SALT & JAM

Salt & Jam does something a bit different on the Willoughby Road strip: a Western and Korean brunch menu under one roof, bibimbap and japchae alongside bacon and egg rolls. Dogs take the footpath tables out the front, and the dog directories rate it as one of Crows Nest's reliable outdoor-table stops.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables along Willoughby Road, on lead. As with most NSW food-registered cafes, indoor seating stays for humans and assistance dogs. Staff are friendly with visiting pups and happy to oblige with pats, but there is no dedicated dog menu and a table-side water bowl is not guaranteed, so pack a collapsible one. The footpath gets busy on weekends, so tuck your dog in close.

Worth knowing

The menu is the point of difference: bibimbap with miso soup, buddha bowls built on black rice and kimchi, chilli prawn pasta, burgers and the brunch classics for the traditionalists, with solid flat whites behind the machine. Coffee runs from 7am most days, the kitchen from 9am on weekdays, and weekends start 8am at the latest; everything wraps by 3pm.

Getting there and parking

The address is 114 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest (2065). Street parking is metered and fills quickly on weekends, so try the surrounding residential streets if the strip is full. Buses run straight along Willoughby Road, and the Crows Nest Metro station is an easy walk, which makes the car optional.

Make a day of it

Warm up at St Leonards Picnic Ground Fenced Dog Park before breakfast, or make an afternoon of it on the Waverton Park to Balls Head Reserve loop. On the same strip, Brewmance and The Alchemist Espresso in Cammeray are other dog-friendly options nearby.

Browse more dog friendly cafes in NSW at pawscapes.com.au/cafes/state/nsw and plan the village at Crows Nest.