Daytona has plenty of patios, but a patio is not the same as permission. In Florida a dog can only sit with you at an outdoor table where the local government has adopted the state’s dog-friendly dining option and the restaurant has chosen to take part. Volusia County adopted it in 2019, and the restaurants below are the ones the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau names as welcoming dogs.
We have kept this list short on purpose. An earlier version of this page carried four more names we could not confirm from any official source, so they are gone. If a place is not below, it may still take dogs – just ask before you sit down.
LandShark Bar & Grill
471 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. Oceanfront, with seafood, burgers and sandwiches, volleyball, fire pits and live music. The visitors bureau puts it plainly: your leashed pet is welcome at the outdoor tables. It is the easy choice for a meal on a beach day in central Daytona.
Ocean Deck Restaurant & Beach Club
127 S. Ocean Ave., Daytona Beach. A long-running beach bar right on the sand with live island music. The visitors bureau lists leashed dogs as welcome in the outdoor areas – indoors is off-limits, as it is everywhere under Florida law.
Lagerheads Bar & Grill
2986 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond-by-the-Sea. Casual lunch and dinner, American food and seafood, known for peel-and-eat shrimp and a grouper Reuben, with live music most nights, weather permitting. Listed as pet friendly with a pet-friendly patio. It pairs well with a morning on the Ormond Beach dog beach or a run at the Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park dog park, both a short drive away on the same stretch of A1A.
Caribbean Jack’s Restaurant & Marina
721 Ballough Rd., Daytona Beach. Riverfront rather than oceanfront – a deck over the marina with views of the Intracoastal and live music. The visitors bureau describes it as welcoming to pets. It is the pick for sunset, and the river breeze helps on a warm evening. Call ahead on a busy weekend night, since the deck is also the part everyone wants.
What Florida Law Says About Dogs on Patios
The rules come from Florida Statute 509.233, and they are specific. Where a restaurant has a permit for dogs:
- Dogs stay in the designated outdoor area. They cannot walk through the inside of the restaurant, or through any outdoor section that is not marked for dogs, to get there. Look for a separate patio entrance.
- Leashed and under control the whole time.
- Never on chairs, tables or other furniture. A small dog on your lap on a chair is exactly what this rule means.
- No contact with dishes, utensils or tableware. No licking a plate, no sharing from a fork. Bring your own bowl.
The restaurant has its own duties: signs telling staff and customers the rules, waterless hand sanitizer at every dog-area table, and staff who do not touch dogs while serving food. If you see those signs and sanitizer bottles, you are almost certainly at a permitted patio. If you see none of it, ask.
Service animals are a different matter – they are allowed inside, under separate law. Everything on this page is about pet dogs.
Ask Before You Sit Down
Patio policies change with the manager, the season and the crowd. A place that welcomes dogs on a quiet Tuesday lunch may not have a dog-area table free on a Saturday night during an event week. One question at the host stand – “Are dogs allowed on the patio today?” – saves an awkward walk back to the car.
Daytona’s big event weeks – Speedweeks, Bike Week, Biketoberfest – pack the beachside patios with crowds, noise and engines. That is a hard environment for most dogs. On those weeks, the riverfront or Ormond is the calmer choice.
Summer Patio Timing
From late spring through early fall, midday on a sunny patio is too hot for most dogs, and concrete and wooden decks hold heat long after the sun moves. Aim for breakfast, an early lunch or dinner, choose shaded or covered tables, and bring water – a dog lying on a hot deck under your table cannot tell you it is in trouble until it is.
Pick by Where You Are
- Beach day in central Daytona: LandShark or Ocean Deck.
- Staying in Ormond or north: Lagerheads.
- Sunset on the river: Caribbean Jack’s.
For where your dog can go on the sand, see Daytona’s dog beaches and parks – most of the coast here is closed to dogs, so it is worth reading before the beach day. The Volusia County pet help page has emergency vets if the day goes wrong.
