BarkHaven — Restaurant in Orlando

Let me start by saying, what a beautiful location with kind, caring staff who went above and beyond to make it a great experience. From the food to the pack leaders, everyone was so patient and kind with my dog who was new to the facility.

Now for the hesitation, as a new business, I completely understand there will be kinks. However, upon visiting, I quickly recognized the issue of having children and off leash pets and parents drinking in the same area. Florida is a strict liability state for bites and children were running around the off leash area like a playground. While I understand the facility wants to be family friendly, a place like barkhaven should recognize and respect the liability that is taken on by dog parents and children are unpredictable - especially around animals. There’s a reason that this concept of an off leash kid friendly dog bar doesn’t exist elsewhere - it doesn’t work and is a safety hazard for both the child and pet parent. Also, the pack leaders ended up having to babysit and reprimand other people’s kids and that is not their job. It seemed incredibly unfair to spend their time policing young ones. This was concerning as their time should be spent focusing on the dogs’ play as this is part of what guests pay for.

Please reconsider your policy and have either family friendly hours or have kids only in on leash areas. I witnessed a child smack a dog that was not theirs, multiple people complained to the pack leaders, and this family wasn’t removed from the premises. In my time there, multiple customers expressed concerns over this and stated they wouldn’t return because of the kids running around.

As a new business, just some feedback - recognize that alcohol, big dogs, and young children do not mix. A dog bar should be a safe place for everyone and should understand that this combination is a ticking time bomb and is one bite, tackle, or resource guarding incident away from a legal nightmare.

Beautiful facility, INCREDIBLE team of staff, bad policy on allowing children. I wanted so badly to love it but won’t be returning unless the policy is changed. Please reconsider for everyone’s sake and the second you do, consider me a customer again because it’s a beautiful spot with a lot to offer.

Update - I am all about changing a review when things go well! However, lowered by another star because the business said they would change their kid policy in off leash areas. It has been two months and...

✅ Overall I really enjoyed my experience! I can tell they’re still learning and growing, but I love what they’re trying to do. It seems like they’ve already made updates based on earlier feedback, which I really appreciate. There aren’t many places like this—and I hope they stick around! I know I’ll be back. More details of my experience below!

✅ Small Dog Space They’ve made some great updates since opening—there’s now a small dog area, and dogs are allowed inside. It was really nice to cool off indoors when it got too hot.

✅ Safety There were clear signs that children under 12 aren’t allowed in the dog park area (but are welcome on the porch or inside), which I appreciated. It sounds like this was an update based on past issues or suggestions.

✅ Pricing Prices felt totally fair, especially with how expensive everything is lately. I didn’t mind that gratuity was included—it was communicated verbally to me, but I could see how extra signage on the menu or tables could help navigate miscommunication.

✅ Parking Parking is limited, but I found free street parking and didn’t mind the short walk (my dog actually loved it). I don’t think this is something they can easily fix—it just comes with the location. (which is really convenient for me).

✅ Service If someone is expecting a traditional restaurant experience I could see where they could be frustrated with the service. I actually liked that there wasn’t “pressure” from the staff to buy drink and buy food, but that people could just hangout. With that said, if you do want food or drinks - walk up to the bar and let them know!

✅ Staff That brings me to the staff - they aren’t checking in on you, but when I asked for water for my dog or the wifi password or for anything else they were super nice and did not give off the “bothered” energy.

✅ Barking The space is small enough that continuous barking or rough play can quickly kill the vibe, so I appreciated staff are willing to speak up if a dog needed a break. While you hope all dog owners are considerate, sometimes a little guidance helps everyone have a...

We were really excited to try Bark Haven since it’s so close to a place we used to frequent, Pup’s Pub. We even had a membership there, but parking was always a struggle. So when we saw a post about Bark Haven, we thought it would be the perfect new spot to bring our dog.

One positive is that parking is somewhat easier here. They have a parking lot, plus street parking available, which is a relief compared to the challenges we faced at the previous spot.

The venue itself is clean, aesthetic, and well-kept—though that’s to be expected from a new place. The outside play area is nice, with synthetic turf, pools, water stations, and poop bags for convenience. There’s also a separate outdoor area with fire pits and seating for those who want to relax.

There is a bar outside that allows you to eat and drink with your pet, which is a great perk. Inside, there’s a separate seating area (pets aren’t allowed indoors).

I will say, it may be beneficial to have a separate area for small dogs vs larger dogs…there was a 3 month old puppy there, which surprisingly is allowed. Not sure if there are any size or age restrictions.

They had a decent menu (I’ve included pictures here), but unfortunately, we were let down by the service. Even though it wasn’t super busy, no one attended to us when we tried to order food and drinks after our dog finished playing. We had to go find our own menus, and even after that, no one came to check on us or take our order, so we ended up leaving without ordering anything.

I do see potential in this place, (especially with the additional grooming services they offer), but so far, I wasn’t impressed with the overall experience.

I’m hopeful that it will improve as they work out the kinks of being a new business (and I’ll update my review if they do in our...