Streat Toast

Streat Toast is a gourmet food van parked in the Geils Court office precinct in Deakin, Canberra's inner south. There is no dining room at all, which is precisely the point for dog owners: every seat is outdoors around the van, so a leashed dog is as welcome as anyone at lunch. It runs weekday mornings and middays only, 7am to 2pm Monday to Friday, and closes on weekends, which makes it a working-week stop for locals and a detour for visitors on a Canberra itinerary.

The dog setup

Dogs settle in beside you at the open-air seating, a casual arrangement of milk crate seats around the truck, with nothing between your dog and the fresh air. There is no confirmed water station on site, so carry a travel bowl, especially on warm Canberra days when the precinct offers little shade. Keep your dog tucked close during the lunch rush, when the office crowd queues two or three deep and foot traffic through Geils Court is steady.

Worth knowing

The whole idea is toast, but done seriously: artisanal Three Mills bread loaded into toasties like the Istanbul with sujuk on Turkish bread, a Reuben-style melt with pastrami, sauerkraut and Russian dressing, and a vegetarian option with grilled vegetables, rocket pesto and bocconcini. Beyond toast there are halloumi burgers, brekky wraps and Angus burgers with chips. Regulars rate the coffee and the personal service highly, and it is the sort of place where the crew remembers your order.

Pair it with

Parking is easy in the business complex lots around Geils Court and the adjacent streets, so arriving with a dog is straightforward outside the weekday peak. For an off-leash run afterwards, Yarralumla Dog Park is a few minutes' drive away with separate fenced areas for large and small dogs. Beess and Co Cafe in Yarralumla is a shaded, water-bowls-on-the-table alternative, and Two Blind Mice in Curtin is another nearby dog-friendly option. More are listed under ACT dog friendly cafes and the Deakin guide.