Bean Roasted Espresso Bar Calderwood

Bean Roasted Espresso Bar sits on Escarpment Drive in the Calderwood Valley estate, south of Wollongong, pouring Campos coffee to a growing Illawarra hillside community with the escarpment for a backdrop. Dogs are welcome across the outdoor and footpath seating, and the big free car park means parking is never the hard part.

The dog setup

Dogs take the outdoor tables, not the indoor cafe, and staff keep water bowls out for visiting dogs. Keep your dog on lead and settled beside the table; the footpath section has the most room. The community crowd is regular and dog-tolerant, which keeps the whole setup relaxed.

Max: Grab an edge table on the footpath side before 8am on weekends. The bacon and egg rolls come out quick and the crowd builds fast after that.

Worth knowing

The kitchen turns out bacon and egg rolls, chicken toasties and a small but solid brunch menu, with Campos-driven iced coffee specials like the pistachio iced latte getting the attention. Hours are 6am to 2pm weekdays and 7am to 2pm weekends, so it is firmly a breakfast-and-lunch stop.

Getting there and parking

Reach the cafe via the Illawarra Highway into Calderwood Valley and follow Escarpment Drive. There is ample free on-site parking with street parking close by, a small luxury compared with the coast suburbs north.

While you're out there

For off-lead time you need a short drive. Shellharbour council runs a string of fenced dog parks across the LGA, and the fenced dog park at Oak Flats and Reed Park at Horsley both have separate large and small dog sections with agility equipment. Closer in, the new fenced dog park at the Croom Road sporting complex at Albion Park Rail is the nearest purpose-built option. For a swim, Flinders Beach dog off-leash area sits on the lake side a bit further east.

Pair the stop with other dog-friendly cafes around Albion Park, and check the Calderwood destination guide for what else is nearby.