting there

The address is 164 Union Road, Ascot Vale VIC. Doors open from 3pm, closing at 11pm Monday and Wednesday, 1am Thursday to Saturday and 11pm Sunday, with Tuesdays closed. Street parking runs along Union Road and the 57 tram passes the end of the street.

Pair it with

Burn off the afternoon at Fairbairn Park Dog Off Leash Area before drinks, or try Bent Street Fenced Dog Park over in Moonee Ponds. For coffee the next morning, Middle Child is just up the road.

More options are on the Victoria pub guide and the Ascot Vale destination page.