When people ask the owners of Tremont’s Taps & Tails what a “dog bar” is, Lisa and Eric Hollender are excited to explain the concept to dog owners in Cleveland.

“We’re different from your typical dog-friendly restaurant or bar,” says Eric Hollender. “What makes us different is that we are the only facility in northeast Ohio that allows unleashed dog play.”

An all-weather facility where wagging tails mingle among swirling cocktails, friendships are formed over a game of fetch, and dog parents can tend to the needs of their pets in a climate-controlled and friendly atmosphere. The 12,000+ square foot indoor and outdoor hybrid dog park and doggie daycare facility, restaurant, and full service bar for humans and their canine companions, is a social destination for both two-legged and four-legged patrons.

When Lisa and Eric Hollender of Lakewood opened Taps & Tails in 2021 at 1901 Train Avenue, it was the first of its kind in Ohio (a similar concept, The BARk Park & Patio, opened in the Cincinnati area in 2022).

Taps & Tails hosts events including the Dog Prom, a Halloween Costume Contest and Pups-givingThe couple lives in a townhouse and needed a place to exercise their high energy Australian Shepherd. They found it difficult to do so for several hours a day during the brutally cold Cleveland winters with the wind whipping off the lake.

“I started looking into what options there are to hang out with your dog,” says Eric Hollender. “[I thought], ‘there's got to be an indoor dog park or something in Cleveland,’ and I noticed that there wasn't one. That's really what kind of prompted the idea.”

Hollender says he knew if they didn't open a dog bar, someone else would, but they needed a concept that was outside the box of a regular doggy daycare and park.

The Hollenders say they knew an indoor dog park would be a great addition to the city, but they didn’t know if it could succeed as just an indoor space for dog play. “It wasn't a feasible model, so that's when the bar came along,” he says.

The Hollenders were not alone in seeing this need. Taps & Tails is now in its fourth year in Tremont—serving a solid client base for the daycare portion of the business and, on any given day, there’s a sizeable crowd of both humans and dogs.

“Everybody is in the actual park with the dogs just hanging out, drinking, standing around—everybody wants to be where the action is,” says Eric Hollender. “It’s funny, because you walk in, and you see an almost-empty bar and think we’re not busy. Then you peek your head outside and there will be like 100 to 200 people.”

In 2020 when the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they knew it was a business model that would meet the needs of dog parents who wanted to gather safely outside. In 2021, the Hollenders opened the doors to Taps & Tails.

“The sense of community we’ve created has been awesome,” says Hollender. “There’s been a lot of friendships, and even relationships, formed at our place.”

Taps & Tails has nearly 8,000 square feet of outdoor play space and 2,500 square feet of indoor play space in a heated garage with a large window. Indoors or outside, there are obstacle courses, toys, and other visitors to keep the dogs busy, while the staff ensures they stay cool and hydrated with plenty of water and shaded areas.

Cocktail Photos; Taps & Tails offers a selection of dog themed cocktails including -There’s no need for dog owners to watch their pups every minute. There are 20 employees on staff, including trained dog handlers—affectionately called Bark Rangers—to make sure the dogs are playing safely as they socialize.

“It’s different than your leashed patios,” explains Hollender. “You can unleash the dog. We have trained staff while your dog is playing, so it’s not like a public dog park where anything goes. They can even help pick up after your dog.”

Dog parents can join their best friends in the dog park area or sit and relax at the full-service bar and restaurant and catch a game on the TVs, work on their laptops, or have a meal with their people pals.

A full seasonal cocktail menu includes the Belly Rub (vodka, lemonade, and grenadine) and the Frenchie 75 (gin, champagne, lavender, and lemon), and select cocktails support Tito’s Vodka’s Vodka for Dog People program and charitable support of Friends of City Dogs Cleveland.

Human snacks include items like mac & cheese bites and fried pickles, while the doggie snack menu has options such as beef lug bites or an ice cream cup.

Taps & Tails also serves as a doggie daycare, with weekday drop-offs as early as 6:30 a.m. and pick-ups as late as 9 p.m. Costs start at $26 for a half day, or $36 for a full day, with discounted rates for multiple day packages. A weekend day care program is also available.

Registration is required ahead of time, and vaccination records and temperament assessments are required to keep all canines and humans safe and comfortable.

Nearly four years after opening Taps & Tails, the Hollenders say they plan to expand with a second location on the east side of Cleveland. They say they are looking forward to sharing details soon.