Elster Elsternwick

Elster is an upscale daytime diner at 258 Glen Eira Road, Elsternwick, set inside a converted 1930s service station from Julien Moussi's Only Hospitality group, with a menu from chef Emma Jeffrey. It pitches itself at a proper sit-down lunch rather than a rushed brunch, and dogs are welcome at the footpath tables out the front, which makes it one of the more polished outdoor coffee stops in the bayside strip.

The dog setup

Dogs join you at the outdoor footpath seating along Glen Eira Road; the moody timber-panelled dining room inside is people only. This is a table-service venue rather than a counter-order cafe, so the outside tables are also the relaxed option with a dog in tow: you can watch the Glen Eira Road foot traffic while service comes to you. There is no standing water-bowl arrangement, so bring your own bowl to keep the dog hydrated over a longer lunch.

The menu

The kitchen leans European bistro rather than standard brunch. Breakfast covers avocado toast with smoked feta and jalapeno sauce, house granola with honeycomb and yoghurt, and banana bread with whipped mascarpone. Lunch moves to steak frites, cacio e pepe risotto, chopped tuna salad and a buttermilk-brined fried chicken sandwich on milk bread. Coffee and loose-leaf tea sit alongside a concise list of wines, beers and daytime cocktails, and reviewers including The Age have singled out the smart-casual sit-down lunch offering. Hours run 7am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 4pm Sunday.

Getting there and parking

It is on Glen Eira Road between the Ripponlea and Elsternwick village strips, close to Elsternwick Station on the Sandringham line and the tram routes along Glen Eira Road. Street parking on Glen Eira Road and the side streets is competitive at weekend peak, so a weekday visit gets you both a park and the quieter footpath tables. Weekend lunch is the busiest stretch.

Close by with the dogs

For a leg-stretch either side of lunch, the Harleston Park Dog Off Leash Area is the local Elsternwick option, and the Lakeside Green off-lead area at Elsternwick Park sits just south towards the golf course. If you want to make a morning of it, Carter Lovett is the other dog-friendly coffee stop in the same suburb.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the Elsternwick destination page, with the wider list in the VIC cafes index.