WAGGLE NYC EDITION
CAFE BARK
We give this new Washington Heights dog cafe 16/10
Searching for a (non-apartment) indoor NYC spot to hang with your pup during the winter is hard — that's why we love Cafe Bark, New York's latest addition to the dog cafe trend started earlier this year by Boris & Horton. We dropped in recently to get the scoop on Manhattan's new doggy-topia.
After grabbing a bacon grilled cheese from the "hooman" section of Cafe Bark (where people can order prepackaged food and drinks), I headed over to the doggy side, where Snuggy the Dachshund immediately waddled over to say hello. A quick chat with her Dad informed me Snuggy "loves checking IDs when new people walk in" and, though they aren't regulars at Cafe Bark YET, "it's a great place to get some work done and get your pup out of the house." Soon after our discussion I was put in charge of watching Snuggy while her owner ran to get coffee: there's an air of trustworthiness permeating Cafe Bark's atmosphere — if a staff member isn't immediately available to watch your pup, a friendly patron will offer to step in.
For a place that has dogs running around all day, Cafe Bark is immaculate. It's also HUGE, with plenty of seating and a doggy boutique selling yummy treats in addition to a selection of adorable accessories — be sure to check out the matching necklace and collar charm sets! On top of all that the staff is very helpful (they'll heat up your food on the human side of the cafe and deliver it to you on the dog side when it's ready) and chill (no one bothered me in the 3+ hours I worked there).
There's no doubt about it: this roving reporter had an incredible experience at Cafe Bark. I met some very cool humans and hung out with some AMAZING pups (including Chester, the blue-harnessed cutie a paragraph up, and Muppet, keeping things stylish above in his red sweater). Keep my seat warm for me, doggy friends - I'll be heading back again soon!
