Lager House by Capital Brewing Co

Lager House by Capital Brewing Co is the brewery's neighbourhood pub on Lake Burley Griffin's southern shore, at 62 Constitution Avenue in Parkes. The pitch is simple: lager poured fresh from the tanks, a wood fired kitchen, and an outdoor area where dogs are welcome. It sits close to Kings Park and the lake path, so a walk with the dog and a session at the pub slot together easily.

The dog setup

The outdoor seating area is dog friendly, and the ACT government's own round up of dog friendly food spots counts Lager House among them. Bring your dog on a leash, settle into the alfresco tables and order at the bar or counter as the space allows. The indoor room is cosy but strictly for humans, so on a cold Canberra evening a rug and a sheltered table outside is the play. Water bowls are a fair request from staff; if the deck is full, the lakeside lawn nearby is the polite place to wait.

The vibe

This is Capital Brewing's city answer to its Fyshwick brewhouse. Lagers arrive tank fresh, served in proper steins, alongside the wider range of the brewery's beers plus wine and cocktails. The wood fired kitchen turns out pub meals, bar snacks and share plates, and reviewers regularly call out the quality: kipfler potatoes, halloumi and a solid steak. Live music adds to the schedule on selected nights. The room trades from 11:30am daily, running late Thursday to Saturday.

Getting there and parking

Lager House is on Constitution Avenue in Parkes, the parliamentary triangle side of the lake, a short walk from Kings Park. Free basement parking is available off Wendouree Drive, which matters in a part of town where street parking is mostly ticketed and time limited. Action buses along Constitution Avenue stop nearby, and the Bridge to Bridge path across the lake is the walking route if you are coming from Kingston or Yarralumla with the dog.

Close by with the dogs

Kings Park itself is on leash, but Yarralumla Dog Park is about six minutes west with a fenced, double gated enclosure for big and small dogs. For a walk first, the Bridge to Bridge Loop starts on this side of the lake and the Lake Burley Griffin Loop stretches it further. Brassey Hotel in Barton is one of the nearby stays if you are visiting Canberra with a dog in tow.

Pepsi: tank fresh lager for the humans, a lakeside sniff circuit for me. Fair trade.

More options are on the ACT pubs list, or see what else is happening in Parkes.