36 Bank Cafe

36 Bank Cafe is a neighbourhood cafe at 36 Aberdeen Road in the Altona shopping strip, and the first metro-Melbourne outlet for Rosie's Chicken. It is a weekday stop: doors open 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday, closed weekends.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on lead at the outdoor footpath tables along Aberdeen Road, where a water bowl is usually out. Ordering and the inside seating are people only, so plan on sitting outside with the dog rather than ducking in.

Pepsi: the footpath tables are close to the street, so pick the spot furthest from the corner and tie the lead to the chair leg, not the table. The fried chicken comes out fast, which helps with a restless dog.

The vibe

The kitchen is built around Rosie's fried chicken and the schnitzel wrap, alongside standard cafe breakfast and lunch plates and specialty coffee. Staff have a friendly, easygoing reputation, and the room fills with locals through the morning peak.

It is a quick-order kind of place rather than a linger-all-morning brunch room, which suits a dog waiting at your feet. If the footpath is full, a lap around the block usually clears a table within ten minutes or so.

Getting there and parking

There is street parking on Aberdeen Road and the surrounding streets, though the shopping strip tightens up around lunchtime. Altona station is a short walk if you are coming by train.

Make a day of it

Altona Beach and its long waterfront path are a few minutes away for an on-lead stroll after coffee, and Doug Grant Reserve gives the dog an off-lead session within a short drive. P A Burns Reserve Fenced Dog Park is the fully fenced alternative nearby.

Jimmy The Van is the other weekday coffee option in the suburb, and more options are on the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and the Altona destination page.