Bellanico Restaurant and Wine Bar sits in Oakland’s Glenview District, where you can actually eat at an outdoor table with your dog alongside you. The restaurant is run by Chris Shepherd and Elizabeth Frumusa, who also own Aperto in Potrero Hill across the bay, so they know what they’re doing when it comes to creating a welcoming spot for everyone.

The menu leans Italian with dishes built around locally sourced ingredients. You’re looking at the kind of cooking that takes time and care—nothing pretentious, just solid food that pairs well with wine. Speaking of wine, they have a real collection here, which makes sense given the “Wine Bar” part of their name. If you’re into pairing your meal with something good, the staff seems genuinely interested in helping you find something that works.

The setup is what makes this work for dog owners. The outdoor seating is where the action is, and it’s genuinely dog-friendly rather than just tolerating dogs. You’ll see other people dining with their dogs, so there’s no awkward feeling about it. The Glenview location means you’re in a neighborhood with actual character—not far from Lake Merritt if you want to walk around before or after your meal.

The atmosphere is buzzy without being loud in an annoying way, and the fact that it’s an extension of a successful San Francisco restaurant means they’ve already worked out the details of how to run a good place. You’re not dealing with a startup figuring things out on the fly.

If you’re planning to go on a weekend, getting a reservation ahead of time makes sense since the outdoor tables fill up quickly.