BAM

BAM (Bread and Milk) is a modern take on the corner-store milk bar at 23 Albion Street in Essendon, part cafe, part sandwich bar, part boutique grocer. It opens 6:30am on weekdays and 7am on weekends, trading to 3pm daily, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating out front, which makes it a fixture stop for local dog walkers on the morning circuit.

The dog setup

The outdoor benches at the front are the dog zone; pets are not permitted inside the retail and pantry area, which is small anyway. Keep your dog on a lead and settled with the footpath clear. Pet amenities are limited, so a portable water bowl is worth carrying, though staff are friendly and the bench setup means a quick coffee and toastie rarely keeps you waiting long.

Worth knowing

The sandwiches are the point. House-baked bread goes into generously filled toasties such as the Kimcheesy Tuna Melt, the Rue-Bam reuben twist, a pork belly roll, the salt beef bun and a chicken caesar, plus vegetarian options like the Capresy. Behind the counter sits a pantry of local eggs, milk, bacon and other staples you can take home. Coffee, matcha and pastries round it out, and reviews, which number well over two hundred, stay consistently strong.

Getting there and parking

Albion Street sits a short walk from Essendon Village, with free street parking nearby that gets competitive on weekend mornings. Weekday mornings are the easy window for a front bench.

Pair it with

Lincoln Park is a few minutes away for an on-lead stroll on the big grassed expanse, but note Moonee Valley City Council does not list it as a designated off-leash park, so the lead stays on there. For a proper run, Bent Street Fenced Dog Park in Moonee Ponds and the Aberfeldie Park Dog Off Leash Area are the official options nearby. Other dog-friendly coffee stops include Take 3 Cafe and Matte Black in Essendon.

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