by Marie Teather
A lunch date with your canine companion used to mean waiting for a weather permitting day, finding a hospitable café with an outdoor table, then offering your prized pooch a measly bowl of water and worrying about how neglected he must feel while you tucked into your club sandwich. What a dog’s life it was back then, but a trip to Deco’s Dog Cafe in stylish Daikanyama has changed all of that.
Set behind the noisy rumblings of the Toyoko Line, the cafe’s leafy entrance and shady, all wooden interior is reminiscent of long woodland walks and offers a laidback retreat for your hot, stressed-out city dog. Upon arrival, my luncheon partner Venus was greeted like a long-gone friend by the welcoming staff and other dog-owners alike. An appropriate bark, snarl, or wag of a tail to other already lunching pedigrees quickly established her place in the pack, and as she took a seat at the head of the table, I was given the menu from which to choose off on her lady’s behalf.
The low-calorie menu is everything you would expect from a contemporary little cafe in this funky part of town, however one half of the menu is for your pooch’s eyes only. Venus was presented with a pumpkin and yogurt muffin, and pork and vegetable roast, followed by a sweet potato scone for dessert. I deliberated over the Japanese-style pastas and the tongue-incheek selection of hotdogs before opting for the nutritious avocado and tuna rice bowl.
The drinks menu includes creamy lattes and herbal teas, plus cake and ice cream desert sets, all priced at around just ¥500. Bowls of water are, of course, unlimited and free. For those special anniversaries in your four-legged friend’s life, parties at ¥2,500 a dog and personalized birthday cakes can also be arranged, although they must be booked one week in advance.
Lunching at Deco’s Dog Cafe was an all-new and entertaining experience—shame the conversation was rather one-sided. Tel. 03-3461-4551 or visit www.hot-dog.co.jp.
