Paddington Cafe

Paddington Cafe is a busy neighbourhood cafe on the High Street strip in Belmont, Geelong, open from 6.30am to 3pm every day. It is a bagel-and-brunch kind of place with quick, friendly service, and the footpath tables out front are where the dog-walkers land.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating along High Street, which is street-side rather than an enclosed courtyard. Water bowls are usually available and the staff are used to dogs at the front tables. Because the seats sit right on the footpath, this suits a settled dog that copes with pedestrians and passing traffic. Indoor seating is off limits under the standard Victorian food rules, so this is a fair-weather setup rather than a wet-day one.

Worth knowing

The stacked bagels are the signature order, with the usual brunch line-up alongside them: breakfast plates, eggs Benedict and gluten-friendly options. There are cakes, cinnamon scrolls and fruit toast if you just want coffee and something sweet. The cafe moved to a bigger, brighter site in 2021, so there is more room inside than the old address suggests, though the dog spots stay out front. At peak brunch hours the street gets busy, so a quieter weekday morning is easier with a dog that needs space.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on High Street in Belmont, walkable from the surrounding residential streets. Metered street parking runs directly out front, with time limits to watch, and the Coles and Kmart Belmont car park nearby is the fallback if the strip is full. From Geelong's centre it is about five minutes south over the river.

Make a day of it

The obvious pairing is a walk before or after brunch: the Barwon River trail starts just across the bridge and follows the water both directions, and Belmont Dog Park is a few minutes away for an off-lead run. If you want a second coffee, WoodHouse Cafe up the same strip has a courtyard out back, and Lavish Specialty Coffee pours house-roasted beans under cover next door to it.

Max: the bagel was the size of my head and the water bowl arrived before I even sat down.

Go early for the easy parking and the quiet footpath, then head for the river. For more options nearby, see other dog friendly cafes in VIC and the Belmont guide.