The Greens North Sydney

The Greens North Sydney occupies the old lawn bowls club on Ridge Street, and the barefoot bowls greens are still rolling out the back. Inside it runs as a big restaurant and bar with harbour-facing terraces, open from 11:30am Tuesday to Sunday and later on Friday and Saturday nights. Bowls, the bar and a broad pub-style menu make it a place people settle into for a whole afternoon.

Dogs in the courtyard

Dogs big or small are allowed in the outdoor courtyard dining areas, not in the indoor dining room, and the venue is explicit that the courtyard seating is walk-in only and cannot be booked. In practice that means turning up, asking for a courtyard table and settling in; on busy weekend evenings the wait can stretch, so a weeknight visit is the relaxed option with a dog in tow. The bowls greens, the city skyline and the harbour bridge do most of the view work while you eat. Weekend lunch is a good middle ground, busy enough for atmosphere and rarely as tight as the evening service.

Make an afternoon of it

The natural pairing is a barefoot bowls session followed by dinner in the courtyard, with the drinks list leaning on local beer and wine. Because the courtyard is unbookable, arriving outside the dinner peak gives you the best chance of a table with room for a dog to lie down. If the courtyard is full, a lap of the greens with the dog is not a bad way to wait.

Nearby options cover the rest of the day: Ciabatta handles the morning coffee run and the Greenwood Hotel is another North Sydney spot where dogs are welcome in outdoor areas.

Policies and seating rules can change, so confirm the courtyard setup with the venue before a long-planned visit, and keep your dog on a lead and settled at your side.