Saltie Dog Coffee & Crepes

Saltie Dog Coffee & Crepes is an East European-style crepe bar on Lawrence Hargrave Drive in Coledale, with a covered patio looking straight out over the ocean. It earns its perfect local rating honestly: proper crepes, freshly roasted coffee, and one of the better dog setups on the northern Illawarra coast.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the covered outdoor patio, where staff bring out water bowls as standard. The drawcard is the dedicated dog menu: kangaroo chews and a house specialty called Doglato that keeps canines busy while you work through a plate of crepes. Doors open 6.45am weekdays and 7am weekends, closing 4pm daily.

Pepsi: demolishes a Doglato in seconds, then stares until a second one appears. Budget accordingly.

The vibe

Traditional sweet and savoury crepes anchor the menu, with the apple pie crepe getting repeat mentions from regulars and a gluten-free option available. Honey cake is worth leaving room for. Live music features regularly and lifts the patio without drowning conversation, and the ocean view carries the rest.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is at 748 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, walking distance from Coledale Beach if you want to tire the dog out first. Street parking runs along Lawrence Hargrave Drive and the side streets, but weekends get busy, so arrive before 9am if you want a park without circling. Coming by train, the South Coast line stops at Coledale station a short walk inland, which makes a car-free crepe run entirely doable.

Close by with the dogs

Before or after the crepes, Little Austinmer Beach up the road is a classic dog-swim spot, and Bark at the Beach in Thirroul extends the coastal run further north.

More options are on the NSW cafes list or in the Coledale guide.