Baringa Bar & Cafe

Baringa Bar & Cafe sits inside the Tamar Valley Wine Centre at 49D Main Road in the middle of Exeter, pouring local Tasmanian wine and craft beer alongside a casual food menu, with an outdoor patio that takes dogs. It is the rare West Tamar stop that works equally well as a morning coffee, a long lunch or an evening drink, and the Instagram tagline says it plainly: they love their doggos here.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor alfresco and patio seating, on-lead and well behaved, for brunch, lunch or a drink. Water bowls and the occasional treat are put out for canine visitors, so there is usually one less thing to ask for when you arrive. The indoor bar and dining room stays people-only.

The vibe

The drinks list is the point of the venue: Tamar Valley wines, Tasmanian craft beers and spirits, plus roasted coffee. Food runs to casual pizzas, cheese platters and house-made cakes. Midweek burger and steak specials and Friday night live music fill the evenings, so Friday gets busy and a midweek visit is the relaxed version. Hours run 9am to 3pm Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, to 7pm Wednesday and Thursday, and to 9pm Friday and Saturday.

Getting there and parking

The Wine Centre sits on Main Road on the Bass Highway route between Launceston and the Tamar Valley wine trail, with an on-site car park plus free street parking. It is an easy pit stop if you are working the cellar doors up the valley with a dog in the car.

Close by with the dogs

The Exeter fenced dog park is the local off-lead option, and the Legana off-lead dog park covers the drive south towards Launceston. West Tamar council keeps dogs on-lead in most other public spaces, so plan the off-lead leg around those two. Cafe-wise, The Cabin in Exeter and Two Dogs Laughing in Beaconsfield are other dog-friendly stops up the highway.

More options are on the Tasmania dog friendly cafes guide and the Exeter destination page.

Pepsi: the patio already has water and treats out for dogs, so skip the interrogation at the door and just take a table. Midweek beats Friday for space.