Teebox Cafe

Teebox Cafe sits in the Lake Claremont Golf Course clubhouse at 30 Lapsley Road, Claremont, overlooking a nine-hole course with the lake beyond it. It has become one of the western suburbs' better dog setups: walkers loop the lake, then stop in for coffee with the dog still on the lead beside the table. It opens early and stays open all day, every day of the week.

The dog setup

Well-behaved dogs on lead are welcome across the outdoor seating, including the covered courtyard and the balcony area with its elevated view over the course. Staff keep water bowls around the deck, and dogs are occasionally offered treats on the adjoining grass bank. You are expected to clean up after your own dog. Inside the cafe is for humans only, so this is a fair-weather-or-covered-seating venue.

The food and the vibe

The menu is broader than the golf-club setting suggests: cooked breakfasts, toasties, burgers, sit-down lunches, and Simmo's ice cream for the kids, with a fully licensed bar for beer and wine. Reviews regularly mention the fresh juices, the relaxed pace and staff who are welcoming to both golfers and dog walkers. Hours run 5:30am to 8pm daily, closed only on Christmas Day, which makes it as much a dinner-and-sunset option as a breakfast stop.

Getting there and parking

There is a dedicated free car park on site within the golf course grounds, close to the clubhouse, so the walk from the car with a dog is short. The cafe's own site lists the address as Lapsley Road within the Lake Claremont Golf Course precinct.

Make a day of it

The lake is the draw. The 2.4 kilometre shared path loops the water on the flat, but leashes apply on the main path because the reserve is a conservation-category wetland with nesting black swans and oblong turtles. Designated off-lead zones sit in sections of the parkland, and Lake Claremont Dog Agility Area in the north-east corner has tunnels, hoops and jumps. Town of Claremont rules require leads everywhere else, and infringements apply for dogs chasing wildlife. If you are doing a cafe crawl instead, El Cabro Coffee is the other Claremont listing. More are under WA dog friendly cafes and in the Claremont guide.

Max: Do the lake loop first, then claim a balcony table. The birds are protected, so no, I was not going to chase them. Probably.