Hong Kong’s first dog-friendly restaurants could be opening sooner than you think

Hong Kong’s environment minister has said that the city’s first batch of dog-friendly restaurants is expected to be approved by the middle of 2026, marking a significant shift in local dining regulations to bolster the “pet economy”.Appearing before the Legislative Council’s food safety and environmental hygiene panel on Thursday, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan outlined a series of measures from the latest policy address that aim to revitalise the catering sector.Under the new proposal, restaurant operators can apply for a special licence to allow dogs on their premises for the first time in three decades.“In the first half of this year, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will collaborate with various government departments to implement a new operational model aimed at speeding up the approval process for outdoor seating applications, with the goal of helping the industry unlock more business opportunities,” Tse said.He added that the first batch of applications will be approved by mid-2026.Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan has outlined a series of measures from the latest policy address that aim to revitalise the catering sector. Photo: Edmond SoIn last year’s policy address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu highlighted the untapped potential of the “pet economy”, noting that more than 240,000 households in the city kept more than 400,000 cats and dogs.