Third Chapter

Third Chapter is a busy, family-run all-day cafe in the Eltham town centre just off Main Road, and the outdoor tables out the front are where the dogs sit. It is a high-volume room with a broad menu and a welcoming street-side setup, which makes it an easy stop either side of a walk along the Diamond Creek corridor.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating area, which you can reach straight off the footpath without threading through the restaurant. The indoor dining room stays people-only under the usual food-premises rules. Staff are used to canine regulars, but bring your own water bowl to be safe on a busy morning. The street tables suit a settled dog; the footpath traffic keeps things lively.

Worth knowing

The kitchen covers breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days, with the smashed avocado, zucchini fritters and calamari salad the dishes that come up again and again, plus a solid run of vegan and gluten-free plates. Portions run generous and the coffee holds its own. Doors open 7am daily, winding up mid-afternoon, so it is a breakfast-and-lunch venue rather than a dinner one. Weekends move quickly; an early table is the calm version.

Max: order the zucchini fritters, take the front table, and let the dog audit every pram that goes past.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits in the Eltham town square precinct off Main Road. Street parking runs along Main Road with more in the residential side streets, and Eltham Station on the Hurstbridge line is an easy walk if you are coming up from Melbourne with or without the dog.

Close by with the dogs

Eltham Lower Park Dog Fenced Oval and Off Leash Area is a short hop away for a proper run before coffee, and Griffith Park Dog Off Leash Area covers the other side of town. For a quieter second coffee, Second Home is a local option with outdoor seating.

More north-east stops are on the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and the Eltham destinations page.