Ground Rules Coffee Roastery / Cafe / Bar

Ground Rules is a coffee roastery, cafe and bar on Kenworth Place in the Brendale industrial precinct, and it earns its place on a dog-friendly shortlist on the strength of its outdoor courtyard: dogs are welcome there, and table service means you can settle in beside your dog rather than queueing inside. It roasts its own beans on site and trades from early-morning coffee through breakfast and lunch to after-work drinks, which makes it usable at almost any hour of the working week.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the outdoor courtyard, which sits next to the bar, not indoors. Keep your dog on lead for the visit. Staff have a reputation for being welcoming, but bring your own water bowl rather than counting on one being provided. The courtyard layout means a settled dog can lie under or beside the table while you eat.

The coffee and the menu

The roasting is the point: beans are roasted on site and sold through the Ground Rules online shop, where blends carry office-themed names like Bean Counter and Corporate Esprionage. The cafe menu covers breakfast, brunch and lunch, with the poached eggs and banana bread drawing repeat mentions from reviewers. Power points and a generous fitout make it workable for a lingering visit, and the same space runs as a bar later, with a big screen for sports nights.

Getting there and parking

The address is 1/2 Kenworth Place, Brendale QLD 4500, in the industrial estate off South Pine Road. Parking is easy: there is a dedicated car park plus free street parking, so the walk from the car to the courtyard is short.

Nearby with the dogs

For the off-leash run first, Piggott Reserve fenced dog park on Leitchs Road is the natural pairing and the same combination features in local dog accounts. Alternatively Sweeney Reserve fenced dog park at Petrie adds agility gear and river walks about ten minutes south. Brendale's other PawScapes cafe is Groupheads and Grind, a short drive across the precinct.

More dog friendly cafes in Queensland, or the PawScapes guide to Brendale and its neighbouring suburbs, are one click away.

Pepsi: courtyard table, fresh-roasted beans, and the park run beforehand. This is how weekends are done.