My Rainbow-Dreams.

My Rainbow-Dreams is a long-running vegetarian and vegan cafe on the Dickson shops plaza in Canberra's inner north, and it appears on the ACT Government's own list of dog-friendly food spots to visit. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables out the front, and the flat plaza setting makes it one of the easier cafe stops in Canberra to manage with a dog.

The dog setup

Dogs sit with you at the footpath tables along the plaza edge, on lead and away from the door flow into the shops. The plaza is wide and step-free, so there is room to tuck a bed or a big dog out of the walking line. It trades 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Saturday and closes Sundays, which makes it a weekday brunch or post-market stop rather than a weekend one.

The food

This is hearty, colourful meatless cooking rather than light grazing: lentil burgers, curries, wraps and the house rainbow wrap, plus a bake of the day in the cabinet. Vegans are properly covered rather than accommodated, and the portions are the kind that fuel a long walk afterwards. It is homely and unhurried, which suits a plaza table with a settled dog.

Getting there and parking

The Dickson shops sit off Antill Street and Dickson Way, served by the light rail along Northbourne Avenue and with timed parking around the plaza. Mount Ainslie rises directly behind the suburb for anyone wanting a serious walk with the coffee to go.

Close by with the dogs

The Mount Ainslie Kokoda Memorial Trail is the classic on-lead climb nearby, and the Haig Park dog agility course is a few minutes south in Braddon. Hudsons of Dickson is another dog-friendly option on the same plaza.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the Dickson destination page, with the full list in the ACT cafes index.