Four Birds Cafe ni Isabella

Four Birds Cafe ni Isabella is a small, cosy brunch spot on Smith Street in the Darwin CBD, the kind of place with a rotating specials board and locally roasted coffee. The compact footpath area out front takes calm, well-behaved dogs, which makes it an easy stop before a clifftop walk.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables only, indoors is people-only. The area is on the small side, so it suits smaller and medium dogs, or a larger dog content to settle close to the table rather than watch the footpath traffic. Water bowls are often available on request, but bring your own to be safe in the build-up heat.

Worth knowing

The menu changes with daily specials and leans creative rather than stock-standard, with friendly, personal service that regulars mention often. It runs mornings only, from around 7am on weekdays and 8am on Saturdays, and closes Sundays and mid-afternoon, so it is strictly a breakfast and lunch venue.

Getting there and parking

It sits on Smith Street in the city grid, with metered street parking on Smith Street and nearby blocks carrying one to two hour limits. Walking in from city accommodation is usually the easiest arrival, and the streets are shaded in the early morning.

Close by with the dogs

Bicentennial Park is a few minutes away with clifftop paths over the water, and the Darwin Waterfront is a short walk downhill. For a bigger outing, Casuarina Coastal Reserve has leash-free areas around 15 to 20 minutes by car. For another city coffee, Postie Coffee, Roma Bar and The Harvest Press are all on the same circuit.

More options are on the Northern Territory dog friendly cafes guide and the Darwin City destination page.

Pepsi: go early, the footpath tables are few and the dry season mornings are when Darwin walks best.