Vagabond Byron Bay

Vagabond is a plant-based cafe inside the Habitat precinct on Porter Street in Byron Bay's Arts and Industrial Estate, just out of the town centre. For dog owners its appeal is architectural: the cafe opens onto an outdoor courtyard and the precinct's green spaces, so a leashed dog is an easy fit at a roomy table rather than squeezed onto a footpath. The menu is wholesome breakfast and brunch territory, with acai bowls, nourish bowls, avocado toast, cinnamon scrolls and choc chip cookies covering the usual orders, plus smoothies and well-rated coffee.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating in front of the cafe and across the surrounding Habitat courtyard, on lead. Indoor seating is for people only. Water bowls are often out, and it is a regular haunt for locals walking their dogs, so the tone is relaxed. The courtyard's space makes it a calmer, longer sit than most town-centre tables, which suits dogs that take a while to settle.

Worth knowing

Hours are 6:30am to 3pm Monday to Saturday, with Sunday running 7:30am to 2pm. Mid-morning or early afternoon is the sweet spot. Part of the draw beyond the cafe is the precinct itself: Habitat's lifestyle shops and galleries give you somewhere to wander while your dog dries off from the beach. Parking is ample on Porter Street and around the estate, far easier than town-centre parking.

Nearby with the dogs

Belongil Beach South dog exercise area is a short drive away for the off-lead run that earns the brunch. In the same estate, Otherside Cafe pairs its tree-filled garden with the same easy attitude to dogs, and Folk is the town-centre alternative.

More dog friendly cafes in NSW and the PawScapes guide to Byron Bay cover the rest of town.

Pepsi: courtyard, acai bowl crumbs, and the humans disappear into a shop. Ideal arrangement.