Gourmandise & Co

Gourmandise & Co is a French-style bakery and patisserie on the historic Stirling Terrace strip in central Albany, and one of the town's most reliable dog-friendly stops. Take a footpath table with the dog at your feet, order a flat white and a croissant, and you are halfway through a town-centre walk without ever leaving the heritage streetscape.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor seating, which covers both the footpath tables and the courtyard, but not inside the dining room with its busy kitchen and counter. The outdoor bench seating has hooks for clipping a lead securely, a small detail that matters with a large or energetic dog, and water bowls are usually on hand. There is no dog menu, so this stop is about the humans; one person orders while the other holds the fort outside.

Worth knowing

The baking is the reason to come: plain and almond croissants, pain au chocolat, quiche Lorraine and tarts, with French-leaning breakfast plates and baked eggs for those staying a while. Hours are 7am to 2:30pm Monday to Saturday and 7:30am to 12:30pm Sunday, but everything is baked fresh on site and popular lines sell out early, so arriving near opening gives you the full cabinet.

Getting there and parking

You will find it at 56 Stirling Terrace in central Albany. On-street parking sits right out front and fills quickly on weekends, with several public car parks a short walk away. Coming from the waterfront, the walk uphill along Stirling Terrace is flat enough and passes the historic buildings that give the strip its character.

Close by with the dogs

For off-lead time after the croissants, Middleton Beach Dog Beach Seppings is a short drive east. Coffee-wise, HazBeanz Finestkind Coffee Albany and the waterfront-facing Emu Point Cafe keep the day moving, as does The Surfing Bean Middleton Beach by the sand.

More options are on dog-friendly cafes in WA, with the full local set under Albany.