Footbridge Cafe

Footbridge Cafe is the village breakfast workhorse of Brunswick Heads, trading from 6am in the middle of the village, a short stroll from the river and the footbridge it is named for. Dogs take the tables out front, and given how many visitors arrive with a dog on the way back from the beach, staff here handle four-legged customers as routine.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables at the front, on lead beside you. Inside is for assistance dogs only, as with most NSW cafes. The one practical thing to get right: keep the lead short, because the footpath here carries real pedestrian traffic and the cafe gets genuinely busy at weekend breakfast. Staff are accommodating and will sort water when asked, but on warm North Coast days a bowl of your own saves the wait.

Worth knowing

This is a fast, popular breakfast and brunch service rather than a quiet corner: eggs benedict, halloumi dishes, hash browns, banana bread and solid coffee, turned over quickly to a moving queue. Expect a wait on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It closes mid-afternoon (around 2:30pm), so it is a morning-and-lunch spot.

Getting there and parking

Brunswick Heads sits off the Pacific Highway between Byron Bay and the Queensland border (2483). Street parking is easiest before 8am; the walk from the car parks near the river is short. Everything in the village is within a few blocks on foot.

Make a day of it

Start with the on-lead river path, then take your dog for a proper run at Brunswick Heads' dog exercise area on the beach before coffee. New Brighton Dog Beach is a few minutes north if you want more sand. For other village tables, drift2483 and Old Maids also welcome dogs outdoors.

Browse more dog friendly cafes in NSW at pawscapes.com.au/cafes/state/nsw and plan the village stop at Brunswick Heads.