August in Australia means one thing depending on where you live: still jumper weather in Melbourne and Adelaide, or borderline shorts weather already in Perth and Brisbane. Either way, it’s a decent excuse to get out of the house with your dog and go somewhere that’ll actually make a fuss of them, not just tolerate them under the table.
We went looking for seven spots around the country doing it properly this month: real outdoor space, water bowls that aren’t an afterthought, and in most cases an actual dog menu rather than a bowl of tap water and a pat on the head. A few even do a proper sit-down meal for the dog while you eat.
Here’s where to take yours.
📋 In This Guide
- Union Kitchen — Mindarie, Perth
- Naked Brew — Erskineville, Sydney
- Bellboy Cafe — Brunswick East, Melbourne
- Sassafras of Paddington — Paddington, Brisbane
- Fare and Square — North Adelaide
- The Lady Daly Hotel — Hindmarsh, Adelaide
- Fairhill Adventure Gardens — Ninderry, Sunshine Coast
Eight Places Actually Doing This Right
A dog park view or a bowl of tap water on the porch doesn’t make somewhere dog-friendly, not in the way it should. These eight, spread across five states, all go further than the bare minimum.
Union Kitchen
Mindarie, Perth
Union Kitchen sits right on Mindarie Marina, with outdoor tables that are unapologetically set up for dogs rather than just permitting them. There’s a dedicated undercover area, dog beds on hand for both small and larger dogs, and free water bowls that don’t need to be requested.
Good to know: the dog menu here is a genuine menu, not an afterthought. Homemade by local supplier Deezi Beez Snacks, it runs to a warm Puppycino (lactose-free milk and liver sprinkles), a cold Muttshake, three different treat biscuits and a Pupsicle in warmer months.
View full Union Kitchen listing →
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Naked Brew
Erskineville, Sydney
Naked Brew sits directly across the road from a dog park in Erskineville, which tells you most of what you need to know about who they’re building their weekends around. Grab one of the shady sidewalk tables and the staff will treat your dog like a paying customer, because at this point they basically are.
Good to know: the dog menu covers doughnuts, waffles, a goat’s milk Doggie-Chino with sprinkles, a Doggie Smoothie and Doggie Ice Cream on warmer days. The OG Doggie Doughnuts (peanut butter or raspberry) are baked in-house.
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Bellboy Cafe
Brunswick East, Melbourne
Bellboy runs a genuinely large dog-friendly terrace, around 50 outdoor seats, on Nicholson Street in East Brunswick Village, plus a custom-built check-in dog house for dogs who’d rather not be underfoot while you order. The coffee is house-roasted and the bagels (Pastrami, Grilled Haloumi) have their own following, dog or no dog.
Good to know: there’s a specially curated dog menu with treats sourced from Bender and Friends, alongside the dedicated check-in dog house setup at the terrace entrance.
View full Bellboy Cafe listing →
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Sassafras of Paddington
Paddington, Brisbane
Sassafras operates out of a restored worker’s cottage on Latrobe Terrace, with a Hidden Courtyard Garden that’s become the dog-friendly drawcard. It’s been running since 1997 and picked up the Restaurant & Catering Association’s SEQ Café Dining Award in 2022, so the coffee and brunch side of things is well proven before you even get to the dog menu.
Good to know: there’s a small menu of locally-made dog treats and puppachinos, served in the courtyard alongside your own brunch.
View full Sassafras of Paddington listing →
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Fare and Square
North Adelaide
Fare and Square looks out over Wellington Square from its patio, making it an easy pairing with a walk through North Adelaide’s parklands beforehand. On Thursday to Saturday nights it flips into a tapas and wine bar, but it’s the daytime dog crowd this list cares about.
Good to know: the dog menu here, called “Furnu” (menu for furballs), is one of the more developed ones on this list: a Furchino (lactose-free milk and carob), Snoopy Eggs (poached egg on brown rice), Beethoven Bolognese (beef mince and vegetables) and Scooby Doo Stew (chicken in pumpkin puree).
The Lady Daly Hotel
Hindmarsh, Adelaide
The Lady Daly is a proper pub rather than a cafe, which means a beer garden, an open fire for the colder months, and a running photo gallery of regulars called Dogs of The Daly. It’s a short walk from the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and the Coopers Stadium tram stop if you’re making a night of it.
Good to know: the Doggo Menu runs from a simple Scooby Snack (a soft, chewy peanut butter and chicken treat) up to a full Snoopy Bowl (hard-boiled eggs and rice) or a Pluto Bowl (hard-boiled eggs, rice and sardines), so a dog can genuinely order a meal here rather than just get a pat.
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Fairhill Adventure Gardens
Ninderry, Sunshine Coast
Fairhill is less a cafe with a courtyard and more acres of native botanic garden that happens to have a genuinely good farm-to-table restaurant in the middle of it. Dogs on leads are welcome to walk the gardens with you, not just sit at a table, with water bowls and shady spots scattered through the grounds.
Good to know: treats and puppaccinos are available at The Gardens Café, and the kitchen leans heavily on seasonal, local and native ingredients, including pasture-raised eggs collected daily on-site.
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Before You Go
A few of these get busy on weekends, and dog menus in particular have a habit of changing with the seasons. Worth doing a couple of things before you turn up lead in hand.
💡 A Few Things Worth Checking
- Whether outdoor or dog-friendly seating needs a booking, especially on weekends.
- Whether the dog menu is seasonal. A few of these swap items in and out in warmer months.
🐾 Know a Dog-Friendly Spot We Should Check Out?
If there’s a cafe, pub or restaurant near you that’s genuinely doing right by dogs, not just allowing them, let us know and we’ll check it out for next month’s list.
