The Rio

The Rio is a former milk bar turned retro-chic cocktail bar and Mexican tapas kitchen at 126 Smith Street, Summer Hill, two minutes on foot from the station. It opens Wednesday and Thursday from 4pm, Friday from 3pm, and midday on Saturday and Sunday, closing Mondays and Tuesdays. It is a genuinely dog-friendly stop in the Inner West: the alfresco footpath tables along Smith Street are where dogs settle in for a cocktail and a plate of tacos.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath seating on lead. The indoor bar is small and kept for people, so plan on outside; water bowls are available on request and staff greet passing dogs as a matter of course. The footpath strip is close to the street, so a dog who can settle through foot traffic suits best. Weekend afternoons are the liveliest window, and live music nights make it a people-first crowd, so a Wednesday or Thursday early sitting is the calm choice.

Tacos and the cocktail list

The menu runs to Mexican-leaning share plates: ancho chicken, battered fish and deep-fried cauliflower tacos, a big bowl of nachos with chicken, pork or cauliflower, house guacamole and burrata with fennel jam, plus hibachi wagyu and fried chicken with Rio spice for larger appetites. The cocktail list is the real draw, from the signature Mandarin Gimlet and Elderflower Old Fashioned to the Rio Milkshake, a rum, Amaretto and agave nod to the building's milk bar history. Beer selection and regular live music rounds out the room.

Getting there and parking

The T2 train to Summer Hill station drops you a couple of minutes' walk from the door, which is the easiest arrival by far. Street parking runs along Smith Street and the surrounding residential lanes, tightest on weekend evenings when the village fills up.

Pair it with

Make a day of it in the village: The Granary Cafe and Goblin Kitchen & Bar both welcome dogs at outdoor tables nearby, and BarCycle Cafe covers the morning shift.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly restaurants guide and the Summer Hill destination page.