On-Lake Cafe

On-Lake Cafe sits right on Bowen Drive at Bowen Park, with its outdoor tables pointed straight at Lake Burley Griffin. The name is the brief: this is a views-first cafe, and the breakfast crowd comes for the combination of water, early sun and a kitchen that starts at 6:30am on weekdays.

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating overlooking the lake, and the cafe features in Region Canberra's roundup of dog-friendly lakeside cafes while posting visiting dogs on its Facebook page - so there is decent third-party backing for the policy. Practically, that means the deck and lakeside tables are where you and the dog belong, and regulars report the staff are used to four-legged customers. The lake path outside is on-lead territory, so settle the dog at the table rather than planning an off-lead romp here.

The vibe

It is a people-watching cafe as much as an eating one: parliament-end joggers, pram traffic and office walkers file past, and the menu is built for it - chilli scramble, bacon and egg rolls, smashed avo and a french toast that gets its own fan club on reviewer lists. Weekend hours stretch to 4pm, which makes it one of the later options on this stretch of the lake.

Pair it with

The lake loop is the obvious companion: the Lake Burley Griffin Loop trail passes within reach for an on-lead walk before breakfast. Across the water toward Kingston, Good Neighbour Cafe is another dog-friendly table, and if you are making a weekend of it, Brassey Hotel is a dog-welcoming stay in the same suburb. Parking is along Bowen Drive; see the Barton destination guide and the ACT dog-friendly cafes list for more.