Taunton has quietly become one of the most dog-friendly towns in Somerset. A few years ago you'd have been lucky to find more than a handful of places that would let your dog past the door. Now you can get a full Sunday roast, a proper Italian meal, or a stack of pancakes with your dog at your feet, and nobody bats an eye.
As a dog walker, I spend a lot of my week moving between walks and cafés, and over the years I've worked out which places genuinely want your dog there and which ones are just tolerating them. These are the spots I come back to, with my own two, Athena and Apollo, and often with a client's dog in tow after a morning walk. If you're looking for somewhere to walk before stopping for a coffee or meal, I've also put together a guide to the top 10 dog walking spots in Taunton.
A quick practical note before we start: dog policies change, especially in summer when outdoor seating appears and disappears. If you're making a special trip, it's worth a quick call ahead. Most of the places below have water bowls and a jar of treats behind the counter, but bringing your own water on a hot day never hurts.
If you'd rather be the one enjoying a quiet coffee while someone else handles the walk, I offer solo walks, small group walks, and in-home dog sitting across Taunton and the surrounding villages. Most of the cafés below are within a ten-minute walk of my regular routes.
1. Corner Club, Bath Place
If you only visit one dog-friendly spot in Taunton, make it Corner Club. Tucked away on Bath Place just off the high street, it's a brunch and dessert parlour that has built a proper local following, and dogs are part of the furniture. They even have a Puppuccino on the menu, which tells you everything you need to know about how welcome your dog is here.
Where: 19B Bath Place, TA1 4EP, a minute from the high street
Open: Wednesday–Sunday 10:00–15:00 (kitchen closes 14:00), closed Monday–Tuesday
Dogs: Welcome inside and out
Food: Toast stacks, loaded bagels, pancake stacks (the Biscoff stack is the one), pastries, and proper coffee
Good to know: No reservations. Order at the counter with a table number. Expect a wait at peak weekend times, but it moves quickly
Website: https://cornerclubtaunton.co.uk/
The Nordic Avo toast stack and a flat white while Apollo lies under the table pretending to be invisible is my idea of a good Saturday morning.
2. Il Basilico, West Monkton
A family-run Italian in West Monkton, about a ten-minute drive from the town centre, occupying what used to be the Monkton Inn. The food is the real thing: handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and a Sunday roast that locals book ahead for. The garden is the spot for dog owners. Grab a table outside, order a glass of something red, and nobody minds if your dog sprawls out on the grass beside you.
Where: Blundells Lane, West Monkton, TA2 8NP
Dogs: Welcome in the garden and outdoor seating area
Food: Authentic Italian: fresh pasta, seafood, steaks, pizzas, plus a full Sunday roast
Good to know: Gluten-free options available. Worth booking for weekend evenings and Sunday lunch as it fills up
Parking: On-site car park
Website: https://ilbasilico.co.uk/
A proper Italian meal where you don't have to leave the dog at home. The seafood linguine is the one.
3. The Coffee Station, Vivary Park
Set in the old railway station building inside Vivary Park, The Coffee Station is where you go after a park walk when you need a coffee and a slice of cake and you don't want to tie your dog up outside. It's small, friendly, and the park setting means your dog has already had a good run before you sit down, which makes for a much more relaxing coffee.
Where: Vivary Park, TA1 3QE, inside the park near the Mount Street entrance
Dogs: Welcome inside
Food: Cakes, pastries, light lunches, hot and cold drinks. Vegan and vegetarian options available
Good to know: Limited indoor seating. On a sunny day, grab a takeaway and sit on the grass
Website: https://vivarycoffeestation.square.site/
Combine it with a lap of Vivary Park (see the Top 10 Dog Walking Spots post for the full walk) and you've got a perfect low-effort morning.
4. The Weir, French Weir Park
The Weir sits right on the edge of Longrun Meadow, with outdoor seating that looks out over the river and the playing fields. It's essentially the café version of the Longrun Meadow walk. Dog walkers, families, runners, and cyclists all converge here, and the outside tables are very much dog territory.
Where: French Weir Park, TA1, accessible from town via French Weir Avenue or from the Longrun Meadow riverside path
Dogs: Welcome in the outdoor seating area
Food: Breakfast, lunch, cakes, and good coffee. Dog-friendly outside tables with water bowls
Facilities: Accessible toilets, baby change, small play area
Good to know: Can get busy on weekend mornings. The post-walk crowd arrives around 10:30
Website: https://coach-taunton.org.uk/the-weir-cafe-at-coach/
Grab a coffee and a bacon sandwich and watch the Tone roll by while your dog dries off from their paddle.
5. Boston Tea Party, Fore Street
Part of a small West Country chain but it doesn't feel like one. The Taunton branch on Fore Street is spacious, airy, and genuinely welcoming to dogs throughout the ground floor. It's the kind of place where you can linger over a breakfast while your dog settles under the table, and nobody's rushing you out.
Where: 25a Fore Street, TA1 1HX, right on the main shopping street
Dogs: Welcome throughout the ground floor
Food: All-day breakfast, brunch, burgers, salads, and excellent coffee. Good vegan and gluten-free options
Good to know: Order at the counter. High chairs and kids' menu available. Open seven days a week from early morning
Website: https://www.bostonteaparty.co.uk/cafes/taunton/
A reliable wet-weather option. Plenty of space inside, and the all-day breakfast means you don't have to rush.
6. Café Expresso, High Street
If Café Expresso isn't on your radar yet, it should be. Tucked away on the high street with a deceptively small frontage, it opens up into a warm, cosy space with a courtyard at the back, and dogs are welcome on the ground floor and outside. Locals have called it "Taunton's best kept secret," and the coffee backs it up.
Where: 38 High Street, TA1 3PN
Dogs: Welcome on the ground floor and in the courtyard
Food: Brunch, light lunches, homemade cakes, and seriously good coffee
Good to know: Smaller and quieter than the bigger chains. Good for dogs who find busy cafés overwhelming
Facebook: Café Expresso
A good choice if you want a proper coffee and a quiet corner without the weekend rush of the bigger spots.
7. Hub Box, North Street
Hub Box started in a converted shipping container in Cornwall and the Taunton outpost keeps the same laid-back, anything-goes energy. That includes a dog-friendly outdoor area where your dog gets a water bowl brought to the table before you've even sat down. The burgers are award-winning, the breakfast fry-ups are substantial, and the whole setup is designed for relaxed, unfussy dining.
Where: 27 North Street, TA1 1LH, near the Brewhouse Theatre
Dogs: Welcome in the outdoor seating area
Food: Award-winning burgers, breakfast, loaded fries, and milkshakes. Vegan and gluten-free options
Good to know: Outdoor seating is covered and heated, so it works year-round, not just summer
Website: https://hubbox.co.uk/
The kind of place where nobody minds if your dog sprawls across the floor while you work through a burger.
8. The World's End, Taunton
A proper country pub about four miles west of Taunton that does the simple things well: a sunny terrace with a fire pit, hearty pub food, and a genuinely warm welcome for dogs. It's the kind of pub where the landlord probably knows your dog's name by your second visit.
Where: TA4 1ET, about a ten-minute drive from the town centre
Dogs: Welcome throughout, including the terrace
Food: Pub classics like pies, fish and chips, burgers, and Sunday roasts. Good vegetarian options
Good to know: The terrace is the spot in summer. Fire pit lit in cooler months. Book for Sunday lunch
Website: https://www.theworldsendtaunton.co.uk/
A good end-of-walk pub if you've been out on the western side of town or up towards the Quantocks.
9. The Allerford Inn, Norton Fitzwarren
A spacious, family-friendly pub on the edge of Norton Fitzwarren with a large garden and a menu that covers everything from carvery to vegetarian specials. Dogs are welcome in the bar area and the garden, and the staff are known for making a fuss of four-legged visitors.
Where: Norton Fitzwarren, TA4 1AL, about three miles west of Taunton centre
Dogs: Welcome in the bar area and garden
Food: Carvery, pub classics, kids' menu, vegetarian and vegan options
Good to know: Large car park. Garden is a proper size, good for families with dogs and children
Website: https://theallerfordinn.co.uk/
The Sunday carvery is the draw here, served 11:45–16:45. The rest of the week there's a full pub menu. Worth booking for Sunday, it fills up.
10. Meadow Somerset, Bishops Lydeard
A countryside café on a farm near Bishops Lydeard, about a fifteen-minute drive from Taunton. The setting is the draw: a sunny courtyard looking out over fields, with excellent coffee, breakfast, and cakes made on site. Dogs are explicitly welcome, and the whole place has the kind of relaxed, unhurried feel that makes you order a second coffee just to stay a bit longer.
Where: East Lydeard Farm, Bishops Lydeard, TA4 3DW
Dogs: Welcome throughout the courtyard seating
Food: Breakfast, brunch, homemade cakes, and speciality coffee
Good to know: A good pit stop before or after a Quantocks walk. Check opening times before heading out as countryside café hours can be seasonal
Website: https://www.meadowsomerset.com/
Pair it with a walk at Cothelstone Hill or Lydeard Hill (see the walking spots post) and you've got a proper Somerset morning: hills first, coffee and cake after.
Practical Tips for Eating Out with Your Dog in Taunton
Call ahead if it matters. Dog policies shift. A place that allowed dogs inside last month might have switched to outdoor-only, or vice versa. If you're making a special trip, a thirty-second phone call saves disappointment.
Peak times are harder on dogs. Saturday brunch and Sunday lunch are busy everywhere. If your dog finds crowded spaces stressful, aim for a weekday morning or a mid-afternoon slot. The same venues are often half-empty and much calmer.
Bring water anyway. Most of the places above have water bowls, but on a hot Somerset day they empty fast and staff get busy. A collapsible bowl and a bottle of water in your bag costs nothing.
Settled dogs are welcome dogs. A dog lying quietly under the table gets a very different reaction from staff and other customers than one pulling towards the kitchen. A quick walk before you eat, even just ten minutes around Vivary or a loop of the high street, makes a noticeable difference.
Outdoor seating isn't just for summer. Hub Box has covered and heated outdoor space. The Weir, The World's End, and The Allerford Inn all have umbrellas or awnings. Don't write off outdoor spots between October and March. Just dress for it.
Want someone else to do the walking?
Hi, I'm Emma, the dog walker and trainer behind Dogs and Fairy Tails, based in Taunton. If you'd rather drop your dog home tired and happy before heading out for a meal, I offer solo walks, small group walks, and in-home dog sitting across Taunton and the surrounding villages. I'm BSc Animal Behaviour qualified, fully insured, DBS checked, and I compete at Crufts in Heelwork to Music and Agility, so your dog is in genuinely capable hands.
Book a free meet and greet and we'll work out the right walk for your dog. Or if you'd like to know more about me first, here's the about page.