Livvi's Cafe

Livvi's Cafe is a kiosk-style cafe inside Timbrell Park on Henley Marine Drive, Five Dock, sitting directly on the Bay Run. For dog owners it is less a destination cafe than the built-in coffee stop on the loop, with outdoor bench seating beside the kiosk and the park's off-lead area a short walk away.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating next to the cafe, casual bench style with room for a dog to lie down beside you. Water bowls are usually out and staff often have a biscuit on hand for regulars. It sits right beside Livvi's Place, the inclusive playground, so expect prams and kids as well as dogs, and keep your hound settled away from the play area edge.

Worth knowing

The cafe is run in support of the Touched by Olivia Foundation and provides inclusive employment for young adults with disability, so your coffee does some good. The menu is simple and well executed: bacon and egg rolls, breakfast wraps, toasties, falafel sandwiches and a Portuguese chilli chicken wrap, with barista coffee, iced coffees and affogatos for drinks. Hours run to 1:30pm weekdays and 2:30pm weekends, so it is a breakfast-and-lunch operation.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Henley Marine Drive, though it thins out with Bay Run traffic mid-morning on weekends. Walking or cycling in on the shared path is the easy option, and the cafe is a fair walk from Five Dock's main strip.

Close by with the dogs

Timbrell Park itself has a fenced off-lead area on its western side, and the Bay Run continues both ways along the waterfront for a longer leg. Five Dock Park's fenced dog park is an alternative off-lead option, and Bay Run Coffee and Bistro at Rodd Point is another waterside stop further around the loop.

More options are on the NSW dog friendly cafes guide and the Five Dock destination page.

Pepsi: do the Timbrell off-lead first, then walk the dog along the water to the kiosk, because weekday mornings beat the weekend Bay Run crush every time.