Pickled Ink Kitchen

Pickled Ink Kitchen is a small house-made-food cafe at 1/89 Queen Street, right in the middle of Berry's main strip, with footpath tables where dogs are welcome. It suits the wandering kind of visit: park once, shop the strip with the dog on lead, then sit down for lunch where the town goes by.

The dog setup

Dogs take the footpath seating along Queen Street; inside stays for people. There is no enclosed courtyard, so this is street-side dining and a dog that settles under the table does best. Water bowls are usually put out for visiting dogs, and staff are accommodating, though a travel bowl is the safe backup on busy weekends.

Max: Sit at the far end of the footpath tables away from the shops. Fewer shoppers walking past means the dog stays down and you get your salad in peace.

Worth knowing

Nearly everything is made in-house: rotating salads and the house-smoked salmon salad, quiches, roast chickens and a daily run of slices and cakes. The freezer of chef-made take-home meals (curries, cottage pie, lasagne) is a genuine bonus if you are staying nearby with the dog and would rather skip cooking. Service is daytime only, closed Sunday and Monday at the time of writing, and hours shift, so confirm before a special trip.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Queen Street, Berry's main strip, with free street parking along the road and on the surrounding blocks. It fills on weekends, so arrive before mid-morning if you want a spot close by.

While you're out there

For off-lead time, Shoalhaven council lists the Berry Showground's dog off-leash area (when events are not running) and the community-built fenced dog park taking shape at Boongaree off North Street. The fenced dog park at Bomaderry is a short drive north for a full play session. Everything else in the township is on-lead, and the heritage streets suit a slow lap past the boutiques.

Make a day of it with other dog-friendly stops in Berry: the verandah tables at Albert Street Caffe and Bar, a flat white at IV Coffee, or the showground camping area if you are staying over. See the Berry destination guide for the rest.