Lavish Specialty Coffee

Lavish Specialty Coffee holds a spot in the middle of the Belmont shopping strip on High Street, Geelong, and it has quietly become one of the better dog setups on the strip. The seating out front is undercover, so a coffee with the dog works on a wet Geelong morning as well as a hot one, and the kitchen takes brunch seriously enough to be worth the walk.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the undercover footpath seating out the front of 121 High Street. The cover is the real plus here, giving you a workable table year round, and staff are used to serving people with dogs in tow, with water bowls often already out. Indoors stays people-only under the usual Victorian food rules. The front strip faces street traffic, so it suits a dog that is comfortable with passing feet and prams.

The coffee and the menu

This is a house-roasting operation, with a rotating single origin alongside the blend, and the food runs from healthy bowls to indulgent plates: waffles, poached eggs, a lamb burrito that regulars chase, and solid vegan options. Service has a good local name for being quick and friendly, which helps when the strip is busy.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs directly along High Street with side streets as backup, and the whole strip is flat and walkable if you are local. It is a short stroll from the Barwon River side of Belmont.

Bookending a river walk

The obvious pairing is the Barwon River: the Barwon River Loop trail starts close by and makes a proper morning of it, and the Belmont Dog Park covers the off-leash run. If Lavish is full, Paddington Cafe up the same strip is another dog-welcoming option. More of the area is gathered on the Belmont destination page and in the Victoria cafes index.

Hours run 7:30am to 3pm Monday to Friday and 7:30am to 2pm Saturday, closed Sundays. Keep the undercover tables in mind when the weather turns; that is when this setup earns its keep.