The Lab - Black Poison

The Lab - Black Poison is a family-run cafe tucked into a residential stretch of Queens Road, Five Dock, with a loyal local following for its coffee and dog-friendly outdoor tables. It is the kind of place regulars queue for on weekends.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating on a leash, and water bowls are generally provided. The courtyard and footpath tables are the reliable dog zone; indoor seating is not part of the setup, so plan on outside only. The team is known for being warm with visiting dogs, and the courtyard fills with regulars' dogs on weekends.

Worth knowing

The cafe runs on Di Mattina beans and is known for thick-style breakfast rolls, including the bacon and egg roll on a ciabatta, fresh cinnamon scrolls and a lamb shakshuka. Produce comes weekly from Flemington Markets, and there is a small retail line of spices, rubs and spreads to take home. Hours are 6am to 2pm weekdays and 8am to 2pm weekends. Weekday mornings are the relaxed window, with the weekend rush arriving mid-morning and running through to close.

Getting there and parking

Queens Road has free off-street and street parking, though spots turn over fast at weekend brunch. Weekday mornings are the easy option.

Close by with the dogs

Timbrell Park and the Bay Run are about five minutes away by car for a longer walk, and Bay Run Coffee & Bistro at Rodd Point sits right on that circuit. The fenced run at Five Dock Park is the closest off-lead option, and Dino's is another dog-friendly cafe in the suburb.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the Five Dock destination page, with the state list in the NSW cafes index.