A sneak peek at dog-friendly Bar K, coming to The Grove

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Courtesy Bar K

The sprawling outdoor space at Bar K includes enclosed seating nooks made from shipping containers and greenspace cobbled from recycled artificial turf.   

Courtesy Bar K

Pet owners, rejoice! A dog-friendly park and restaurant is coming to The Grove.

Bar K is a Kansas City-based dog park, restaurant/bar, and event space concept that aims to bring engaged, community-minded people and their dogs together. The bar will soon expand to St. Louis, with a new location slated to open at 4565 McRee in mid-November.

Bar K co-founders Leib Dodell and Dave Hensley, who adopted puppies on the same day in 2009, realized there were few places to socialize and gather with pets in the community. While some area restaurants and bars welcomed dogs, the owners often had fun while the dogs stayed in one place, with their leashes tied to table legs. So Dodell and Hensley set out to create a dog-friendly community where people and their dogs could happily co-exist and socialize, an “oasis for adventurous and engaged pets and their owners.”

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Courtesy Bar K

Bar K partnered with Purina in the complex, which includes a 10,000-square-foot indoor off-leash space, themed bar, restaurant, and event area. Operable garage doors open onto an additional two-acres containing multiple seating areas for humans and a splash pad for dogs. Petfinder.com commissioned St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc to create a mural that “celebrates the unparalleled bond between dogs and their people and calls out the inequalities in pet ownership and pet services in minority communities.”

"St. Louis is a great dog-loving (and beer-loving!) community, and with Purina being a major partner of ours, it seemed like the perfect market for our second location," Dodell said. "The physical space is amazing, the location is perfect in the middle of so many vibrant neighborhoods, and we have many creative art installations by local artists."

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Courtesy Bar K

The concept of Bar K caters to canines and humans alike—in more ways than you might expect. The human food offerings will be similar to the menu at the KC flagship, which includes burgers, bowls, chicken bites, Bar K fries, plus salads, pretzels, grilled cheese, and chili.

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Courtesy Sheena Perry Photography/Bar K

Clockwise from left: chicken bar K bowl, Bar K burger, chilled ahi tuna, steak salad, vegan cheesecake with compote.

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Courtesy Taylor Mingolla/Bar K

House-made chicken salad sandwich on multi-grain bread

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Courtesy Taylor Mingolla/Bar K

Mushroom swiss burger

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Courtesy Taylor Mingolla/Bar K

House baked pretzels with beer cheese sauce for dipping

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Let's hope the dog menu is as impressive here as it is in Kansas City where it includes beef stew, chicken risotto, turkey and sweet potato meatballs, turkey bacon jerky, beer paws biscuits, and ice cream. Besides offering food, Bar K is partnering with local beverage businesses, including 4 Hands, Urban Chestnut, StilL 630, and Kaldi's, among others.

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Courtesy Bar K

Built from a shipping container, The Urban Underdog Bar pays homage to a popular cartoon-themed beer, Urban Underdog American Lager

The new location will also offer a doggy daycare, grooming, and training from Kennelwood Pet Resorts. Bar K will also host live music, "doga" (dog-inclusive yoga), doggy birthday parties, educational programming, adoption opportunities, and other community events.

"We hope Bar K will become an indispensable part of the lifestyle of dog owners and dog lovers in St. Louis," Dodell said.

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Courtesy Bar K

Admission is free to anyone without a dog. Patrons with a pooch must either be a Bar K member ($225 annually for the first dog, $25 for each additional dog) or purchase a guest pass ($10 for the first dog, $15 in peak season, plus $5 for each additional dog).