Dog Friendly Dana Point Harbor is a beautiful way to spend a morning or afternoon exploring! If you can’t do the whole Harbor, take the bridge to Dana Island and walk the Island loop which takes you along the jetty next to the boats and back around along the ocean entrance. It’s amazing! Water fountains are planted around the entire loop for you and your pup. As you walk along, you may see the albino squirrels (sooooooo hard not to bark at them!) and giant blue heron nesting if you look up high in the trees. There are lots of other seabirds, dolphin, seals and sea lions enjoying the harbor with you! If you are lucky, you may get a rare siting of a whale swimming through the harbor during migration season!
Our Secret Tip in Dana Point Harbor
After you walk Dana Island and the Harbor, my favorite area to watch (and listen to) waves crash is behind the Ocean Institute. Pick up a snack at the Harbor or pack a picnic – there are tables and benches where you can relax and listen to waves and watch boats and tall ships head out to the open sea! Dogs are not allowed on the small rocky beach below because it is a marine preserve (it can also be a little treacherous at high tide). This is our FAVORITE place to watch the sunset!
Best Dog Friendly Restaurants in Dana Point Harbor
Full Service
Waterman’s (In the Harbor)
Has a little-known dog-friendly downstairs patio. If it’s closed up they let you walk through the entrance to get to the patio. Waterman’s is right on the water so the view is FANTASTIC! They have a full bar and happy hour as well. Mom’s favorite tip is to order the fish and chips (chips on the side so not soggy) and share it. The portion is big and perfect for 2 people if you get soup, salad, appetizers or a dessert. YUM!
What A Dish Cafe (Across from the Harbor)
We love What A Dish! They are open for breakfast and lunch 7 days a week and for dinner Thursday – Sunday. Mom loves their omelets, coffee & chai lattes, pastas & appetizers. What a Dish serves sustainable, natural food and they have a doggy menu!! YES! Oh, and to quote my mom, the bakery is “TO DIE FOR”! Did I emphasize enough that they LOVE dogs?!
RJ’s (In front of What a Dish)
Diner-style food which is popular and really good. They have an outside area where both dogs and people are seated and served! Mom says all the egg dishes are De-Lish!
Beach Harbor Pizza (In the Harbor)
This is the first place Mom and I ate when she first adopted me! Mom loves to “make her own” pizza with pesto base, olives, mushrooms, & sun-dried tomatoes. I admit the crust is pretty tasty too! The patio is dog-friendly and has a TV if you want to watch sports. Mom says to mention beer and wine….We love it here!
Self-Service
Many say this is the best coffee in town and you can’t beat the view as you are sitting next to all the boats in the Harbor. Personally, mom loves to get fresh veggie juices here. The bagels are yummy as well. Mom loves to order the scrambled eggs with spinach and instead of the bagel, she gets the sundried tomato wrap. She shares with me so I can attest this is YUM!
Other Dog Friendly Restaurants in Dana Point
Coastal Kitchen – newer to the area in the Lantern District is Coastal Kitchen. The food is fantastic and they have a wonderful outdoor heated patio where you and your humans can relax have a nice meal and cocktails! My mom loves the halibut and clam dishes. I order “off menu” and get grilled chicken breast with broccoli! Yum!
Casanova’s – They recently updated their patio seating area and added heat lamps and now it’s super awesome for pups and their humans! Mom loves so many things here! Pizza, vongole, pasta, and she said the eggplant Parmesan is the best she’s ever had! I can’t wait to go finally check Casanova ‘s out with her soon!
You can spend days meandering around Dana Point Harbor, Doheny and Dana Island…..We do! I hope you love our recommendations! We spend lots of time at Dog-Friendly Dana Point Harbor and restaurants! I hope to see you there soon!
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