Drip Cafe

Drip Cafe is a contemporary brunch spot at 88 Chesterville Road in Cheltenham, pulling a busy local crowd with strong specialty coffee and a menu that runs from chilli scrambled eggs to knafeh french toast. The draw for dog owners is the plant-filled back courtyard, which welcomes dogs under large umbrellas on sunny days.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor and courtyard seating; the rear courtyard with its umbrellas is the pick when the weather is kind, and there is undercover seating out front as a wet-day fallback. Indoors is people only, so order and settle outside. Water bowls are usually provided, with a portable bowl a safe backup when the weekend crowd has every table taken.

The vibe and the menu

Coffee is the headline, roasted by Inglewood Coffee Roasters and consistently praised, with matcha lattes, juices and smoothies alongside. The kitchen's signatures are the knafeh french toast, chilli scrambled eggs and a solid smashed avo, and heartier plates cover the comfort-food end, including southern fried chicken waffles. Hours run 6:30am to 3pm weekdays and 7:30am to 3pm weekends. Weekends get full, so come early or expect a short wait.

Getting there and parking

Unmetered street parking sits on Chesterville Road and the side streets, and Cheltenham Station is a short walk down the road, which makes arriving on foot with a dog straightforward. The wide Chesterville Road footpaths suit a post-brunch stroll either direction.

For off-lead time, Cheltenham Park is close for a run when sport is not on, the fenced run at Snowdon Reserve is nearby, and the off-leash sand at Mentone Beach is a short drive toward the bay. Franks is another dog-friendly cafe in the suburb.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the Cheltenham destination page, with the full state list in the VIC cafes index.