Tea Pot Cafe

The Tea Pot Cafe sits at 8 Panther Place in central Eltham, right by the library, and it is one of those small suburban cafes where the dog is clearly part of the morning routine. It trades from 9am to 2pm, Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Saturday, so it is a late-morning coffee stop rather than a sunrise one, with a roomy outdoor verandah doing the heavy lifting for dog owners.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the outdoor verandah and deck, and there is enough room for a settled dog to sit under the table rather than in the walkway. Regulars note you can walk your dog through the cafe to reach the rear outdoor area, which says a lot about how relaxed the place is. Staff usually bring out a water bowl, though on hot days it is worth packing your own just in case the table you land has already been served.

Worth knowing

The kitchen leans casual: coffee with proper latte art, sausage rolls, muffins, sandwiches and cakes, plus a hot chocolate that gets its own fan club. It is a common post-walk stop for local dog owners, so expect a friendly table or two with a lead wrapped around a chair. The cafe closes on Thursdays and Sundays, which catches out first timers, so plan around it.

Getting there and parking

Panther Place is in the Eltham village core near the library, and public parking is available in the Panther Place area and the surrounding streets. If you are walking the dog from home in the village, it is an easy stroll from most of central Eltham.

Close by with the dogs

The Diamond Creek Trail runs through Eltham, so a walk before or after coffee is easy to slot in. For a proper runaround, Eltham Lower Park Dog Fenced Oval and Off Leash Area is close by, and Griffith Park Dog Off Leash Area covers the other side of the suburb.

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

Max: the verandah fills up soon after nine, so if your dog needs space to settle, take the first sitting rather than the second.