The Old Boy

The Old Boy is a cosy espresso bar at 24 Tallawong Avenue in Blacktown, known for a plant-filled interior lined with books and a brunch menu that draws a serious weekend crowd. For dog owners the appeal is the outdoor seating: tables out front where a leashed dog can settle in beside you while you work through the brunch list.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, on a lead, sitting alongside your spot rather than roaming. The interior is compact and filled with greenery and shelves of books, so it is a people zone and the footpath tables are where your dog belongs. Staff are used to dog walkers rolling through for takeaway or a casual brunch, though amenities vary day to day, so bring a travel water bowl rather than assuming one will be out. Given the tables sit close together on busy mornings, it suits dogs that are comfortable around foot traffic.

Max: This one gets bustling on weekends, so if your dog is not keen on close quarters, aim for an early sitting or a weekday coffee instead.

The vibe and the menu

The kitchen runs a proper brunch menu: French toast, truffle eggs, fish tacos, eggs benny, chorizo and smashed avo, with freshly squeezed orange juice on the drinks list alongside the espresso. It has become a genuine local favourite in Blacktown, which is the good and the bad news, tables turn over fast when the weekend brunch rush lands. Hours run 7:30am to 2pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on weekends, so the kitchen is a breakfast-and-lunch operation rather than an all-day one.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Tallawong Avenue in a residential and commercial pocket of Blacktown, with street parking nearby. It fills up on weekend mornings along with the tables, so an early arrival does double duty: a free park and an outdoor seat before the rush. Blacktown station and the CBD are a short drive away for anyone pairing the visit with errands.

Make a day of it

For a proper run before or after brunch, Orana Park fenced dog park in Seven Hills and Faulkland Crescent Reserve fenced dog park in Kings Park are both a short drive away. If you are making a morning of it in the area, Cab's Cafe and Tishy and Co in Seven Hills are other dog-friendly coffee stops on the same side of town.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly cafes guide and the Blacktown destination page.