Zia Lorena’s

Zia Lorena's is a family-run Italian cafe at Shop 2/43 Tunstall Square, Doncaster East, serving handcrafted panini and focaccia with barista coffee and homemade desserts. It carries a 4.9 rating from a small but loyal reviewer base, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath seating, so it works as a relaxed coffee-and-panini stop with a dog in tow.

The dog setup

Dogs join you at the outdoor footpath tables, with direct street-level access from the Tunstall Square precinct. Staff are friendly toward dogs, but a water bowl is not guaranteed, so bring your own in the warmer months. Keep dogs on-lead moving through the precinct, and aim for a table with some shade on hot Melbourne mornings.

The vibe

The panini list does the heavy lifting: the schnitzel panini, meatball panini, capri and salami are the regular picks, with arancini and chips alongside, plus Italian desserts and milkshakes. Hours run 8am to 2:30pm Tuesday to Friday and 8am to 2pm weekends; listings disagree on Mondays, so check the cafe's Facebook page before a Monday trip. This is a daytime venue, closed from mid-afternoon.

Getting there and parking

Tunstall Square sits off Doncaster Road and has ample free public parking around the shops, so the lead-to-table walk is short even from the far side of the car park.

Close by with the dogs

For a proper walk either side of coffee, Ruffey Lake Park is minutes away with rolling trails and wide open space, and the Sharon Reserve dog off-leash area is a quieter neighbourhood option over in Doncaster. Cafe-wise, Bob's Your Uncle and The Inked Cup are other Doncaster East stops that welcome dogs.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and the Doncaster East destination page.

Max: order the schnitzel panini while it is still morning service. The kitchen closes mid-afternoon and the panini sell through lunch, so late arrivals pick from leftovers.