Good Garden Cafe

Good Garden Cafe is a plant-filled, health-leaning cafe at 100 Griffith Street in the middle of Coolangatta, close to the beach end of the strip. The menu runs to acai bowls, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, wraps and toasted sandwiches on Blackboard Coffee, and the alfresco garden out front is where dogs fit in. It is a weekday brekkie-and-coffee stop rather than an all-day venue, with limited opening days at last listings.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor alfresco tables under the umbrellas, and dog-friendly directories list the cafe on that basis. There is no formal written pet policy, so confirm with staff when you arrive, and keep your dog on a lead beside the table. Indoors is off limits under the usual food rules. Bring your own water bowl on hot days, and note the footpath position means a settled dog handles the Griffith Street foot traffic best.

The food and the hours

The acai bowls and matcha lattes draw the most mentions, with the roast vegetable and halloumi wrap representing the savoury side. Hours have shifted more than once and are tighter than most Coolangatta cafes: listings show weekday mornings to early afternoon, roughly 6am or 7am through to 2pm, with weekends either closed or heavily reduced. Check the current hours before you set out with the dog. Street parking on Griffith Street and nearby lots fills early on summer mornings.

Worth knowing

One correction for dog owners planning the obvious post-coffee stroll: Coolangatta Beach and Greenmount Beach prohibit dogs entirely, sand and foreshore alike, under City of Gold Coast rules. For an off-lead run instead, Goodwin Park a few blocks away has signed off-leash zones, and Queen Elizabeth Park is an on-leash green between the cafe and the headland. If you are building a cafe day, Lyra Cafe and Switchfoot Cafe Coolangatta are nearby listings, and Point Danger Lookout to Currumbin Alley covers the coastal walk north. More are under Queensland dog friendly cafes and in the Coolangatta guide.

Pepsi: The humans get an acai bowl, I get the good shade under the umbrella. Also, the beach is off limits, so I am saving my sand zoomies for Goodwin Park.