Apple Goes Out to Eat!

In honor of Apple's graduation and his upcoming birthday (Jan. 29) we took him on his very first trip to a dog-friendly restaurant. The particular restaurant we chose was Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar & Restaurant, because in addition to allowing dogs on their patio, they also have a dog menu that you can order from. 

Steven and I have been planning this event for a long time. We decided we wanted to take him out to eat for graduation when he first started the class in October. Even though his graduation was delayed, it worked out pretty well to go in January because we could combine the celebration to include his birthday as well.

We let him wear his birthday bandana a little early!

Apple's first restaurant experience went very well. For most of the evening, we were the only ones out on the patio, so there were no other dogs to distract him. He was very good about having to be tethered for a while, and I brought plenty of things in my Dog Mom Apron to distract him when he had to wait. 

Ready to eat!

I had a black bean and cheese quesadilla, Steven ate a hamburger, and Apple had the Canine Kahuna, a grilled chicken breast cut up into chunks with a dog bowl of ice on the side. The whole meal, including chips and salsa, was only $18.84, which is a completely amazing price for two people and a dog, especially downtown. The dog meals are really cheap--the Canine Kahuna was $2, and the dog dish of ice was free, so there is definitely no cost deterrent to bringing your dog out to Lucy's for a fun night out on the town.

Apple enjoying his "Chilly Pup," a dish of ice

Our first dog-friendly restaurant experience was definitely a good one. It is really exciting to go somewhere that actually provides food for dogs, as most dog-friendly eateries just allow them on the patio to sit and wait while the humans dine. Apple is probably not ready to go to a super-crowded human-food-only restaurant like the super-popular Freddie's, but I'm sure we will be making our way back to Lucy's in the future to work up to more challenging restaurant situations.

If you have a dog (or even if you don't), you should definitely check out Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar & Restaurant at 506 West Avenue in Downtown Austin. The food is great, the price is incredible, and your dog can eat out in style.