14 of Canberra’s dog-friendliest cafés
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As dog-loving and coffee-loving locals, we’ve pursued the very pleasurable mission of exploring Canberra to find the very best dog-friendly cafés.
Canberra has some wonderful hidden café gems—great coffee, fresh food, dog-friendly, and in interesting locations.
We’ve done the hard work discovering them for you. Here are fourteen of our favourites listed in alphabetical order, according to suburb. You can see a map of their locations here.
We recommended these cafés because they meet our ‘dog-friendly’ criteria: they have generously spaced outdoor spaces with both sunny and shady options which is really important for keeping your dog comfortable in hot and cold weather.
They have a welcoming vibe, with staff providing water bowls for thirsty dogs.
They are located in excellent dog walking neighbourhoods so you can tire out your pooch before indulging yourself. See our self-guided dog walks for inspiration.
They’ve consistently welcomed, and coped, with Canberra Dog Walks‘ packs of up to 20 dogs and their devoted humans.
These cafés also meet our human-criteria: friendly staff, kid-friendly, and consistently good coffee. And they all have a track record of several years or more in business.
Bear in mind that you’ll be most welcome if your pooch is also ‘café-friendly’. We provide advice on doggie café etiquette, and how to achieve it, at Training your café-friendly dog.
Two Before Ten
68 Bandjalong Crescent, Aranda
A magnet for serious coffee drinkers and a welcome oasis in Belconnen surburbia, Two Before Ten welcomes dog-accompanied patrons.
It offers water bowls, coffee-sack ground ‘dog-blankets’, and two options for outdoor dog-friendly seating: a row of spacious outdoor tables under a south-facing deep eave is a perfect spot for warmer days and a courtyard around the side provides sunnier seating in cooler weather.
Open for breakfast and lunch every day.
Little Bird
Cnr Broughton and Macquarie Streets, Barton
This friendly, efficient café serving great coffee and food is typical of the new look Barton—no longer a soulless office precinct abandoned on the weekend.
Little Bird boasts a generous outdoor area perfect for dogs that catches the morning sun but provides good shade midday and afternoon.
Open for breakfast and lunch every day.
The Pedlar and Teddy Picker’s
Cnr Constitution Avenue and Creswell Street, Campbell
Campbell’s hit a double goal with this duo of fabulous establishments—right next to each other and both incredibly welcoming to dogs and their owners.
Teddy Picker’s focuses on more traditional café fare and The Pedlar—describing itself as a pub—provides breakfast, lunch, drinks and dinner.
With two great places to choose from, there’s always a perfect dog-friendly table, either sunny in winter or shady in summer.
Teddy Picker’s and The Pedlar are open early every day.
Red Brick Espresso
Cnr Carruthers and Theodore Streets, Curtin Shops
Red Brick Espresso café is very popular with locals and brimming with enthusiasm about life, the universe—and coffee.
There’s a good choice of outdoor tables but milk crates provide for overflow customers which can be set up under shady trees. Dogs love the grassy outdoor space.
Open every day with a curated range of breakfast and lunch offerings.
Fox and Bow
Farrer Place, Farrer Shops
The tiny Farrer Shops buzz with life due to this very popular spot.
Open every day for breakfast and lunch, Fox and Bow has several outdoor tables in both sun and shade, plus a milk crate overflow area against a very cool Bansky-like graffiti-covered wall. Open every day for breakfast and lunch.
Common Grounds
Jeffries Street, Gowrie Shops
Common Grounds is a stand-out in beautiful Tuggeranong.
It has plenty of outdoor tables for four-legged patrons—a large number at the rear where you can also enjoy the Brindabella Mountains views and a couple out front.
It’s very popular with locals so you’ll need to get in early on the weekend. Open every day for breakfast and lunch.
Eat Me Drink Me
Georgina Crescent, Kaleen Plaza
A little neighbourhood café with friendly and enthusiastic staff, Eat Me Drink Me provides outdoor tables and some comfy couches in a sheltered spot, hidden away next to one of the Kaleen Plaza entrances.
Open for breakfast and lunch every day with a really welcoming vibe.
Mannheim Café
Mannheim Street, Kambah
An oasis in suburban Kambah, Mannheim Café offers a long row of sheltered outside dog-friendly tables, plus extras under a large plane tree providing good shade in summer.
The delicious home made Italian inspired offerings are difficult to resist. Open for breakfast and lunch every day, and Wednesday to Saturday evenings for traditional pizzas and more.
BitterSweet
Cnr Jardine and Eyre Streets, Kingston Shops
Right in the centre of Green Square, BitterSweet is one of the reasons we prefer the relaxed atmosphere at the Kingston Shops rather than the Kingston Foreshore.
It has plenty of generously spaced outdoor tables, an overflow lawn area, and very friendly dog-loving staff that can’t help you enough.
Serves excellent coffee, breakfast and lunch every day.
The Front Gallery and Café
Wattle Street, Lyneham Shops
An über-cool, Newtown-Essendon-inspired café, The Front is super friendly for both two-legged and four-legged patrons.
Good coffee, an alternative neighbourhood vibe, and an adjoining gallery features local artists.
Open every day for breakfast and lunch.
Millhouse Café
Cnr Morisset and Collett Streets, Queanbeyan
Okay—not in Canberra, but close enough. Located in the heritage-listed old Queanbeyan mill house, the Millhouse Café is the ultimate in dog-friendly.
Most tables are located in the large garden area with plenty of space for lounging pooches. There’s a choice of tables on decking, on comfy astroturf, and even more tables around the corner on real grass under a huge shade tree.
Offering delicious breakfast and lunch every day at Queanbeyan prices, it’s definitely worth the short drive from Canberra.
The Knox
Watson Place, Watson Shops
A small but groovy café/bar focusing on locally sourced produce, The Knox provides dog-friendly outdoor tables in a sheltered nook tucked against the local IGA.
Open every day for breakfast and most evenings for dinner—think balmy autumn evenings enjoying a cold beer or chilled rosé with your furry best friend.
Beess & Co
Bentham Street, Yarralumla Shops
Yarralumla residents have been spoiled for many years by delightful Beess & Co café.
It boasts the best position available at the pretty Yarralumla Shops, set under a huge, old plane tree providing dense shade in summer but plenty of sun in winter.
Open early every day for breakfast and lunch.
Want to know more about dog-friendly Canberra?
Canberra Dog Walks provides free information about dog-friendly Canberra inspired by a love of Canberra, walking and dogs. Check our Facebook page for the latest news and events.
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