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The Best Beer Gardens & Dog-Friendly Pubs in Leicestershire

As autumn creeps in, there's nowhere better than a proper beer garden, a cold pint in hand, and your dog stretched out under the table as you both take a well-earned rest after a brisk walk. Leicestershire does this beautifully; in all weathers, our beer gardens and dog-friendly pubs come into their own.

We've been brewing here since 1849, and with over 170 pubs across the county and beyond, we've spent a fair few summers working out what makes an outdoor space actually sing. So consider this your insider's guide: the best outdoor spaces for a lazy summer pint, a Sunday roast with the family, or a long afternoon with your four-legged friend in tow. We'll point you to the good stuff, including what makes our own places worth the trip.

Top Beer Gardens Across Leicestershire

A good beer garden gives you a seat outside. A great one makes you want to stay all afternoon. That's the difference, and once you've sat in a really good one, you can't unlearn it.

What makes a beer garden worth the trip

The best gardens get the little things right: comfy seating that isn't wobbling on a slope, a bit of shade for when the sun's fierce or the rain's drizzling, well-kept real ale, and a layout that works whether it's you and the dog, or a table of twelve. Across Leicestershire, al fresco drinking has really taken off, and more places have added covered areas, an outdoor bar so you're not forever queuing inside, and picnic tables that (mercifully) stay level on bumpy ground.

The county's spoiled for choice, too. You've got village pub gardens with views rolling out over open countryside, and smarter city centre spots with a more polished feel. Prefer buzzy rooftop bars in town? There's a place for that. Fancy a quiet garden where the loudest thing is birdsong? We've got you covered there as well.

What to check before you go

When you're finding a pub with outdoor space, a couple of minutes' homework saves a lot of faff:

  • Is the garden covered or partly sheltered? British weather has opinions.

  • Can you get food and drinks served outside, or is it a trek back to the bar every round?

  • What's parking like, especially out in the villages?

  • Are dogs welcome everywhere, or just in certain corners?

In our experience, the strongest pubs with beer garden options tend to be the ones tied to an established brewing family, where the garden gets the same love and attention as everything indoors. Funny how that works.

Dog-Friendly Pubs in the Everards Family

We know exactly how it feels to leave the dog behind while everyone else heads off for the afternoon. Grim, frankly. Which is why we've made bringing your dog along a proper priority across our pubs, not just a line buried on a website.

Not just "dogs tolerated" or " dogs welcome

Here's a useful bit of background: there's no law in the UK stopping dogs from coming into pubs. The decision rests with each pub's business owner, and hygiene rules only keep animals out of food prep areas, never the bar or the garden. We dig into all of that in our guide to are dogs allowed in pubs? If you want the full picture.

The catch is that pubs that accept dogs vary wildly in how welcome they actually make them feel. Some allow dogs in the bar but nowhere else. Others quietly shut the door during busy service. We'd rather your dog felt as much a regular as you do, with water bowls out, and staff who honestly don't bat an eyelid at a muddy paw or two. We've mopped up worse.

What your dog can expect

If you're after a great spot to drink with friends and bring the dog along, our Leicestershire pubs give you:

  • Dog-friendly bar areas with no sneaky hidden restrictions

  • Outdoor seating where your dog can flop and settle

  • A relaxed feel that suits families and solo pint-havers alike

  • Great beer brewed just down the road, so you know exactly what's in your glass

One friendly tip from experience: give your chosen pub a ring ahead of a peak summer weekend. Our most popular spots fill up fast, and a quick call helps us make sure there's room for everyone, dogs very much included.

Outdoor Dining and Drinking at Everards Meadows

If you only visit one of our outdoor spaces this summer, make it this one. Everards Meadows is our home, and it's one of the most distinctive places to eat and drink outside in the whole East Midlands.

Our home in Enderby

Set across 70 acres of open green space near Enderby, the Meadows wraps our solar-powered brewery in walking and cycling paths, with the Grand Union Canal and the River Soar right on the doorstep. On a warm afternoon, the outdoor patio spilling out from the Beer Hall is about as good as it gets: long tables, a pint that was brewed a few steps away, and the sound of families and wildlife enjoying the space. 

What's on the menu (and in the glass)

The Beer Hall sits at the heart of it all, and you can eat and drink at the Everards Beer Hall seven days a week, bank holidays included, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Through the giant glass walls, you can watch your beer being made in the brewhouse next door. Brewing happens on Thursdays, so time it right and you'll catch it in full swing.

Here's what you'll find:

  • A proper spread of Leicester beer on tap, from our flagship Tiger to the rich, classic Old Original

  • Small Batch specials brewed on site and served straight from the tanks: milkshake IPAs, fruit sours, the odd imperial stout with cocoa nibs that never leave the Meadows

  • Food and drinks covering everything from a light brunch to a proper sit-down dinner

  • Our award-winning beers to take home from the on-site shop afterwards

It handles a crowd with ease, too: families with little ones tearing about, couples after a quiet one, and big group gatherings all fit without stepping on each other's toes.

Getting here

Logistics matter when you're planning a day out, so you'll find us opposite Fosse Park, less than a mile from junction 21 of the M1, with plenty of parking on site (and it's a cashless site, so leave the loose change at home). Not driving? The Meadows sits on Route 6 of the National Cycle Network, with flat, traffic-free paths that are pushchair-, wheelchair- and dog-friendly, running straight into Leicester city centre one way or out into the countryside the other. There's even a coffee house and a cycle-hire shop on site if you fancy making a proper morning of it.

Family-Friendly Spots for Summer, Autumn and Winter

Leicestershire is lucky to have beautiful spots suitable for all times of the year, places that work for everyone, kids, grandparents, and the dog. The good news is that our family-friendly pubs have this down to a fine art.

What makes a pub genuinely family-friendly

There's a real gap between a pub that welcomes families and one that merely puts up with children. The genuine ones tend to have:

  • Outdoor space where kids can roam a bit without upsetting other tables

  • A menu with simple, no-nonsense options alongside the mains

  • Clean, accessible loos and pushchair-friendly access (small thing, huge difference)

  • Staff who don't flinch at a lively mixed-age table on a busy Saturday

The perfect Sunday

Picture it: a proper Sunday roast in a sunny garden, the dog dozing under the table, the kids happily occupied, and a cold one in your hand. Honestly, that's one of the most satisfying afternoons going, and it's harder to pull off than it should be. Our pubs are built for exactly this. Many across our estate also put on live music through the warmer months, which can quietly turn an ordinary Sunday into one you actually remember.

Worth keeping half an eye on our seasonal events too: brewery open days and tastings at Everards Meadows have a way of turning a normal visit into a bit of an occasion.

Find Your Nearest Everards Pub

So which one's closest to you? That's the fun part.

Searches for "beer garden Leicester" spike from April right through to September, and we feel it across our pubs. If you're planning a visit, it pays to know which of our places is nearest and what each one's got; outdoor space, dog-friendly areas, outdoor heaters and umbrellas, that sort of thing.

Our pub finder makes it dead simple to sort. You can find your nearest Everards pub, check the opening hours, and see what's on before you set off. Whether it's a swift midweek pint after work, a full family Sunday, or a long summer afternoon with the dog, there's somewhere in our family that fits.

And the variety is the joy of it; you're never boxed into one kind of day. Village locals with big, generous gardens, a destination like Everards Meadows, and neat town-centre pubs with proper outdoor areas all sit under the same roof, held together by well-kept beer and a genuine welcome.

When you're ready to plan your next one, give us a ring on 0116 201 4100, or come and find us at Everards Meadows, Cooper Way, Enderby, Leicestershire, LE19 2AN. The garden's open, the pumps are on, and there's a water bowl waiting for the dog. Pop in; we'll save you a table.