Too Many Chiefs

Too Many Chiefs is a small, casual coffee and brunch cafe on Bay Street in Brighton, right by the train station, which makes it an easy meet-up point if you are arriving by rail with the dog. The sidewalk tables out front are the dog-friendly zone.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the tables immediately out front, not inside. Service is casual and water bowls are usually offered. Bay Street carries steady foot traffic, so a dog that settles on-lead and stays out of the flow of commuters will have the easiest time.

Worth knowing

The coffee is the draw, including the house rainbow latte, backed by a solid breakfast menu with corn fritters among the regulars' picks. The detail that matters most is the calendar: weekday mornings only, roughly 7am to 2pm, with weekends closed. Treat it as a midweek stop and you will not be caught out. Service is quick once you are in the queue, which helps on a tight lunch break.

Getting there and parking

The address is 305 Bay Street, Brighton, steps from Brighton station, so arriving on foot or by train is the low-friction option. Street parking on Bay Street and the side streets is free, though you may circle for a spot close to the strip at school pickup times.

Make a day of it

The William Street Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is about a 10-minute walk away for an off-lead run before breakfast. Closer to the strip, Saint Martins Cafe and The Little Ox keep dog-friendly tables on Bay Street if Too Many Chiefs is full.

More of the bayside is mapped on the Brighton destination page, and the Victoria dog-friendly cafe guide covers the rest of the state.