It seems I’m several decades late to the Lazy Dog restaurant scene. When we received an invitation to try the new menu at Garland’s recently opened Lazy Dog, I thought it was a brand new concept. Imagine my surprise to learn there are 49 of them in the U.S. The first Lazy Dog was founded by Chris Simms and his dad Tom Simms in Huntington Beach, CA in 2003.
After Lazy Dog was bought by Brentwood Hospitality in 2013, they grew even faster (even during the pandemic!), and are thriving in all locations. Texas now has eight Lazy Dog restaurants with one more on the way. Other Texas locations are Addison, Allen, Arlington, Euless, Houston, Plano, and Stafford.
While I’m new to the Lazy Dog fan club, I won’t be a stranger any longer. They won me over with the restaurant’s friendly, welcoming atmosphere; spacious and comfortable booths; and wide array of menu choices. The eclectic menu ranges from hearty comfort foods like fried chicken, pot roast, meatloaf, and ribs to loads of pastas including Fettuccine Alfredo and Kung Pao WOK. Beer battered fish and chips, Ginger Soy Salmon, and more seafood; innovative salads and Roadtrip Bowls; plus burgers and sandwiches are all featured on the menu.
Lazy Dog Menu
Lazy Dog’s founders are proud of sourcing ingredients “from places and farmers we love and respect. Each ingredient we use is carefully picked and prepared. We make every meal by hand each day, including all of our sauces, marinades and dressings. We also have a seasonal menu, which is our ode to the current season, and where we celebrate Mother Nature’s beautiful bounty the best way we know how.”
The Lazy Dog menu has something for everyone in the family—even the picky eaters will find one or two items they like. And, of course, our four-footed friends are also welcome to join the family on the outdoor patio. For our visit, General Manager Josh Goldschmidt proved a great guide for photographer Chris Waits and me–newbies to Lazy Dog’s somewhat daunting, extensive menu. Goldschmidt, a veteran of the hospitality scene, hopes to become an active participant in the community. He hopes to provide memorable experiences for Lazy Dog’s guests and foster lasting connections in the Garland community.
We sampled an array of yummy appetizers, salads, and Roadtrip Bowls, although we ended up taking half or more home to share with our spouses. Firecracker Shrimp ($15.50), Goat Cheese + Pepper Jelly ($13.95), Chicken Lettuce Wraps ($15.95), and Crispy Deviled Eggs ($9.95) were our starters. These were so good we could have happily made our meal from them. The lightly fried deviled eggs are topped with paprika and bacon candy for a very different take on an old favorite.
Lazy Dog Bar
The Tequila Honey Squeeze was another unique twist, this time from the bar. The drink is served in a familiar honey bear bottle. Lazy Dog boasts a full bar, wine, and a wide assortment of craft beers. The bar also offers creative non-alcoholic drinks like twisted sodas, sparkling refreshers, and lemonades.
Next we tried three salads, starting with the Tex-Mex (chicken, black beans, corn, jack and cheddar cheese, avocado, tomatoes, BBQ sauce, tortilla strips and chipotle ranch dressing $17.95). Southern Fried Chicken salad (chicken breast, mixed greens, candied walnuts, cornbead croutons, boiled egg, charred sweet corn, tomatoes, honey mustard dressing and Nashville hot sauce for dipping $18.95 was the second salad. The third was my personal favorite. The new Green Goddess salad (goat cheese, spring peas, grapefruit, red onions, pumpkin seeds, crushed croutons, and housemade dressing on a bed of greens $16.95) is a keeper.
Roadtrip Bowls
A tasty trio of Roadtrip Bowls were next on our tasting menu. A Korean Ribeye Bibimbap (gochuyang-marinated shaved ribeye, steamed rice, spicy carrots, pickled cucumber, bean sprouts, spinach, sesame seeds, green onions, all topped with a sunny side up egg, made a savory and filling bowl for $19.50). But the Shrimp Yakosoma noodles was my hands-down favorite. Wok-fired caramelized shrimp, noodles, bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, tossed in sweet, garlicky ginger sauce and topped with carrots, bell peppers, and herb slaw for $19.50—my go-to bowl next Lazy Dog visit. However, you could dine at Lazy Dog every day of the month for several months and still find something new to try every day.
Proclaiming we were way too full for dessert fell on deaf ears, so we were tempted by Lazy Dog’s melt-in-your-mouth Butter Cake, a banana pudding, and an Apple-Huckaberry Open Face Pie. Impossible not to try a few bites of each, but next time we’ll know to always save room for dessert at Lazy Dog.
But wait—there’s more! Lazy Dog also offers freshly made and frozen packaged dinners for take-away or to-go orders. These hand-crafted TV dinners are far and above store-bought TV dinners, and priced at only $10.50 for meals like fried chicken with all the fixings and Shepherd’s Pie dinner. The Lazy Dog Campfire Club is a new loyalty program, offering monthly subscriptions to many great perks like free appetizers, desserts, and more for only $5 a month. They also have a Beer Club, with a quarterly membership for exclusive craft brews.
Campfire Club
“We’ve seen growing enthusiasm from our guests who have been wanting to find more ways to engage with Lazy Dog,” said Billy Grenham, chief marketing officer of Lazy Dog Restaurants. “We had such great feedback from our beer-loving fans with Lazy Dog Beer Club, and we wanted to broaden that guest experience a bit more and create a loyalty program that would drive excitement for everyone. Campfire Club represents our ongoing commitment to fostering deeper connections with our guests while providing a hub where they can explore new offerings at an incredible value. We have some wonderful plans for this program and can’t wait to share them with everyone.”
Lazy Dog guests can sign up for Campfire Club in-the restaurant or by visiting join.ldcampfireclub.com. For additional information on Lazy Dog, visit lazydogrestaurants.com.
