The Lab by Coffee Bean

The Lab by Coffee Bean is a container-style specialty coffee cafe at 15 Douglas Mawson Drive in Dubbo, with its own roasting house next door turning out the multi-award-winning blends it pours. For dog owners it works well: the outdoor seating is a shaded gravel plaza under a big tree beside the container, so a leashed dog is part of the furniture. It opens 6am to 2pm Monday to Friday and 8am to midday on Saturday, closing Sundays.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor and shaded plaza areas around the container, not inside. The open layout gives you room to settle a dog beside your seat without blocking the path to the counter, and the tree cover matters in a Dubbo summer. Staff are accommodating and will often bring a water bowl out on request, but pack your own as a backstop. There is no dedicated dog menu; the cafe is coffee and quick bites rather than a full kitchen.

Worth knowing

This is one of Dubbo's serious coffee addresses: espresso, filter and cold brew, plus single origins roasted on-site. The cabinet covers toasted sandwiches and wraps, muffins, and house-made cakes and slices, with juices and cold drinks for the drive-on-the-Mitchell-Highway crowd. The site is wheelchair accessible and there is an on-site parking lot as well as free street parking, so arriving with a dog and gear is easy. Weekday mornings are the calm window; Saturday trades only until midday.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-leash run before coffee, South Dubbo Park Fenced Dog Park on Palmer Street is fully fenced with agility equipment and self-watering dog dishes. 271 Coffee is another specialty stop in town, and the Tracker Riley Cycleway offers a long leashed walk for afterwards. More options are under NSW dog friendly cafes and the Dubbo guide.