Ground Up Espresso

Ground Up Espresso is the local's cafe on Young Street in Carrington, pouring from 6am on weekdays and keeping the neighbourhood fed with bacon and egg rolls, haloumi toasties and consistently good flat whites. It is a small, friendly room, and the outdoor seating makes it an easy dog stop on the way to the foreshore.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating, both the tables out front and the courtyard area out back, on a lead. Staff are used to four-legged visitors and water bowls are typically put out, though bring a portable bowl as backup on busy mornings. Inside stays people-only. It is a compact space, so an early weekday visit is the relaxed version of this stop.

Worth knowing

Hours run 6am to 2pm Monday to Friday, 7am to 2pm Saturday and 7:30am to 12:30pm Sunday, so Sunday brunch has a tight window. The menu is breakfast and lunch only, with the bakery case and muffins doing steady work alongside the coffee. As with any small cafe, it is worth confirming the dog arrangement with staff when you arrive.

Getting there and parking

Find it at 120 Young Street, Carrington, a few minutes from Newcastle's west end. Free street parking is generally available along Young Street and the surrounding residential streets, and the suburb is flat and easy to walk with a dog on lead.

Close by with the dogs

The Throsby Creek foreshore path starts close by and makes a natural walk either side of coffee; the Throsby Creek Foreshore to Newcastle Beach trail stretches it into a proper outing. For more Carrington stops, try The Pavilion Kitchen or the dog-welcoming Fairmont Diner on Cowper Street.

More options are on the NSW dog friendly cafes guide and the Carrington destination page.

Max: bacon and egg roll at 7am, courtyard table, water bowl already down. Carrington does mornings properly.