Carolina Soto gives Kōl, the dog of Chicago Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu, a pup cup of whipped cream on the patio at Superdawg Drive-In in Wheeling on Aug. 14, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
As a restaurant critic's dog, my pup has learned to recognize a good patio even without any food or drink.
But somehow he also learned not to seat himself.
When he sees some nice tables set outside, he'll pull me toward a door, in search of a host stand, in hopes of being seated.
Which is why my dog Kōl Chu and I have paused on so many morning walks at neighborhood cafes to share breakfast, or brunch if we're lucky. Our usual order is what we call a Kōl Special: a burger with the plain beef patty for him, leaving a toppings sandwich for me, sometimes with fries.
It's an unexpected dog's life. Likely a Dutch shepherd who didn't want to be a K-9, he was given up to an animal shelter in Kentucky, pulled by a rescue in Tennessee, and transported to PAWS Chicago. I adopted him when he was 9 or 10 months old -- 10 days after I started working at the Tribune in 2016.
Now, one of our favorite patios can be found at the Superdawg Drive-In in Wheeling. We love the original flagship on the Northwest Side, too, of course, where Maurie and Flaurie were restored last year. But the Wheeling location has a quiet back patio, with a secret backyard, along with the iconic carhops plus a drive-thru.
The suburban outpost offers an exclusive beer that's not available at the stand in the city. Beer for Superdawg is a refreshing Chicago-style Pilsner brewed by Off Color Brewing. It pairs perfectly with Superdawgs, which are very similar to, but not the same as, fully loaded Chicago-style hot dogs.
Kōl's go-to order is a plain Whooperburger, with two patties, and I like having the option of a soft sesame seed bun or sturdy dark rye bread.
Both locations also offer free pup cups. He's never liked the whipped cream tasting cups from Starbucks, so I was shocked when he loved the pup cup at Superdawg.
We also asked a pack of pups -- along with their chef, restaurateur and journalist parents -- to share their favorite pet-friendly patios and dog dining tips, just in time for International/National Dog Day on Tuesday, Aug. 26, and before the end of summer.
Superdawg Drive-In Wheeling; 333 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling; 847-459-1900; superdawg.com
Justice of the Pies chef and owner Maya-Camille Broussard does not call herself her dog's mom.
"I would say dog provider, because I provide everything for him," said Broussard, laughing. "And I spend all my money on him."
Milo Broussard is an 85-pound, 3-year-old golden doodle.
"But he's 83% standard poodle and the remaining percent golden retriever," said the chef. "And I say that because people are always mesmerized by his size."
Milo is also her hearing dog, who trained for nine months.
"I am a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community, and have been my entire life," said Broussard.
She explains that she's worn hearing aids since she was 2 years old.
"It's important to know that this is a part of my identity, being a member of the disability community," said the chef. "This is not just something that's happening to me, it's something that I lived with and embraced my entire life."
She decided to get a hearing dog after leaving water running a couple of times.
"I didn't hear it, and it flooded my apartment," said Broussard. Now Milo will notify her.
What's her very good boy's favorite food at Justice of the Pies?
"We will let him have a piece of the peanut butter cookie," said the chef. "Those are his favorites."
Milo loves sweet potatoes too, but she doesn't let him have the sweet potato pie, because it has too much sugar and butter.
"The peanut butter cookie is safe, because we use a lot of peanut butter," said Broussard.
But Milo has gotten quite bourgeois, said the chef.
"He would like salmon skin or scrambled eggs with his kibble," she said. "I blame that on my mother, because she put some in his bowl once, and now he's decided that he can't have it any other way."
What tips do they have for people when it comes to dog-friendly dining?
Walk your dog before dining so they can get a little bit of energy out, Broussard said. And if your dog is very reactionary, she suggests that maybe dining alfresco is not a good idea.
What about tips for other business owners who want to add a dog-friendly patio?
"Make sure you have a shady area," said the chef. "And my patio is on my property, not on the city of Chicago's property, so you don't need a sidewalk license unless you're using the city of Chicago sidewalk."
Do note that they don't currently bake dog treats.
"We do have recipes, and would love to bring them back," said the chef. "But only if people are willing to come and support us -- and bring their pups with them."
8655 S. Blackstone Ave., 773-437-3433, justiceofthepies.com
Jonathan Zaragoza comes from a dog-loving family.
"We absolutely love pups," said the chef. The original South Side location of his family's Mexican restaurant Birrieria Zaragoza is temporarily closed due to a fire, and had a little-known dog-friendly patio in back. "We definitely liked seeing them when they visited the restaurant."
But it was his professional and life partner, Jennifer Contraveos, who found their dog.
"I saw her on an Instagram post at a shelter down in Houston," said the veteran beverage consultant and founder of Créateur Studio. "I shared her with Jonathan, because she needed us and we needed her. And he said, 'And I want to be her papa.'"
The couple, who are currently engaged, adopted through Strong Paws Rescue, and became momma and papa to Olive Jean Contraveos-Zaragoza last August.
"She is 100% American pit bull terrier," Contraveos said.
Olive Jean is now 2 years old, and they observe her birthday on the Fourth of July. She is a dog who declared her independence.
"A couple weeks ago, we did an adventure day with Olive and we had her choose what she wanted," Contraveos said.
They held out two flash cards for each activity, and on that day, Olive Jean chose sandwiches over tacos.
"And of course, it had to be a J.P. Graziano sandwich," Contraveos said. "Because that's one of our family's favorite sandwiches in the city."
Fourth-generation owner Jim Graziano slices up a piece of the sharp provolone for Olive Jean in lieu of a sandwich.
"She loves cheese," said Contraveos.
Zaragoza likes that patio because it's covered and technically all-weather.
"It's just nice to sit on that corner, enjoy a sandwich and hang out," he added. "I just love that building."
What tips do they have to share for dog-friendly dining?
"Always bring a little side bag of treats," said Contraveos, because dogs can get distracted by other animals or your food.
And what does Zaragoza like to see on a dog-friendly patio as a restaurant industry veteran?
"A water bowl, maybe a bowl of treats," he said. "That's a nice little acknowledgment of hospitality for the pup."
It's important to take your dog out to get them more socialized and understand how to behave at a restaurant or a bar, Contraveos said.
"They're like us, except with less words," Zaragoza said. "We have to learn how to behave in restaurants too."
And his dog has stood firmly by his side through many uncertain years.
Zureikat adopted a 2-year-old wire-haired dachshund, who was a stray at the Texas and Mexico border, through Tracy's Paws Rescue in 2016.
"I was in this weird transition part of my life," he said. "And I just needed a friend."
Zureikat was also starting to experience the first balance issues and symptoms of what would be his muscular dystrophy diagnosis years later.
Einstein Zureikat just turned 11.
"He's a Chicago bar and patio veteran," said the pop-up chef, who's a logistics manager and freight broker. "He's been everywhere."
But in the beginning, Einstein was terrified of the long, narrow wood-floor hallway in their old apartment. Zureikat tried luring him with treats, but ran out one day. So instead, he used tortilla chips, which worked on the former Tex-Mex border dog.
One of the early dog-friendly patios they'd go for people-friendly margaritas and tacos after work was Big Star in Wicker Park.
"Einstein always gets his little tortilla chip treat," Zureikat said. "Because that helped him get through his anxieties."
What are some tips they have for dog-friendly patios or bars?
"No. 1, be respectful of others," said Billy Zureikat. "As much as you love your dog, not everybody else loves dogs."
Secondly, double-check ahead of time that the restaurants are still dog-friendly, especially bars, which can have specific dog hours.
Tripping Billy hasn't done a dog-friendly pop-up menu yet, but Einstein had an event celebrating his first birthday in Chicago at Sportsman's Club.
"Before I did the food stuff," said Zureikat. "I somehow ended up hosting this charity event for his dog shelter."
1531 N. Damen Ave., 773-235-4039, bigstarchicago.com
About 15 years ago, pastry chef and restaurateur Hsing Chen not only adopted a 9-week-old or so puppy when she was living in New York City with her now husband and business partner, chef Doug Psaltis -- they also peer-pressured their best friends into adopting the puppy's two littermate sisters.
Fletch Chen has greyhound and Great Dane in him, they believe. At Andros Taverna, their award-winning Greek restaurant in Logan Square, Fletch's favorite food is the chicken souvlaki off their pup patio menu.
"We call it puplaki," Chen said. "It's in house-made pita that's not seasoned, because we usually season it with Andros seasoning and salt and pepper."
Unseasoned charcoal-grilled chicken souvlaki and cucumbers top the pita, served with Greek yogurt on the side.
Fletch also loves the house-made Tracy's Treats. Andros manager Tracy Hansen makes the bone-shaped organic cookies with chicken livers.
Next door to Andros, on the patio at Mano a Mano, their Italian restaurant, the treats are in the shape of a pizza and a tomato.
"Have a sense of awareness about your space and the personality characteristics of your dog," said Chen. "If your dog is not very social, then it might be better to ask for a seat that's at the end of a patio away from other tables."
People also need to be aware of common foods that dogs cannot eat, including but not limited to garlic, onions, grapes and chocolate.
Patio season at Andros and Mano a Mano wraps with their annual Howloween dog costume party the Sunday before Halloween. Fletch was a pup of noodles one year, said Chen, like a cup of noodles.
As a restaurateur, what tips does she have about creating a pup-friendly patio?
"Make sure that your space is big enough," Chen said. "Also, make sure that your staff is comfortable serving around animals."
2542 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-365-1900, androstaverna.com
Mike Sula, the James Beard Award-winning food writer at the Chicago Reader and founder of Monday Night Foodball, just celebrated the fourth anniversary of his magical weekly pop-up series.
"It's the 175th pop-up we've done since August 2021," said Sula about the milestone event, now held at Frank and Mary's Tavern in Avondale.
He can often be found on the expansive corner patio with his dog, Lucy, with whom he shares a particular interest.
Sula won the Beard Foundation's M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award in 2013 for his story "Chicken of the Trees," about eating city squirrels.
Lucy, however, is a very good girl and does not eat squirrels.
"She's just a little mini pittie," said Sula. "She's pretty small, but a tank."
He and his wife, Elizabeth Gomez, adopted Lucy from Peace for Pits, a pit bull rescue in the Chicago area, at around 18 months old. They think she's 10 or 11 now.
"I'm the primary caregiver, but I'm the spare human," he said. "She and Elizabeth are bonded."
Gomez is also a writer and the co-founder of the Windy City Rollers, the legendary women's roller derby league.
What tips do they have for dog-friendly dining?
"There's always a pocket full of high-value treats so Lucy can be distracted," Sula said. "And water."
At Foodball, they will indulge her and allow other people to treat her.
"She loves a pizza crust," he added.
Pizza bones in the bad old days of Chicago pizza were destined for dogs.
"It's different now though, she's spoiled by all this great high hydration sourdough crust," he said, laughing. "She loves a good fermented crust with a good tang."
Fully baked sourdough pizza crusts or bread are considered safe for dogs in moderation.
Tony Mata, chef and managing partner at Frank and Mary's, made a one-time special meatloaf without onions and garlic powder, both toxic to dogs, just for Lucy as a VIP regular.
"She got two large slices of it," said Sula. "You blinked, and they were gone."
Of all the Foodballs that Lucy's been to, what's been her favorite?
"It's definitely pizza," Sula said. "I wish I could tell you which one it was, because we've had a number of chefs come in and do pizza over the years."