The flying horse cafe

The Flying Horse Cafe fronts Southport-Nerang Road at 345 on the Ashmore side of the Ashmore/Molendinar border on the Gold Coast, and it is a busy breakfast and lunch run rather than a quiet corner coffee stop. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables while you work through a menu that is unusually friendly to gluten-free diners. Hours run 7:30am to 3pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 2:30pm Sundays.

The dog setup

Dogs settle in the outdoor seating area only, on lead; the indoor dining room is for humans and service animals. There is no dedicated pet station mentioned by the cafe or reviewers, so bring your own water bowl. The front parking makes it a short hop from car to table with a dog in tow.

The vibe

Coffee is strong and the kitchen runs a full breakfast and lunch list with clearly marked gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan choices, including gluten-free bread and burger buns, and staff who take cross-contamination seriously. Repeat mentions go to the acai bowls, the hash brown stack, the brisket burger, the bacon and egg roll and eggs benedict. Weekend mornings build fast, so arrive early for an outdoor table without a wait.

Max: Gluten-free bun for the human, crusts from the bacon and egg roll for me. Fair trade.

Getting there and parking

It is an easy pull-in from the M1 onto Southport-Nerang Road, with dedicated parking directly in front of the cafe.

Close by with the dogs

Sun Valley Park in Ashmore has a dog off-leash area a few minutes away, and Scenic Park fenced dog park at Benowa is the bigger, fully fenced run nearby. The Brick Cafe over the border in Molendinar is the other local dog-friendly coffee option.

More of the coast is on the dog friendly cafes in QLD page.