Fress Cafe

Fress Cafe is a classic Melbourne breakfast and lunch spot on Glen Huntly Road in Caulfield South, and a regular stop for locals walking the strip with a dog. It opens early on weekdays, closes by mid afternoon, and keeps things simple: solid coffee, a generous all-day brunch menu, and kerbside tables where a well-mannered dog is welcome.

The dog setup

Dogs sit with you at the footpath tables out front, not indoors. The strip is busy enough that a settled dog matters: keep the lead short, park your dog close to the table, and be ready for passing dogs and prams. Water is generally easy to arrange from staff, but bringing your own travel bowl removes any doubt.

The vibe

This is a neighbourhood cafe rather than a destination, and reviewers consistently land on the same notes: friendly baristas, fresh food and a menu that stretches from shakshuka and porridge to smashed avo and a chicken avocado roll. Weekend service runs 8am to 4pm, while weekdays start at 7am and wind down around 3pm, so the early window is the calmest.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Glen Huntly Road within walking distance of Glen Huntly Station, and the Route 67 tram runs along the same corridor. If you are driving, street parking is available on Glen Huntly Road and the side streets, though the main strip fills quickly around meal times.

Close by with the dogs

For a proper leg-stretch before or after coffee, Princes Park is nearby, with most of its open space operating as an off-leash zone under Glen Eira rules. If you are cafe-hopping instead, Mr Brightside Cafe and Cedar Street Cafe are both local options that also take dogs outdoors.

More choices are on the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and the Caulfield South destination page.

Pepsi: the footpath tables face a busy road, so I sit tight and let the humans do the queueing. Worth it for a corner of whatever shakshuka is going.